Born in Staten Island in 1980, Christina Aguilera is one of today’s pre-eminent divas. After competing on Star Search at the age of 10, Aguilera became a regular on the Mickey Mouse Club alongside Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.

In 1999, her self-titled debut sold eight million copies in the U.S., leading to a "Best New Artist" Grammy in 2000. With her second effort, Stripped, Aguilera began to cast herself as the “dirty girl” response to Spears. In 2004, the singer dropped the Dirrty persona and adopted her now-signature Marilyn Monroe look. Her third album, a double-disc set titled Back to Basics has a much more mature sound—and has done much better with critics.

Aguilera’s husband is record exec Jordan Bratman, whom the singer married in 2005. The couple welcomed their first child, Max, in January 2008. The singer will make her big screen debut in the musical Burlesque, which begins filming in late 2009.