How to dance like christina aguilera in dirrty
Christina Aguilera Dirrty music video turns 20: 'She owned her body'
Happy 20th anniversary, Dirrty (Pictures: YouTube / Christina Aguilera)Chaps, choreography and a catchy hook were just some of the elements that made Christina Aguilera’s Dirrty music video iconic when it was released 20 years ago today, and they still are.
In the two decades since Dirrty’s release, we’ve had some truly headline-hitting, eye-popping videos such as Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda, Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball and Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines go on to become considered some of the most risque music videos of modern times, so it’s hard to imagine that Christina’s Dirrty is what had the world clutching its proverbial pearls in 2002.
Featuring a rap verse from Redman, Dirrty was Christina’s most bold release of her career at the time and featured on her emancipating blockbuster album Stripped. Until this point, Christina had delicately straddled the line of shedding her clean-cut pop image with the sensual Lady Marmalade collaboration, but Dirrty – and Stripped – was her going full force into her new era of being unapologetically sexualised.
The Dirrty music video became one of the most heavily criticised of the new millennium.
Directed by David LaChapelle, the brilliantly chaotic visuals featured Christina clad in bum-baring chaps, gyrating and splashing her body in water, simulating masturbation, twerking with her equally scantily-clad female dancers and lots of topless men.
Ah, they don’t make ‘em like this anymore.
The video sparked such outrage among the more conservative pop spectators that it was even banned in Thailand, and criticised by some of her peers. After all, how could the popstar who started off with bubblegum pop hits such as Genie In A Bottle, What A Girl Wants and Come On Over Baby, suddenly become so sexualised?
Well, Christina was aged 22 when Dirrty was released and therefore a woman more than capable of expressing her sexuality in whichever way she wanted.
While she was by no means the first raunchy popstar we’d seen – oh hey, Madonna – Dirrty ran so Anaconda, Blurred Lines and the like could walk.
Even 20 years later, Dirrty still gives pop fans tingles.
‘It’s only looking back at the incredible career she has carved now that we can truly appreciate how ‘Dirrty’ moved the needle for Christina Aguilera,’ David Lim, co-host of 2000s pop music podcast Right Back At Ya! told Metro.co.uk.
Christina Aguilera’s chaps took on a life of its own in 2002 (Picture: YouTube / Christina Aguilera) Christina was equally criticised and celebrated her ‘owning her body’ in the Dirrty visuals (Pictures: YouTube / Christina Aguilera)‘This was the beginning of us seeing Christina Aguilera really own her story, and stand behind her music and creative choices because she probably felt like, for the first time, the output was truly a reflection of her.’
David recalled watching the music video for the first time on Saturday morning TV – and his ‘staunchly-Christian dad giving disapproving looks’ from the corner.
Days later, girls at his school were turning up with bleached blonde hair and dark brown under highlights like Christina in the Dirrty video.
‘This was the ‘Rachel hair’ of our high school years,’ he said.
Dirrty was released in an era where female pop stars were freeing themselves from the shackles of bubblegum pop and becoming in-tune with their womanhood.
David noted: ‘We’d had Britney’s I’m A Slave 4U MV the year before, which really caught a lot of attention and is a masterpiece in its own right.
‘But there were particular details in the Dirrty video that really pushed this into a grittier zone; from the grimy, dimly-lit underground club setting through to the wonderfully diverse, rowdy and “shady” looking characters you meet in the scene with Redman’s rap verse – this video seemed to have pushed the limits further in a way that shocked pop fans (in a good way) but not alienate us.’
Iconic scenes: Dirrty was directed by famed photographer and filmmaker David LaChapelle (Picture: YouTube / Christina Aguilera) Christina always remained unapologetic about the steamy visuals (Picture: YouTube / Christina Aguilera) Dirrty inspired a generation of young girls coming into womanhood (Picture: YouTube / Christina Aguilera)It wasn’t just the Dirrty video itself that had an impression on her young audience; Christina has remained unapologetic about the visuals and this resilience inspired a generation.
Music writer Narzra Ahmed explained: ‘With Dirrty, Christina was older and feeling more empowered than ever. She was in control and she also didn’t care for her naysayers.
‘In the video, where she is seen wearing very little and dancing provocatively, she also subverted expectations of those placed upon her (by the male-dominated music industry) by refusing to be told what “acceptable” standards for women were and especially concerning female artists.
‘Christina’s defiant attitude and confident approach to starring in music videos such as Dirrty definitely influenced a whole new generation of artists to be themselves in the face of those who would like to see them conform to the “usual” popstar roles.’
Christina, an icon (Picture: FilmMagic) Xtina’s blonde and brown highlights sparked an early 2000s trend (Picture: FilmMagic)For presenter and podcaster MimiTheMusicBlogger, Dirrty had even more of a personal impact.
‘I like to call it my teenage sexual awakening,’ she confessed.
‘Christina made it about ownership, she owned her body and she embraced it. She looked comfortable with her sexuality. I always admire it.’
Mimi joked: ‘I called it the first song and video that made me want to be a sket funnily enough. She took control of the narrative and made it her own.’
More: US Showbiz news
David, whose podcast recently reflected on Christina’s Stripped era, said it’s important to look beyond Dirrty.
‘To fully appreciate Christina’s impact, you have to take in the whole Stripped era,’ he said. ‘Where Dirrty had the video to catch your attention, she drove the strong feminist message home with the album’s latter single Can’t Hold Us Down featuring Lil Kim.’
Dirrty may be 20 years old but she’s still as good as new.
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Dirrty (song) | Christina Aguilera Wiki
in: Singles, Music videos, Stripped singles,
and 3 more
View source"Dirrty" is a song by American recording artist Christina Aguilera featuring rapper Redman, taken from Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped (2002).
The song was written by Aguilera, Redman, Jasper Cameron, Balewa Muhammad, and Dana Stinson and was produced by Rockwilder and Aguilera. It is a hip hop and R&B track which talks about sexual activities.
Aguilera wanted to release a seriously "down and dirty" song to eliminate her bubblegum pop singer image since her career began in 1999. Thus, RCA Records sent "Dirrty" to US mainstream stations in mid-September and released the song as a CD single via retailers from October to November 2002 as the lead single from Stripped to announce her new public image. A music video for "Dirrty" was directed by David LaChapelle and was released on 10 May 2002
Contents
- 1 Background
- 2 Music Video
- 2.1 Synopsis
- 3 Reception
- 4 Lyrics
- 5 Trivia
- 6 Gallery (see here)
Background
Aguilera came to prominence with the successes of her first three studio albums Christina Aguilera (1999), Mi Reflejo (2000), and My Kind of Christmas (2000).
However, she was dissatisfied with being marketed as a bubblegum pop singer, an effort pushed by her then-manager Steve Kurtz, because of the genre's financial lure. By late 2000, Aguilera parted ways with Kurtz and hired a new manager Irving Azoff, in addition to announcing that her forthcoming album would have more musical and lyrical depth. She selected Stripped as its title, explaining that the term represented "a new beginning, a re-introduction of [herself] as a new artist".
To announce her new image on Stripped, Aguilera wanted to release a seriously "down and dirty" song. She approached hip hop producer Rockwilder, who had worked with her on the cover of LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade" (2001). Aguilera suggested using rapper Redman's "Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get in da Club)" (2001) as a guide, resulting in "Dirrty" was a remake of its precursor, also featuring the rapper. Previously, Redman appeared on Eminem's song "Off the Wall" (2000), where Eminem dissed Aguilera with the lyrics, "Causin' terror to Christina Aguilera/ When I grab her by the hair and drag her across the Sahara" and resulted a feud between Aguilera and Eminem.
However there was no trouble between Aguilera and Redman during the recording sessions of "Dirrty". On the song's title, Aguilera intended to use a misspelled title as a way to personalize the song, also considering "Dirtee" or "Dirrdy". She decided on "Dirrty" as a reflection of the music video, commenting that the title was "gritty, like the video, [with] underground, illegal stuff going on".
Music Video
|
The music video for "Dirrty" was directed by David LaChapelle. It was filmed between April 18-21, 2002 in Los Angeles, at an abandoned newspaper print building.
Aguilera took boxing lessons to prepare for the video, and more than 100 dancers were auditioned for the filming. According to Aguilera, the director was a genius and she had wanted to work with him for a long time. She also wanted to make sure that she and LaChapelle had the same vision and to not make anything glossy or pretty. The first day, it was filmed the scene Aguilera is lowered in a cage into aboxing ring, and a dance segment in the ring. The following day, the filming team filmed a foxy boxing scene, a table dancing segment, a party scene with Redman's rapping his part, and finished with filming a shower scene.
Synopsis
The video opens with Aguilera gearing up and riding a motorcycle into a nightclub. Wearing a bikini and chaps, she is lowered from a cage into a boxing ring and dances, accompanied by several back-up dancers. A masked pig-tailed woman is lowered into the ring, and the two engage in foxy boxing, with Aguilera delivering a cross to the masked woman's face, winning the fight.
The scene is intercut with sequences of Aguilera dancing in a crop top, which she later removes to reveal a bikini top, and a microskirt. Redman then proceeds down a hallway, passing people such as mud wrestlers, a contortionist, and furries. The video proceeds to a scene of Aguilera and back-up dancers splashing and dancing while being sprayed with water in a room containing showers and several urinals, as a possible reference to urolagnia. Tim Walker from The Independent wrote that "she simulated masturbation while wearing little more than a pair of leather chaps".
Reception
"Dirrty" received mixed reviews from music critics, who were ambivalent towards its composition. The song was nominated a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2003. "Dirrty" peaked at number 48 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Aguilera's first single to chart outside the top twenty of the Hot 100. However, the single was an international success, peaking within the top ten charts of multiple countries including Canada, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Its music video generated controversy for its sexual content and was banned from Thai television stations.
Aguilera performed "Dirrty" during several concerts, including her three major concert tours: Justified and Stripped Tour (2003), Stripped World Tour (2003) and Back to Basics Tour (2006–07). To date, "Dirrty" has been credited as one of the influences for contemporary artists for Aguilera's reinvention and the controversial music video.
Lyrics
[Redman:] Ladies (move) Oh, I'm overdue DJ's spinning (show your hands) It's explosive, speakers are pumping (oh) Temperature's up (can you feel it) Wanna get rowdy Ah, heat is up Tight hip huggers (low for sure) Let's get open, cause a commotion (ooh oh) Give all you got (give it to me) Rowdy Here it comes, it's the one You can tell when the music Ohh ooh ohh, yeah yeah. [Redman:] Wanna get rowdy (rowdy, yeah) Rowdy Rowdy Uh, what |
..Trivia
- A sequel to the song entitled "Still Dirrty" was recorded by Aguilera for her 2006 album, Back to Basics.
- The single was Aguilera's first to fail to enter the top twenty of the US Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number forty eight.
| This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors). |
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
"I still like to break stereotypes and boundaries" Christina Aguilera about the image of a dirty girl, a long pause and Russia The five-time Grammy winner is on a European tour for the first time in 13 years. In Moscow, Aguilera will present The X Tour show, which will include old hits Dirrty, Genie in a Bottle, Ain't No Other Man and Fighter, as well as songs from the singer's latest album Liberation, released in 2018. On the eve of the Moscow concert, Lenta.ru asked the singer where she had been disappearing for almost 15 years, why she had not come to Russia before, what she thought about our country and what she would show the audience on Tuesday.
nine0003 Christina Aguilera's debut album of the same name rose to number one on the US Billboard 200 in 1999 and sold over 17 million copies worldwide. In total, since the beginning of her career, Aguilera has sold more than 75 million copies of her albums. The singer was included in the Top 20 most successful pop singers of the 2000s, and in 2010 she received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The last album of the singer, Liberation, was released a year ago and according to Rolling Stone magazine, it is among the twenty best works of 2018. Produced by Kanye West. Two songs from this album - Fall In Love and Like I Do - were nominated for the Grammy Award in the categories "Best Pop Track" and "Best Song with Recitative". nine0003
On July 4, 2019, the singer began a large European tour, The X Tour, and has already given concerts in Paris, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Berlin, Stuttgart, Locarno and St. Petersburg. Moscow is next.
Christina Aguilera during the Liberation tour
Photo: imageSPACE / Shutterstock / REX
Lenta.
ru: What do you think is the most important triad for success: talent, school or constant practice?
Christina Aguilera: Talent, education and practice are equally important to success, and they all help each other. As with any talent, it takes constant practice and perseverance to succeed. And the tools for success come in the process of education. This is true for many careers, not just musicians or artists. nine0003
Many people remember the very bright and provocative video clip for the single Dirrty. To what extent did your image correspond to reality?
It's not quite right. I can't say that the video for Dirrty was an exact replica of my life. But it accurately reflected how I looked at my art at that time.
Has everything changed now?
I still like provocative art. I like to break stereotypes and boundaries.
Christina Aguilera - Dirrty (Official Music Video)
You were very popular in Russia in the early 2000s.
In particular, your duet with Ricky Martin Nobody Wants to Be Lonely. And then you suddenly disappeared from the constant rotation. What happened?
I didn't disappear, it's just that there were more important things in my life, and I devoted less time to my own advertising. But now I keep releasing new music and I hope radio stations around the world keep playing it while I make it.
What has changed in you since then?
I have children, and this is the most important change in my life, my best achievement and greatest experience. Children have greatly influenced my work. I have become more responsible in what I do. But I'm still proud that I'm a successful artist and I'm doing pretty well. nine0003
What is the most important thing in life for you?
The most important thing in my life is my family and my health.
Why do you rarely go on big tours? Have you not performed in Europe for 13 years?
Many of my fans know that all this time I was engaged in television, and also raised my children.
But I really rarely performed. Now I'm excited to be back on a big international tour. I feel more ready for this than ever. I'm on the road again! And this is the main thing…
You have never performed in Russia, why?
It so happened… But I wanted to visit your country for a very long time, and here I am. And thanks to all the fans who remember me. So pass it on to them.
Try to describe Russia in three words?
Huge! Energetic! Festive!
Tell us about your latest album, Liberation?
Liberation is the result of my return to the body of an artist and musician after spending a significant amount of time in television. While working on television, I felt a little depressed. This work did not give me enough freedom to discover the ability to create new art. As soon as my TV contract ended, I felt free to return to making music. And this is what I always wanted. nine0003
What do you listen to yourself?
I am an omnivore. My musical tastes are incredibly diverse! I love hip-hop, rap and pop music. And I listen to everything on CD.
Until now?
Can you imagine, yes! I still listen to most of my music on CD rather than some more modern media. I like to hold the album in my hands, look at its design, read the lyrics. The nostalgia for playing discs makes me enjoy music so much more! nine0003
Christina Aguilera at the MTV Europe Music Awards
Photo: Frank Micelotta / Getty Images
If you were a rock artist, who would you like to be like?
For myself. I am a rock artist! (Laughs)
Tell us a little about your show. What awaits your fans in Moscow?
I'm excited to be able to perform in Russia. My fans in your country have been waiting for this for so long and I am very grateful to them for their patience and continued support. In this show, I will perform my past and present hits, there will be amazing visuals, costumes and a lot of dancing. It will be a show, not just a concert. nine0081
The brightest images of Christina Aguilera
The rise of Aguilera's creative career began in the late 90s.
During this time, she managed to radically change several times - from the image of a tomboy girl to an exquisite lady and a sexy diva of the 2000s. "RG" decided to recall the most vivid images of the singer over the past ten years.
Career start - 1998-2000
2000 With Britney Spears at the MTV Video Music Awards. Photo: Suzanne Plunkett / AP Photo
Christina Aguilera made her first serious steps in the world of show business at a very young age - 19-20 years old. That is why she appeared before the public as a kind of romantic teenage girl who is going through a period of falling in love. Simple girly haircut, shoulder-length or slightly longer white hair, simple makeup. From clothes - tops, trousers and skirts of bright colors. Sometimes Aguilera allowed herself to wear dresses - if it was about appearing at music awards.
2001
Pink, Christina Aguilera and Maya at the Grammy Awards.
Photo: Reed Saxon / AP Photo
Participation in the creation of the video for the super popular song Lady Marmalade, which became the soundtrack to the film "Moulin Rouge", influenced a sharp change in the image of the singer. There was no trace left of the romantic teenager. Aguilera appeared in the image of a real vamp woman: eye-catching makeup, crazy hairstyles and skimpy clothes. Together with her fellow singers Pink, Lil' Kim and Maya, with whom she performed Lady Marmalade, Christina surprised the audience, accustomed to seeing her as a "good girl". nine0003
2002
Christina Aguilera at the MTV Video Music Awards. Photo: Tina Fineberg / AP Photo
The song Dirrty (deliberate spelling of the English word dirty - obscene - with a mistake) shocked the musical community for a long time with its frankness. And first of all, this happened thanks to the daring clip, which was even banned in several countries.
Christina Aguilera has finally formed her image of a bad girl who does not pay attention to the rules. Her new style: this is a pronounced sexuality in everything - in hair, in clothes, in makeup and in the manner of singing songs. nine0003
2003
Photo: Jakub Mosur / AP Photo
A year later, Christina Aguilera decided to change dramatically and unexpectedly became ... a brunette. External changes emphasized the internal change in the singer. This can be seen with the naked eye in the Fighter song and video. Firstly, the composition is filled with elements of rock, and, secondly, in the video for the song, Aguilera is released from a glass cube and shows everyone that she is a real fighter - as evidenced by the name of the single (fighter - translated from English - a fighter) . nine0003
2004
At the premiere of The Underwater Tale: Mary J. Blige, Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Missy Elliott and Christina Aguilera.
Photo: Dreamworks, Dave Allocca / AP Photo
After being a brunette for a year, Christina Aguilera has again become a blonde. She not only dyed her hair, but also decided to get rid of the numerous piercings on her body. New image of Aguilera - Marilyn Monroe: red lips, white curly hair. And Christina's friend Dita Von Teese managed to instill in the singer a love for vintage clothes, which also became an integral part of her image. nine0003
2005-2006
Christina Aguilera at the MTV Video Music Awards. Photo: Jason DeCrow / AP Photo
Christina Aguilera loved the image of a beautiful and successful blonde so much that she did not part with it. This is how she appears during this period at her concerts, at events and in videos. A blond diva with neat feminine make-up and well-chosen clothes. The latter, by the way, is a great achievement for the star, because at the beginning of her creative life, Aguilera was repeatedly called one of the most tasteless singers.
At this time, such hits by Christina Aguilera as Hurt, Candyman, Ain't No Other Man were born. nine0003
2007 - 2009
Photo: Chris Pizzello / AP Photo
Marriage and the birth of a child more than once forced Christina Aguilera to turn from an insidious seductress into a modest beauty. The image of the singer is still the same charming blonde, performing lyrical ballads dedicated to her loved ones, in particular, to her husband and grandmother. There was refinement in her image.
2010
Photo: Chris Pizzello / AP Photo
This year marks Christina Aguilera's biggest film work so far. She played in the musical film "Burlesque", which told about how a simple girl with a beautiful voice becomes a star. According to some reports, the picture was specially written for Aguilera. Here she had to reveal all her talent - both dance and sing - and do it all at the highest level, especially since Cher starred in the film with her.
Like the main character, performing in a burlesque club, Christina Aguilera has repeatedly returned to the image of a fatal beauty, striking the imagination with her bright stage costumes. nine0003
2011
Photo: Mike Groll / AP Photo
Performing the national anthem at the biggest competitions in the United States of America is a great honor for any musical artist. Very few superstars can boast of being given such a responsible task. Christina Aguilera - maybe. In 2011, she sang the US national anthem before the American Football Super Bowl game. Such Aguilera can not be seen every day - straight hair, a strict black skirt and jacket. nine0003
2012
Photo: Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP
Petite Christina Aguilera has always been a role model for many girls in terms of her figure. The singer has always been in great shape and loved to demonstrate it with her skimpy outfits.
