When Christina Aguilera headlined Austin’s Sips & Sounds Festival last March, the “Genie In A Bottle” singer stunned fans by pulling a forgotten collab single from her back catalog and reinventing it as a solo piece in a rare, live surprise.
As the viral moment racks up more than 56,000 views, Music Man readers can watch the magic unfold in the video below…
46-year-old Christina stands alone on stage as the radio version of “Say Something” – her Top 10, 2014 collab single with A Great Big World – ripples its way from the speakers to the vast festival audience. Despite A Great Big World not appearing on stage with her, Christina refuses to steal the lead lyrics away from the original vocalists, letting the studio version play out while she sways in the spotlight, clutching the mic and waiting for her moment to shine.
But everything changes once the first prechorus rolls around.
Christina does total justice to the original, layering live harmonies over the lead vocalist’s recording as if she were back in the studio again, crafting the song from scratch. She experiments with new flavors, melodies, moods, and more as she ad libs through the chorus, her vocal tones steeped with pure emotion. Before long, Christina is reinventing her solo verse, showing off her true vocal evolution as she slays each intricate R&B run, refreshing the song for the next generation.
And while countless commenters beneath this viral clip are more shocked by Christina’s “unrecognisable” appearance than her chart-topping voice, some fans are simply in love with this performance as Christina reclaims her position amongst the greats of the pop scene. “This is how you make your comeback,” reckoned one viewer, whilst others added, “My favourite singer. She is fantastic,” and “She does not make a fool of herself like others. Very classy lady!”
However, one controversial commenter summed up viewers’ ‘concerns’ with Christina’s revamped appearance when they wrote, “Too bad she is completely unrecognizable compared to back then when she started. She says ‘stay true to yourself,’ but she has had so much work done I barely see the same person. I used to like her a lot, even went to a concert of hers. Unfortunately she is another victim of the industry’s pressure.”