So long, Xtina! Christina Aguilera debuted a toned-down look with minimal makeup on the cover of Paper magazine, possibly a transformation for her highly anticipated next era of music.
The stunning photo shoot finds the five-time Grammy winner, 37, completely bare-faced and #stripped of any beauty products, showcasing her freckles and light blue eyes. But she isn’t tossing away her contour kits anytime soon.
“I mean, I’m a girl that likes a beat face. Let’s not get it twisted,” she said in an interview published on Monday, March 26. “I’ve always been someone that obviously loves to experiment, loves theatrics, loves to create a story line and play a character in a video or through stage. I’m a performer, that’s who I am by nature. But I’m at the place, even musically, where it’s a liberating feeling to be able to strip it all back and appreciate who you are and your raw beauty.”
After all, Aguilera is no stranger to transformations. The All-New Mickey Mouse Club alum kicked off her music career with her self-titled debut album in 1999, often performing early hits such as “Genie in a Bottle” and “What a Girl Wants” in midriff-baring tops and flared pants. Three years later, she rocked two-toned hair, bikini tops and assless chaps while promoting her grown-up album Stripped.
In 2006, the pop star ditched her risqué clothing for a Marilyn Monroe-esque look that complemented the old school theme of her jazzy, soulful double album Back to Basics. And four years later, she kicked off the 2010s with a new style that was equal parts futuristic and retro.
“I can’t stay in a stagnant place for too long, which is why I think the position I was in with television just became very stifling,” she told Paper, referencing her six-season stint on The Voice. “I need movement, I need to go explore, be an artist, create and transform.”
Aguilera also spoke about the advice she’ll share with her 3-year-old daughter, Summer, whom she shares with fiancé Matthew Rutler. (She is also the mother of 10-year-old son Max with ex-husband Jordan Bratman.)
“I don’t want to inject too much upon her as to how I’m choosing to live my life and what I’ve done in my career,” she said. “I just hope I can allow what I’m doing to influence her to be her own person. That’s truly what I hope for her. I really want to make sure my children are both very confident in the sense that they know who they are and that they won’t be easily swayed by outside opinion.”
