By Melinda Newman
Photography By Ellen Von Unwerth

The album came complete with a new visual style that Aguilera started sporting long before she stepped into the recording booth. Her new, platinum-blonde, pin-up image evolved as she delved into the project. “I wanted to put on my red lipstick and do up my blonde hair, just to get into that saucy mode of old Hollywood.”

She studied old, black-and-white photos of her heroes to complete the bombshell image. “In all the pictures you see, the women really took pride in getting dressed up, putting on their make up and their outfits. It was just a beautiful time.”

It is her current image that was immortalized by Madame Tussaud’s London in late 2006.

In between recording her own projects, Aguilera has found time to play with some of her favorite artists: She sang “A Song for You” on Herbie Hancock’s 2005 project, “Possibilities,” as well as paired with Elton John on “Bennie & the Jets” on CBS’s “Fashion Rocks” this fall. More recently, she performed “Steppin’ Out with My Baby” with Tony Bennett on his November TV special, commemorating his 80th birthday. The two also recorded the song for Bennett’s album, “Duets: An American Classic.”

As she stands toe-to-toe with her heroes, there’s no denying Aguilera has come a long way since her appearance on “Star Search” when she was nine. By the time she was 12, she joined “The New Mickey Mouse Club,” whose other famous alumni include Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and JC Chasez.

Following her tenure as a modern-day Mousketeer, Aguilera recorded “Reflection” for the 1998 animated feature “Mulan.” A year later, her self-titled RCA album came out. The tremendous success of delectable pop tunes, “Genie in a Bottle,” “Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)” and “What a Girl Wants,” combined with her alluring image, catapulted her to superstardom.  

For Aguilera, the key to her success is to continue to challenge herself both personally and professionally. Happily married – her first anniversary was November 19th – and now more than 25 million albums into her career, Aguilera feels like she is just getting started. “There’s a constant need to keep going,” she says. “I have so many things to do. I have so many dreams and so many goals ahead of me.”

For tickets and information call 877-632-7400 or visit mandalaybay.com.