Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil’ Kim, and Mýa singing “Lady Marmalade” was one of the wildest MTV moments ever! The Moulin Rouge fits and mesmerizing stage show was nothing short of iconic. But what fans are still talking about to this day is the insane vocal lineup of having Christina and Pink on one stage, with two of the best voices of that generation dueling it out with some epic vocal runs! 2001 was a special time for pop and R&B, and you sure can’t get it like this anymore, folks.
Fans said it was all class, not competition on the mic, because these superstars know how to lift each other up. In addition to the stellar lineup, “Lady Marmalade” was an ambitious crossover with a range of vocal styles. Pink delivered a strident pop and rock style, Christina and Mýa brought the soul power, and Lil Kim dropped the thunder with her hip hop flow. And one more thing, this might just be the most dazzling Pink stage fit ever. The Music Man knows pop and R&B fans had to listen to this one more than once!
MTV uploaded the “Lady Marmalade” performance to YouTube in an HD version more recently, where it drew 9.6 million views. Fans gave plenty of love, adding comments such as “They didn’t try to overpower each other. They all have very different styles and they let those show! They all worked together to make a great record! It’s still being played and it withstands the test of time” and “Love that ALL of them actually performed their respective verses LIVE, and fantastically at that!”
The four stars also performed “Lady Marmalade” at the Grammy Awards in 2002. This performance was distinguished by the appearance of none other than the Godmother of Soul, Patti LaBelle. Patti made a big entrance just before the four-minute mark. Her sky-high lead vocals were just on another level. Only Patti could steal the show with that kind of vocal talent already on stage.
“Lady Marmalade” was written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan. It was first recorded by Kenny’s disco group The Eleventh Hour. Patti LaBelle’s girl group Labelle subsequently recorded the song for a November 5, 1974 release. The Labelle recording popularized the song, and gained Gold certifications in the US and Canada. Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil’ Kim, and Mýa issued their version of “Lady Marmalade” on April 10, 2001. The Music Man readers may recall that this became the most popular version of the song. The four-piece scored a number one hit on both sides of the Atlantic with the single. Notably, it topped the US Billboard Top 100 for five weeks.