BEVERLY HILLS, California — Christina Aguilera has laid relatively low since canceling her tour with Chingy a year ago, but not because there's nothing to talk about. "I'm finishing the next record, planning a wedding, searching for the [perfect film] role — there's lots going on," the singer said last month at Vanity Fair's annual Oscar party (see "The Oscars Party: An Inside Look"), which she attended with music executive Jordan Bratman, who proposed to her in February (see "Christina Aguilera To Marry Music Executive").
Aguilera is nearing the finish line on her as-yet-untitled follow-up to Stripped, and the sound might surprise fans. "It's very special for me," she said. "It's a retro blues/jazz/soul record, but a really meaty, gritty, real raw record of soul. So it'll feel good — a feel-good record." Aguilera kept the production details to herself, but revealed that she has yet to re-team with Linda Perry, the former 4 Non Blondes singer who co-wrote and produced "Beautiful" and has since gone on to work with one of Aguilera's rivals, Kelly Osbourne (see "Kelly Osbourne Revels In Freedom With The Matrix, Linda Perry On New LP"). "I would love to [work with Aguilera again], but I don't force myself onto people," Perry said recently. "If she calls, I would look forward to it. If she doesn't, I'm sure she'll make a great record no matter what." As for Aguilera's movie debut, it looks like that might have to wait another album cycle. "I've been [reading scripts, but] I'm waiting for the right role," she said. "It's very important that I don't play myself in a film."
The singer has also been watching a lot of movies and was happy about the Best Actor and Best Actress winners at last month's Academy Awards. "Jamie Foxx is great," she said. "I got entranced in his performance. I thought we were watching Ray Charles. He was pretty amazing. And [I have] a lot of respect for Hilary Swank for putting on 19 pounds of muscle. I mean, that's nuts. That's crazy. Good inspiration for whenever I take that path myself."
MTV |
