Christina Aguilera Is A Big Chavela Vargas Fan, Says She Always Had A ‘Weakness For Rancheras’
Iconic singer Christina Aguilera is known for her late 90s and early 00s megahits like “Genie In A Bottle” or “What a Girl Wants,” to her Golden Age-esque “Hurt” era, all the way to more recent bops like “Accelerate” alongside Ty Dolla $ign and 2 Chainz. While it’s easy to recognize her unmistakable powerhouse voice, many people do not know the singer is actually half-Latina— and has a complete “weakness” for rancheras.
Aguilera, who is half-Ecuadorian, recently sat down for an interview with People en Español to talk about fully embracing her Latinidad with her 2022 album “Aguilera,” a comeback record singing 100 percent Spanish since her 2000 released “Mi Reflejo,” and paying homage to genres like bolero and ranchera.
In the interview, Aguilera referred to “Us Latinas” as “a major force,” and confessed she’s a big fan of Latina sheroes like Salma Hayek in the film “Frida,” and the legendary Mexican ranchera singer Chavela Vargas. In fact, the Staten Island-born chanteuse admitted she is downright addicted to her music. “I’ve always had a weakness for rancheras, they are full of passion and power,” she said.
The singer is known to give her all in every performance, and uses her jaw-dropping skill to convey deep emotion— an ability she seems to draw from ranchera music. Aguilera said rancheras “touch her deeply— from the torture of heartbreak to the happiness and triumph they exude.”
You can definitely see her love of the genre and her impressive singing in her song “Cuando Me De La Gana” alongside Christian Nodal.
Critics have been quick to note that in the past the singer was not as vocal about her Latinx roots . Thinking back to her “Stripped” era, Aguilera didn’t exactly make a point to showcase her heritage.
The 41-year-old singer has pushed back against the critics, explaining to Billboard Latin Music Week that her last name “has been tried to be taken away” several times “coming up in this business,” since it was often “butchered” by the Anglo market.
“I was like ‘No, I’m Aguilera, I’m proud of where I come from.’ My father being from Ecuador,” she explained.
Fast-forward to today, many continue to critique the star for choosing to sing in Spanish now that the language and Latinx culture seem to be trending and more profitable. But in her recent interview with People en Español, she insists on how she has always felt proud to be Latina.
She told the outlet that Spanish was always spoken in her home growing up: “My mom also spoke [Spanish] fluently, so I was surrounded by Latino culture and music.” She says the language has “always been close to her heart,” and finds it “important” to teach her two children about their heritage.
