It’s certainly going to be a busy evening at Emirates Palace, as Grammy Award-winning singer Christina Aguilera finally takes to the stage tonight from 9pm. Her first Middle Eastern show, which is sponsored by telecoms major du, comes a month after a spectacular comeback at the 2008 MTV video music awards, following a nine-month break to give birth to a baby son, Max.
“I’m excited to be here,” she told reporters at a press conference yesterday. “It’s my first time here and I can’t wait to see the fans.” Emirates Business met the singer ahead of her appearance to talk new music, babies and whether she’s going to shed her raunchy image.We haven’t seen you for many, many months.
Nine months. But momma has to work, momma has to get the job done. It’s great to be back, and it’s good to be in the swing of things again. I’m still who I am, and as a mother, it’s important not to lose yourself and your own identity. I think it’s also important to share that with my son and show him what mommy does beside change his little diapers.
Do you think you are going to have more children?
Absolutely.
How many are you going to go for?
Oh, I don’t know. I can’t really tell yet. We will play it by ear and see what nature brings.
You are looking fantastic. How did you manage to get back in shape so quickly?
I try to work out, and I am trying to eat as healthy as possible. It’s hard though, because I am a junk food queen.
You have a greatest hits album, Keeps Gettin’ Better: A Decade of Hits coming out at the end of the month. There’s more to come, though?
—Absolutely. I can’t believe it’s been a decade already but it’s really amazing, and I feel very blessed to have been able to have accomplished that in my twenty-seven years of living, so it’s exciting.
Britney Spears has got her new album coming out as well.
It’s an exciting time in music. There are so many new albums out and I think everyone is excited to be out and about, and releasing stuff. I know I am.
Is your latest single, Keeps Gettin’ Better, in reference to your life?
I think it’s the perfect song – it’s with my son and everything. It is such a milestone, and an interesting one to be able to have released that album within the first year of his birth, which is so crazy and brave. It’s all about colour and life and fun. I have been inspired by my son. I’ve been able to become a kid again and play with him, and getting into that mode of things has become inspiration for the music behind the new record.
But it wasn’t always as easy for you, as you had an unsettled childhood?
Yes. Coming from a past of domestic violence when I was very, very young, and seeing a lot of abuse in my household really weighs heavy on you.
Did your troubled upbringing make you envious of children with “normal” childhoods?
I was way too focused on what I wanted to do and what I wanted to be – a singer – to spend too much time envying other kids or their family situations. It wasn’t until I got older that I realised I never, ever really had a positive male role model in my life. I never had a father figure. But I never really cared about it – it never really bothered me or even dawned on me – until recently, just because I had my mother, who was such a strong form in my life and I was living my dream.
When did it dawn on you that you didn’t have a positive male role model?
It was only when I was about to get married and everyone was asking me: “Who’s going to walk you down the aisle?” and I was like, “Um, I am” that I finally realised it. I never dreamed that it would bother me as much as it did. But when you get married, it’s nice to feel that there’s that one man that was always there for you. It would have been really, really nice to have had that one person there.
So what’s the secret to a good marriage?
I think that part of having a great marriage is believing in your partner, like I do with Jordan. Having a very balanced relationship is important too. I think it’s about not living in a dreamland, or having all these unrealistic expectations.
When you met Jordan, was it love at first sight?
No, it wasn’t, but once we started getting to know each other I just couldn’t be without him. Actually, it’s very interesting because through a complete misunderstanding we had really hesitant feelings towards even liking each other at first. So us ending up getting married is a very funny end to the story.
Do you still talk and see your mum as much as before?
I do and our relationship is good and gets better every day. But I think a good relationship is something that you have to work at. You know, sometimes there’s so much in our history that does weigh heavy on both of us, but she’s great. She’s just my number one supporter and has always supported the decisions that I’ve made.
HOW IT ALL HAPPENS
It takes more than just a superstar to fly in, perform, then fly out again of the UAE to make a major concert happen.
The detailed planning required to make sure everything runs smoothly on the night often takes the better part of a year. Lee Charteris is a British event manager who has been responsible for some of Abu Dhabi’s biggest concerts, including Justin Timberlake and Bon Jovi’s recent gigs in the UAE capital. He has returned to the UAE to take care of tonight’s big show.
He told Emirates Business: “It takes months of work to make sure everything goes according to plan. As for building the stage and getting everything ready outside, it takes around three weeks.
“For tonight’s concert, which is scheduled to kick off from 6pm, we expect 15,000 fans at Emirates Palace.”
The stage, which was flown in by freight from Kiev, Ukraine, where Aguilera was last performing, weighs a massive 17 tonnes.
Needless to say, an artist like Christina Aguilera touring the world doesn’t come cheap. “I can’t tell you the exact figure, but event costs goes into the thousands of dollars,” Charteris said. “Plus, Christina is going to be bringing a lot of people with her – her party consists of 45, including ten dancers, ten bandmates, technicians and sound people, as well as some of Christina’s family.”
In terms of the concert, fans can expect three to four costume changes on the night, Chateris revealed. “She has quite a bit of wardrobe coming in, so expect plenty of costume changes, and we have everything ready for her backstage, because those changes will need to be quick.”
Speaking of backstage, we had to find out what the singer had demanded in her dressing room. After all, celebrity magazines worldwide have filled their pages with tales of Chrisina’s diva-like behaviour – but surprisingly, she hasn’t asked for much. “Christina has requested 12 roses and peanut butter,” Chateris said.
Source: Emirates Business 24/7
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