Christina Aguilera started her career as a child in shows like Star Search, before becoming a cast member on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club. She starred alongside other future stars like Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Ryan Gosling. Like her co-stars, Aguilera would go on to make a name for herself in entertainment, becoming a huge pop star. With her hit songs and distinctive voice, Aguilera is an icon of her generation.
Lady Gaga became known toward the end of the decade in which Aguilera was at the height of her pop powers. Her catchy songs, outrageous outfits, and button-pushing performances made her the dominant pop star of the early 2010s.
However, there were lots of rumors and speculation that the two singers had some kind of beef. Through the years, claims of copying, sabotage, and jealousy ran wild. But what is the truth behind the relationship of these two pop music powerhouses?
Speculation Online Suggests That Christina Aguilera's Look Was Similar To Lady Gaga's
When Lady Gaga first burst onto the scene in 2008 with her debut single, "Just Dance," she set the world on fire. However, that fire wouldn't be set without a struggle. Gaga has often spoken about radio refusing to play her first single because it was too dance-oriented. By that time, it had been a while since a dance song became popular.
Gaga fought for her chance and the song became a huge hit. Her single "Poker Face" sent her into a level of stardom that proved she was no one-hit wonder.
With this new level of attention, Gaga's image was being heavily dissected. Her look was one that stood out from her contemporaries. This caused the media to take notice of Christina Aguilera when her video for "Keeps Gettin' Better" was released later that same year.
Many saw Aguilera's look in the video and felt it was similar to Gaga's. It gained enough attention for Gaga herself to respond. When asked about the comparisons in interviews, Gaga was kind to Aguilera. It wasn't something that seemed to bother her.
However, many people were confused by these comparisons. Gaga was someone many people still weren't familiar with. Therefore, the idea that someone as accomplished as Aguilera would copy her made little sense.
Perez Hilton Hinted That Lady Gaga Tried To Sabotage Christina Aguilera's Album
In 2010, Aguilera released her album "Bionic." The album contained the kind of electronic dance music that was hugely popular at the time.
It seemed like Aguilera was on her way to scoring another hit album. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be the case. The album ended up doing poor in sales compared to her previous efforts. It also received a lot of negative critical reviews.
Many wondered what went wrong with the album's release and reception. By 2013, the world was aware that the friendship between media personality Perez Hilton and Gaga was over. Both parties spoke about the end of the friendship in separate interviews at the time, each offering their own take on how it went sour.
During this time, there were internet rumors going around that Gaga encouraged Hilton to post negative comments on his blog about Aguilera's album at the time of its release. Allegedly, the goal was to sabotage the record and cause it to flop.
Hilton himself seemed to validate these rumors, tweeting a cryptic message to Aguilera that he would like to speak to her sometime.
Lady Gaga And Christina Aguilera Team Up For Duet
In 2013, Lady Gaga released her album "Artpop." The album was highly anticipated, but turned out to be a disappointment by Gaga's standards.
The sales weren't as high as "The Fame" or "Born This Way," and reviews were less than enthusiastic. Some pointed to the public growing tired of Gaga and others blamed the competition from several major female pop acts releasing albums at the same time.
The second single from the album, "Do What U Want," featured vocals from R. Kelly. The song generated controversy due to Kelly's inclusion, given the allegations of assault made against him. Many pointed to the song's lyrical content and said that his feature on such a track was less than appropriate.
After performing the single on shows like Saturday Night Live and the American Music Awards, Gaga performed the track again on The Voice. This time, however, she sang the song with none other than Aguilera, months after Hilton alluded to the sabotage rumors.
In 2019, Gaga released a statement apologizing for her collaboration with Kelly in the wake of the Surviving R. Kelly documentary. She also removed the track from digital, streaming, and all future physical copies of the "Artpop" album.
Aguilera was later asked about the song and their collaboration on an episode of Watch What Happens Live. She said that she has no regrets about the song and considered it empowering. Aguilera also praised Gaga, finally putting to bed any rumors of past beef.
