ChristinaMultimedia Presents: Christina Statistics

'Well, I do have a favorite song, a song that I covered when I did a few dates with Lilith Fair with just a piano and a microphone. And I'm a big lover of blues and Etta James, so I covered one of her old classics, 'At Last,' which is one of my favorites to sing.'

'It's so important that in my music I convey positive messages, and this song is definitely a universal message that everybody can relate to - anyone that's been discriminated against or unaccepted, unappreciated or disrespected just because of who you are.'

'I just love this song so much! It makes me grateful for all the wonderful things in my life.'

'I'm more interested in helping girls stand up for themselves. That's what the song is about - double standards and how we're supposed to look and act a certain way just to please men. If I have any influence as an entertainer, I want to be optimistic and uplifting, to make this world a little better place to live.'

I'm remaking the old classic, 'Car Wash,' which I'm really excited about. The idea was brought to me by Katzenberg and everyone at DreamWorks for the Shark Tale movie. So I was really, really amped about doing this old song, it's got a really good, classic, soulful feel. And I jumped at the chance of getting to remake it.

This is such a fun song to sing. I think this one's really going to be a hit at concerts. It's got really good energy.'

'For me, in my heart, I have to move away from teen pop.'

'Even if the label said I had to make another record like that, I don't think I could. Getting older, you just don't want to sing fluffy. You just have more things to say about real life and real people and the bitterness that you get from people.'

'I felt caged in or locked up. Everyone categorized me into that whole teen, cookie cutter, play it safe which was creatively stifling to me.'

'I like to think that I have more to offer than that (debut album).'

'I really felt like I was in a box after doing my first record. I put it on for a good laugh - because it's like looking at an old yearbook. I was 17 when I made it, and now I'm 23. I've done a lot of growing since then.'

'Dirrty is the most hard beat-wise, its about me being 21 and having fun.'

'You know, no matter what you do, no matter what you say, people are always going to misinterpret things. But yeah, I'm not afraid to say that 'Dirrty' has a pretty sexual video, with pretty sexual pieces in it, in parts. I wanted it to be a little gritty, and dirty - to go along with the song. I didn't want it to be girlie, or feminine because that's just not really me.'

'It's just about me being 21, having fun and experiencing life. Not having had the chance to have lived like that, because I've been working so much, I thought it'd be good to do it for a video.'

'I've always been a hip-hop fan, so that's going to come out more in my music, the hardest, most beat-driven song. It's about being 21 and, you know, getting down and getting a little gritty and street with my friends. And not worrying about looking pretty, or caring who's around.'

'I was looking for something that was really explosive and urban, something that would get people up and moving. I've had a chance to get into the club scene since I spent time in LA, and I wanted the single to reflect that to be edgier and just grittier. You know, it's called 'Dirrty' so it's like keeping it more real.'

'Actually, 'Dirrty' is almost a misrepresentation of the rest of the album because there's nothing else really like it on the record. It's probably the most hard-driven song, beat-wise, whereas the rest of it is pretty different, uplifting, and extremely personal, with a positive feeling, overall. 'Dirrty' is more like a reaction to me listening to a lot of hip-hop and feeling really comfortable with those kind of beats.'

'It may have a couple of indecent scenes, but it is exactly how I wanted it to be, I'm not interested in moralists. I am happy, and the video is certainly not pornographic. I feel good in sexy outfits. I hate conservative people, and hey, I'm only 21 and under no circumstances want to dress like a square.'

'Well, you could only hope that your first single would be a hit, let alone a top ten, let alone a number one hit. And to be there continuously. We had a great response from people early on before 'Genie' rose to the top. I'm so glad it rose to the top and stayed there, so I'm really excited.'

'At first, I was a little afraid that some people might not completely get where I'm coming from in the song. It's about self-respect. It's about not giving in to temptation until you're respected.'

'A genie is always portrayed as a man's slave. Now it's 'I'm not coming out of my bottle unless you please me the way I want to be pleased'.'

'It's a total girl-power song.'

'I think this song is really powerful - it makes it clear that there are certain things a girl really can't live without in a boyfriend.'

'Let me just clear this up - a lot of people want to perceive 'Genie in a Bottle' as sort of a sexual song because of the lyrical content. Really all it's saying can be taken as literal or non-literal as you want to. In my opinion, it means girls want to be treated the right way - and that's all. I think it's a cool, girl empowerment song. It's just like 'I'm not going to settle for anything less than I deserve.' It's sort of a hard-to-get, playin' it cool kinda song. I really like it.'

'This is such a fun song to sing. I think this one's really going to be a hit at concerts. It's got really good energy.'

'The song's theme, the struggle to establish yourself and your identity, as something I could really relate to - especially since I'm a teenage girl myself, and I've gone through so much of those feelings.'

'I kind of wish it was mine. No, we totally rented out those cars. It was funny because one scene I had to get on top of the car and interact with the lead guy, and they were so worried about me denting the car, because it wasn't ours. But I don't have a driver's license, so I'm working on that so I can get my own car. I just haven't had the time to practice driving enough so I'll be confident enough to go in there and pass the test. But for now, I'm being driven around.'

'I think that most videos take about 2 or 3 days at the most. But in my case, it did take 2 days to film the video for 'Genie in a Bottle' and I'm sure you heard this in other interviews - it was freezing cold and not as glamorous as you'd think. The next video I'll be in will be in a very warm location. Even though it was on a beach, it was cold.'

'The image of me for 'Genie In A Bottle' was definitely something the label wanted to push but it was fake and unreal. I came out of the height of the teen-pop explosion. Business-wise it did what they wanted it to do and I was happy. I can't knock it - it got my foot in the door and enabled me to do what I love to do. But, as it went on and I grew as a person I started feeling like a robot - I'm an artist, not a robot.'

'Diane Warren really writes songs that touch your heart, and this is an example of that. This song really speaks to me.'

'It was really hard to record. I was literally crying through it - if you listen to the record you'll hear it. But it's something initially that I think a lot of people go through. Domestic violence isn't something that people really want to talk about.'

'So it's a really personal song and it's something I definitely needed to speak on because I do get letters from fans who have been through that and my heart goes out to them.'

'A lot of my lyrics come from diary entries and poetry. 'I'm OK' started that way and I didn't think I could put it out there. It's the most difficult thing I've ever done. The whole purpose of 'I'm OK' was to heal myself. I believe if you have deep-roots issues or problems, and you just put on a happy smile, it will fester and come out in other ways, hurting others you love.'

Source: Glamour Magazine

'This track is about my father. I'm literally crying on the record.'

'It was a sad time. It still sticks with me. I think I have a lot of anger where I get so aggressive and heated about certain things.'

'I'm sure he's not going to love it, but hopefully he will listen to it, since it is pretty much directed toward him, and, if anything, he will feel bad about what happened. I'm not trying to punish him. Nothing like that. If anything, I'm speaking out for my own benefit and for the benefit of others that might be going through it. Hopefully, he will understand where I'm coming from and what he put us through and be a better man for it. I mean, I can't help what he did - I just hope he respects the fact that this is part of the healing process for me.'

'I'm sure he wishes I hadn't done it, but he's a big boy.' (on Fausto)

'It's all in the record, actually. The dad song tells about what I've been through in my past with my father and the issues that I still have. The lyrics are 'bruises fade / but the pain still remains.' Even though you can't see it on the outside, it's got some long-term effects. But no matter what, you have to have faith that you will come through this - everybody has something in their past that didn't go right or some sad story, but in the end you need to know that you will overcome it. For me, the good thing is being able to share it with other people, to try to help them through it.'

'When success first really hit, my father did the whole trying to come back into my life. But I'm a smart girl and I'm a no-bull*beep* girl. I can smell it from a mile away and if you haven't been in my life before then basically I'm not going to be too keen on letting you in now. But there is always room for forgiveness and I do forgive him for the past, but a relationship is something I will have to think about. I learnt a lot from witnessing what he did and it was a lot. It was rough witnessing that. Sometimes, without even realizing, you can fall into the same traps, maybe not physically but emotionally, and I've been hurt before. But on the positive side, I thank God for all the times I've been hurt, because it forces you to fight your way out of a rough situation and I have definitely come out a stronger and wiser person from it. You need those hard times in your life to better yourself as a person, you really do.'

'That song's got an old-school feel to it. Alicia sang some backgrounds with me. We also did a talking-back-and-forth thing before the song even started. I wanted every song to have the feeling like you're in the studio with me. There are a lot of interludes with talking, and there's some hidden stuff on there that's funny. We have so much goofing off on this record - I swear, people have never seen this side of me; it's just stupid.'

'I was really mad, though, that a lot of people thought that was my comeback performance. It wasn't. My comeback performance, will be explosive!'

'I wanted really strong makeup.'

'I had pink and black shadows, rhinestone sideburns and real diamonds at the end of my lashes.'

'The clothes were not comfortable.'

'The tight corsets, high lace-up boots and big bustle - I could not even sit down - they were really awkward at times. I definitely waited until the last possible minute to get dressed.'

'Whether it was top hats, garter belts, feathers or rhinestone head pieces, we all stood out in our own unique way.'

'I loved dressing up in fishnets. It gave me a buzz.'

'I love 'afros'; I do, I've always thought they were beautiful and I always wanted one of my own. It's kind of crazy, but it's fun. I don't know what could get caught in there.'

'It was fun wearing the costumes.'

'They were like outrageous showgirl clothes with over-the-top jewels so it was fun.'

'It was a blast to be a part of it and to be working with all of them.'

'Everybody said, 'Don't do 'Lady Marmalade' it's too urban for you!' But I wanted to do it. The girls (Pink, Lill Kim, Mya ad Missy Elliot) were great to work with - it was like, 'Let's play dress-up for a day!' If you're doing a video for a movie like Moulin Rouge - I mean, it's about a *beep*house - you have to get up there in some fun costumes. I love taking chances.'

'The video's going to be dope. We're going to have cabaret costumes. It's something you've never seen from us before. So, it's going to be fun.'

'I guess the big hair paid off! Thanks to Paul Hunter for making an incredible video. Trish Somerville for designing the whole video. You did a great job. Who else, who else? Tina Landon, the choreographer.'

'Of course, this is the closest I get to be in a girl group.'

'I can honestly say that I was going to be utterly disappointed if I didn't win something with the girls. I am so proud of this video. It was so much fun - we had a blast. Honestly this is the most fun video I've ever made.'

'A lot of people have told me that this song is very romantic, and I can certainly see why they would feel that way. I can imagine people in love singing to one another.'

'I'm really proud of my ballads, but I have to admit it's great to do these fun songs. I get such a good feeling whe I sing it.'

'It's very special for me, 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.'

Source: MTV

'I have a tutor who travels with me consistently on the road now. Eventually, I'll be able to do (Spanish) interviews on my own.'

'Growing up in Pittsburgh, there weren't a lot of Spanish-speaking people around, but I'm very proud of my Latin heritage. Because I have blond hair with blue eyes, a lot of people who knew my last name didn't recognize it as being Latin. And people who didn't know my last name thought I was Italian or something like that, so I never experienced any bias based upon my heritage.'

'I had really wanted to use some of my Latin influences on the album because I grew up singing in Spanish and I'm proud of my Latin roots. You have to keep evolving with your sound. I'm here for the long haul; I want to make records for the rest of my life. That's the plan.'

'It's really nice to be recognized for my first Latin album 'Mi Reflejo'. I'm really excited that I was recognized for that this year.'

'I speak very little Spanish. But I grew up in my household hearing my mother and father speaking it. My mother went to college to be a translator and she was very fluent, and I was able to pick up on it and understand it. I am not able, unfortunately, to speak it yet. But I will. And I'll be releasing a Spanish album.'

'I used to sing in Spanish when I was little and I grew up around a lot of Latin music. I thought it would be something good for me to explore - especially since I want to learn more about my Latin roots.'

'This is another song I can totally identify with. It's about being afraid to show your feelings, being nervous about your 'obvious' emotions. I think everyone gets nervous to let others know what they're feeling.'

'I really related to that song while recording the album because a lot of times when you're 18 and in this business it's very hard. You do have your own opinions and your own views of yourself. Then all of a sudden, when you're signed to a record company, it's almost like you become this product and you're pushed in all different directions and a lot of times it's hard to be heard as an eighteen year old, young artist. It's almost like, can't anyone see how obvious it is that I'm feeling these emotions? It's a moody song. It'll put you in a serene kinda mood. I really like it. It'll make you think.'

The song's theme, the struggle to establish yourself and your identity, was something I could really relate to - especially since I'm a teenage girl myself, and I've gone through so much of those feelings.'

'I think everyone who's ever been in love can understand this song. It's really all about how people feel when they're in love-how their emotions just intensify, and really bubble up to the surface.'

'I think some of my younger fans are older now and music has changed since I started - a lot of songs are pretty out there, like Nelly's 'It's Hot In Here', which is a huge hit. I can't please everyone at the same time, and if I stuck with the same thing and didn't move on, I'd be disappointing other fans. I have to do my own thing, I had to strip away every layer of all that overly-popped out stuff down to just the bare me. That's the reason why I called the album 'Stripped' - even though most people are going to assume there is a sexual connotation, especially coming after 'Dirrty'. But there isn't.'

'Stripped was a huge stepping-stone for me, embracing my independence and growing. I truly wrote from my past experiences, personal situations such as my father and falling in love for the first time.'

'It was a very personal and important album for me to make to set the record straight. I'm an artist and I have feelings and opinions and I'm voicing them now and this is the beginning of the new me, the real me. I couldn't think of a better word than 'Stripped' for the title of the album that would represent all my feelings. It strips away every layer of everything in my character - this is me laying myself on the line.'

'This record is extremely personal.'

'It's so personal that I feel like people from my past will say 'Oh my God, she's singing this to me.' I have a lot of things to say and a lot of things to let out of me. I feel like I was very confined in that first record to be very pop-driven. I want to be a poet and have a chance to explore that and let people know what's really on my mind. I don't want to talk about genies in bottles anymore.'

'I'm completely excited and I'm not really scared, because this is me. I can't hide. I'm not a puppet. I can't just sit up there and keep doing the same kind of music. It's time for me to explore.'

'I got a chance to show of all these colours and textures of my love of music and of my vocal range. Coming off of the height of being a part of such a big pop-craze phenomenon, that imagery of that cookie-cutter sweetheart, without it being me, I just had to take it all down and get it away from me. And that is why I actually named the album 'Stripped', because it is about being emotionally stripped down and pretty bare to open my soul and heart.'

'A lot of my past is in this record. What I was going through on tour, what's in my head about everything, about my personal life. It's like an open book. A storybook, from beginning to end. I'm telling my story.'

'I wanted to explore some of the music that had inspired me coming up. I've always been a huge fan of soul. I love real rock & roll and hip-hop, of course, is one of my biggest influences. I wanted it all.'

'This whole album is very much from me, and it's just on a very real level. It's not a pop-pop record. It's got rock, which is very interesting, but very much a part of who I am. ... It needed to come out, so it's exciting.'

'When you're seventeen, you're green. I fell into something that wasn't quite me. Being twenty-one now, I've grown into more of what I feel like as a woman. This record is definitely my baby.'

'I wanted to make a record that was about me completely. Nothing superficial, no hype, no gloss.'

'The whole vision for this record was to be really raw and real, just really baring who I really am.'

'This record saved me from insanity, I’ve had to learn the hard way, through back stabbing and betrayals. A couple of very close people to me who I confided in have sold me out for money - confidantes who were working for me and who I trusted. It’s sad learning in this business that money is more important to people than friendship. I am only young and I have had lots of lawsuits already. You get to find out the hard way how ugly people can be. That’s all taken its toll on me mentally. I went through a little breakdown around April because I felt that I couldn’t trust anyone.'

'I wanted to make sure my mom was cool. My mom loved it!'

'It's a positive, uplifting record.'

'If you wanted to know what I was up to on my last tour, or even with my last boyfriend, just listen.'

'It's me stripped of the hype, the gloss, the controversy, the rumors.'

'Stripped as a title - we thought is could be sexually misconstrued, we don't want to give the wrong impression.'

“My father was good at receiving the album. He realised it was my way of healing. I’m 24 now. I was six at the time it happened and he accepted it was what I needed to do. I’m pretty much out of his life and that’s something he’s had to learn to live with.”

'I went in to record maybe two years ago, but it took longer than I thought, because a lot of things came up. Some of it was the kind of stuff everyone goes through. I went through my first big breakup, with a boyfriend who I had been with for more than two years. He had been one of my dancers, and it was my first love and his. Kind of a tragic day. It was Sept. 11 of last year.'

'I did the vocal gymnastics thing because it was fun. That's why I like blues, too, because you can experiment more with that side of your voice. But I thought the lyrics on this record are so personal, deep and good that I wanted to make them stand out more than what I could do with my voice technically.'

'Having been working so much for the first album, I just wanted to have a little bit of a break, to disappear for a little bit and take my time with this record and recording it. The break-up with my boyfriend also partly delayed the record a little bit longer than I wanted.'

'It feels amazing because I'm not much of a studio-lover; I get bored with it really fast. I love performing live, I love being on stage and feeling the energy of an audience so it's great to be back. Also, being a little wiser and me really doing my own record this time, I'm so happy to promote it and to be back out here, doing it. I'm excited, I'm very excited! Oh my God, you don't even know! I can't wait to perform, it should be a blast!'

'Before, it had that energy that was kind of off, it was more Stevie Wonder. This is so on the beat. I want that big note to be crazy washed-out. . . . Do that sparkle-magic reverb. . . . It doesn't sound soulful, it sounds plastic-y. . . . It's lost some of its stripped-down magic. Well, it was a good mistake, Scott, I think you did a great job, I really do. This song means a lot to me. Yeah, but you weren't in love with this song like I've been in love with this song, *beep*, I hate people who are like that - you're just pissed because I don't like what you did. I just want to make sure that this song isn't overproduced. Before, it sounded like you and I did it in a room - now it sounds like you gave me the track to sing over. I feel really bad, and I don't want to upset him, but it had a kind of imperfection that really worked for me. It was almost like he turned it into Diane Warren-y perfect, rather than emote shit.. . .Shall we go and talk to Scott?'

'I wasn't a big fan of the Dallas Austin songs, but I really, really loved the Linda Perry songs, they had a really personal, real sense about them.'

'I still have issues with the past. Even making this album and writing songs like 'I'm OK' and 'Make Over' help me. I'll always have memories but it's therapeutic for me to talk about it and get it out to other people.'

'I'm not quite on tour yet. I'm just out promoting the album now. I'm going to new cities every day and I was just in Dallas the other day. Chicago is a really nice place and I want to go back and explore.'

'My stomach looks good in that one, It's just so curvy - I like the _expression on that, it makes me look a little tormented, like I'm thinking about something. - I don't think it looks like me, It looks like I'm an opera singer or something. - Yeah, I don't like pretty. fuck the pretty. - It's not, like, a thong. This is boys' underwear - it's comfortable shit.'

My mom. When I did the video, and with some of the photo shoots I've done - the first person I called was my mum, because I wanted to make sure she was cool about everything. The first person I want to be proud of me is my mother and she is so great, she's stood behind me for everything! I can't thank her enough for that.'

'It's about a girl who has been in a relationship a number of years, and the newness has definitely worn off, and he can't turn his head away from the TV, and you don't lay awake anymore talking about dreams and things. I think I felt a little underappreciated sometimes, because I gave a lot, especially trying to make him feel good.'

'I think this song is really powerful - it makes it clear that there are certain things a girl really can't live without in a boyfriend.'