Christina Maria Aguilera was born on December 18, 1980, in Staten Island, New York. Her parents divorced when she was young and she lived with her mother, although they moved around quite a bit. Christina's goal almost since birth was to be a singer, and at age 12 she was invited to audition for "The All New Mickey Mouse Club" (1989).
Still, Aguilera continued to perform, and in 1990 she earned a spot on the nationally syndicated television program, Star Search. There, the 9-year-old prodigy wowed audiences with a mesmerizing rendition of Etta James's "A Sunday Kind of Love," to take home second place.
Aguilera releases her self-titled debut album. With hit singles such as "Genie in a Bottle," which tops the charts for five weeks, and "What a Girl Wants," the album eventually hits No. 1 on the charts and sells more than 8 million copies. That December, she is invited to perform "The Christmas Song" at the White House for President Bill Clinton.
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