Christina Aguilera

What do you get if you mix a heritage that takes in Ireland and Ecuador, a voice that can knock down walls, and the eyes of a baby seal? The stunning pop vixen Christina Aguilera, of course, who along with Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, used the New Mickey Mouse Club as a springboard to global stardom. With 2002's Stripped, though, young Christina Aguilera had grown up.

And the girl can sing — whether it's impassioned ballads, sweet-sounding retro-soul numbers, or all-out rockers. Mi Reflejo (2000) is Aguilera's Spanish-language opus…even though she didn't know Spanish when she recorded it. She learned all her lines phonetically and, as the title suggests, produced a Latin mirror image of her debut…where her emotion does all the work.

Christina Aguilera has all the attributes of a genuine pop superstar: fantastic voice, clever changes in image, and a larger-than-life theatricality. She’s also highly adaptable — her movie soundtrack work began in 1998 when she recorded “Reflection” for Mulan, and continued with her cover of “Car Wash” with Missy Elliott for the animated Shark Tale. A dedication to her soul-music inspirations and a love of today’s urban sounds has made her a sought-after partner for hip-hop collaborations, including her scorching, super-fly duet with Nelly on “Tilt Ya Head Back,” but she’s equally at home appropriating rock sounds to highlight her fierce vocals on songs like the independence anthem “Fighter.” From the sweet bubblegum sounds of her first singles to the sultry sex appeal of Xtina, one thing remains constant — her formidable, indisputable pipes.