Christina Aguilera never aspired to be in your living room.
Though she appeared on the All New Mickey Mouse Club as a child, she has been focused on music since then.
“I don’t watch a lot of (television). I can’t even say that I’ve actually seen a full episode of the other musical shows that are out there such as American Idol,” she says.
Still, the diminutive singer with the supersized pipes is one of four musicians headlining NBC’s The Voice, one of this season’s most heavily promoted vocal competitions. The show, which premieres Tuesday (9 p.m. ET/PT), stars Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and Blake Shelton as tunesmiths who work with contestants to bring out their inner, well, Aguileras and Greens.
“We know what it’s like to get up on that stage. I was even a contestant on Star Search years ago (as a child). For me, I know what it’s like to be them,” Aguilera says. “One of the reasons I was hesitant about doing a show like this was because I wanted to make sure I was a part of something very positive and not negative just for television’s sake. I wanted to bring positivity and a really honest perspective.”
She and her fellow celebrity coaches are entering a packed programming playlist, in which singing contests are as prolific as the wannabe crooners who audition for them. There’s the revamped American Idol, the stalwart hit that now features the musical guidance of Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. American Idol‘s acid-tongued former critic Simon Cowell is bringing his much-hyped show The X Factor to Fox, already home toIdol, this fall and has booked Mariah Carey as one of the judges. CMT’s Next Superstar, executive-produced by Idol‘s Nigel Lythgoe, focuses on country performers. And Bravo’sPlatinum Hit, starring former Idol umpire Kara DioGuardi and singer Jewel, premieres May 30.
But harmonious stylings aside, The Voice, says executive producer Mark Burnett, has as much in common with Idol as William Hung has with Kelly Clarkson. His series isn’t about showcasing the hopeless or humorous.
“Idol has great comedy in the early rounds when they find the bad singers. I was clear that we’re not doing that,” Burnett says. “There won’t be any criticizing of the poor people up there. It’s a singing contest, but it’s very fresh. It doesn’t seem like a copy.”
Will viewers take note? It could go either way, says Andy Dehnart, editor of RealityBlurred.com.
“The public’s appetite for these kinds of competition shows is pretty high, but at the same time, it’s been proven over the years that copycats don’t work. Shows that cloneAmerican Idol don’t work,” he says. “But The Voice has a different kind of formula and has some big talent associated with it, so I’d be surprised if people didn’t tune in at first to see what it’s like.”
Christina Aguilera
The singer has been through a turbulent year. Her 2010 album, Bionic, underwhelmed, as did her movie debut, Burlesque. She flubbed the national anthem during a Super Bowlperformance and fell on stage at the Grammys. And she separated from her husband, Jordan Bratman.
“The last year has probably, with the divorce and considering everything that’s gone on, has humbled me a little bit,” she says with a laugh.
Aguilera says The Voice represents a new beginning for her in every sense. The concept of the show intrigued her and took her back to why she started singing. “Being in this business for quite a few years now, sometimes you do take things for granted. I’ve had my ups and I’ve had my downs. You have to take the good with the bad in this business. It gets me back to the root of why I got into this business, and that’s real, raw talent,” says Aguilera, 30.
The show films in Los Angeles and has allowed Aguilera to stay near her son, Max, 3, and record her new album. The next release, Aguilera says, will focus on her personal evolution.
“For this one, I really want to make a real rooted, heartfelt record. After someone goes through the things that I have, regarding a divorce, there’s a lot of emotions that are stirred,” she says.
Aguilera, whose towering talent has never been questioned, says she keeps right on going, even when things get tough.
“I prove to myself that I’m stronger than just to let things take over me, and take over my head space,” Aguilera says. “I’m very honest with myself in seeing if there are things that I need to change about my life, or if there are things I need to do stepping forward.
“That’s in part why I got the divorce. It’s a new beginning for me. It’s all positivity for me. I’ve been through some hard things, but I’m on the up and up. ”
The advice she would most want to impart to the contestants she’s coaching on her team? To always follow your gut and focus on why you’re making music. It’s not about the freebies or the fame.
“There’s so much in the media and in the press, opportunities to get swayed. That’s why I stay so far away from reading anything about myself.
“I love to sing. It’s what moves me and inspires me. To be able to do that is a gift.”
kudos!
yess!!! you TELL them xtina!!!! it’s not about the fame, fortune, praise, etc….it’s about reaching your goals and being proud of it!! And xtina smart for not wasting her time reading the dumb aritcles those deluded journanlists talk crap anyway.
Here we go again… Burlesque was not a flop in fact coming in 3rd for a first time actress is pretty good, how many ppl can say that? Look at Jennifer Aniston for example how long has she been acting..and she barely makes it into top 3. It wasnt the movie btw was great..it was just wrong timing..thanksgiving week is more family oriented thus Tangled was on top. Adults arent going to take their kids to watch women who are half naked.