Christina Aguilera Admitted the Moment That Launched Her Career Was ‘so Cheesy’

Christina Aguilera’s career began on The Mickey Mouse Club and her music began to reach a more adult audience with further help from Disney. Her version of the song “Reflection” from Disney’s Mulan helped her land a record deal with RCA. While Aguilera was grateful for the opportunity, she admitted that the story of her rise to success was a bit cheesy.

Christina Aguilera said an important moment in her career was a little cheesy As Aguilera sought out a record deal, she got the chance to record a pop version of “Reflection” in 1998. She had initially contacted RCA, and they recommended she contact Disney. They were interested.

“Yeah, it’s so cheesy how I got it, but it was really cool,” she told Entertainment Weekly in 1999. “My manager gives me a random phone call out of the clear blue one day while I’m just hanging out in my hometown of Pittsburgh. He’s like, ‘Can you belt the high E above middle C?’” To prove she could hit the note, Aguilera recorded herself singing “I Want to Run to You” by Whitney Houston.

“And now this is known as the note that changed my life, because basically I had to prove that I could belt this note — like, full-on belt it — by Fed-Exxing out, overnight, a karaoke tape of [singing over] Whitney Houston’s ‘I Want to Run to You,’ which has that note, just like ‘Reflection.’” Her version of the song was impressive enough that Disney hired her to sing a version of “Reflection.” She impressed desp.