''Stripped'' is the fourth studio album by American singer

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

. It was released on October 22, 2002, by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

. Looking to transition from the

teen pop Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop" About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Teen pop incorporates different subgenres of pop music, as well as elements o ...

styles of her self-titled debut album (1999), Aguilera took creative control over her next album project, both musically and lyrically. She also changed her public image and established her

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different ...

Xtina. Musically, it incorporates

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

and R&B with influences from many different genres, including

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

, rock, hip hop, and

Latin music Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Amer ...

. Lyrically, most of the songs from the album discuss the theme of

self-respect Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth or abilities. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie (2007) d ...

, while a few other songs talk about sex and

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. As an

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...

, Aguilera enlisted numerous new collaborators for the album. Upon its release, ''Stripped'' received generally mixed reviews from music critics; many criticized its lack of musical focus, while some of them called it "almost" an album for grown-ups, with comparisons made to

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the w ...

and

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

. Commercially, ''Stripped'' debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200, with first-week sales of 330,000 copies. It was certified five times platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

(RIAA) for shipping over five million copies in the United States. The album also charted within the top five of charts in Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It was Aguilera's best-performing album in the United Kingdom, becoming the 29th and 40th bestselling album of the decade and millennium there, respectively, with two million copies sold. Despite its initial critical reception, ''Stripped'' received multiple

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nominations, including one win, and has since gone on to be called one of the most influential albums of all time, inspiring a generation of artists. The album has sold over 12 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century. Five singles were released from the album. The lead single " Dirrty" was met with criticism and controversy due to its sexual

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

but was an international hit on the charts. The follow-up "

Beautiful Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...

" was praised by critics and garnered chart success worldwide. The last three singles," Fighter", " Can't Hold Us Down" and "

The Voice Within "The Voice Within" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her fourth studio album, ''Stripped'' (2002). The song was written by Aguilera and Glen Ballard, with production handled by Ballard. It is a piano-driven ballad that talk ...

", became top-ten hits in various countries. Aguilera performed several songs from ''Stripped'' live during a number of shows, notably during the

2002 MTV Europe Music Awards The 2002 Europe Music Awards were held at Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona. Performances included a rendition of " Dirrty" from Christina Aguilera featuring Redman as they performed in a boxing ring with Christina sporting leather chaps. Whitney H ...

, the

American Music Awards of 2003 (January) The 30th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 13, 2003, at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from the year 2002. Performances Winners and nominees Referen ...

, and the

2003 MTV Video Music Awards The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony is best remembered f ...

. Two concert tours were held in 2003 to promote the album, The Justified & Stripped Tour (co-headlined with

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

) and The Stripped Tour.

Background and development

Following the release of her self-titled debut album in 1999, Aguilera had achieved major success with four worldwide hits, including "

Genie in a Bottle "Genie in a Bottle" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). It was written by Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner and David Frank, and produced by Kipner and Frank. The song was released on May 11, 1 ...

" and " What a Girl Wants". Following that, she continued to garner major success with "

Lady Marmalade "Lady Marmalade" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, originally for Nolan's disco group. The song is famous for the repeated refrain of " ''Voulez-vous coucher avec moi''?" in French as part of the chorus, a sexually suggestive line t ...

" (2001) – a cover of Labelle's song of the same title – which features

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of h ...

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

and

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), (stylized as Mýa), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born into a musical family, she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Initially, Mýa began her career as a VJ ...

. Despite the international success, Aguilera was unsatisfied with the music and image that her former manager Steve Kurtz, had created for her, having been marketed as a

bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States ...

singer because of the genre's financial lure. She mentioned plans for her next album to have more musical and lyrical depth. By late 2000, Aguilera decided not to continue the contact with Kurtz. After terminating Kurtz's services,

Irving Azoff Irving Azoff (; born December 12, 1947) is an American entertainment executive and chairman of Full Stop Management, which represents recording artists. In the mid-1980s, he brought success to MCA Records. Since September 2013, he has been cha ...

was hired as her new manager. Following the managerial shakeup, Aguilera decided to create her new style of music on the following album. She also used her new

Xtina. She also changed her public appearance and persona, with her hair dyed black and nude photographs on magazine covers. Aguilera further commented about the event with ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'': "When you're part of a pop phenomenon, you have so many opinions shoved down your throat. People try to tell you what you should do, how you should act, what you should wear, who you should be with. At the time things started happening for me, it was popular to be the squeaky-clean, cookie-cutter

singer. But that role didn't speak to me, because it's so boring and superficial".

Recording and production

In late 2001, Aguilera started recording material for her fourth studio album. The recording sessions took place in studios around

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, including

Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer by 1970. Hendrix spent only ten we ...

and

The Hit Factory The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. History On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, a singer, record producer, and one of the principal owners of the Record Plant Studios New York, purchased the ...

in New York City,

The Enterprise Studios Enterprise Productions, Inc., otherwise known as The Enterprise Studios, was an independent production company co-founded by actor John Garfield alongside producers David L. Loew and Charles Einfeld in 1946, right after Garfield's contract with Wa ...

in Burbank, and

Conway Recording Studios Conway Recording Studios is a recording studio in Hollywood, California. People and awards Conway started in the early 1970s as a mastering studio. In 1976, the studio began recording albums, including projects by Elton John and Stevie Wond ...

Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blo ...

and

NRG Recording Studios NRG Recording Studios is a recording facility located in North Hollywood, California, that was created by producer and mixer Jay Baumgardner in 1992. Facilities The facility consists of three studio consoles: *Studio A console: custom vintage ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. According to Aguilera, the recording sessions were much longer than she thought they would be. She further explained that many issues arose during that time, including her first breakup with her first boyfriend Jorge Santos. Aguilera also believed that the lyrics of ''Stripped'' were so personal, and her vocals "represent a rawer, more bare-bones approach as well, with less of the ostentatious riffing that has miffed critics in the past". She stated, "I did the vocal gymnastics thing because it was fun. That's why I like blues, too, because you can experiment more with that side of your voice. But I thought the lyrics on this record are so personal, deep and good that I wanted to make them stand out more than what I could do with my voice technically". On ''Stripped'', Aguilera enlisted a wide range of

songwriters A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

and

producers Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

, including

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

Scott Storch Scott Spencer Storch (born December 16, 1973) is an American record producer and songwriter. He started off as a keyboardist for the group the Roots. Early life Storch was born on Long Island, New York. He was raised in South Florida and Phi ...

, and

Linda Perry Linda Perry (born April 15, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. She was the lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes, and has since founded two record labels and composed and produced hit songs for ...

. Perry was one of the biggest influences to Aguilera during the making of the album. The singer stated, "She taught me that imperfections are good and should be kept because it comes from the heart. It makes things more believable and it's brave to share them with the world." Keys was featured on the track "Impossible", which was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. Another notable producer is Storch; he wrote and produced a total of seven songs from ''Stripped'', including two singles. He stated that during the making of ''Stripped'', Aguilera was one of his friends that he cared most. However, Storch did not produce her fifth studio album '' Back to Basics'' (2006), which started a feud between the two artists, which was stated by Aguilera in one of the track from ''Back to Basics'', "F.U.S.S. (Interlude)".

Music and lyrics

Musically, ''Stripped'' is a

and R&B record which incorporates elements of many different

genres Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

, including

, hip hop, heavy metal, rock,

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

, and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

. The album broke her teen pop root from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). According to Aguilera, she wanted to be "real" in her next records because she was "overworked" at the time she was "a part of the big craze pop phenomenon". Multiple

critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...

criticized its musical style, calling it a lack of musical concentration. On ''Stripped'', Aguilera became the writer of most of the songs. She also revealed that Perry's songwriting on

's second studio album ''

Missundaztood ''Missundaztood'' is the second studio album by American singer Pink. It was released on November 20, 2001, by Arista Records. After the success of ''Can't Take Me Home'', her 2000 debut album, Pink became dissatisfied with her lack of creati ...

'' (2001) inspired Aguilera a lot. She further commented: "I wasn't a big fan of the

Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events in ...

songs, but I really, really loved the Linda Perry song". The album's

opening track An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

"Stripped Intro" describes her musical changes as she sings: "Sorry that I speak my mind / Sorry don't do what I'm told". The follow-up " Can't Hold Us Down" featuring Lil' Kim is an R&B and hip hop song which incorporates elements from

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The R ...

toward its end. Lyrically, it talks about the theme of

, and was suggested that it is toward rapper

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing Hip hop music, hip hop in Middle America (United Sta ...

and

Fred Durst William Frederick Durst (born August 20, 1970) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has released seven studio albums. He ap ...

. The third track "Walk Away" is a

piano ballad A ballade (from French '' ballade'', , and German ''Ballade'', , both being words for "ballad"), in classical music since the late 18th century, refers to a setting of a literary ballad, a narrative poem, in the musical tradition of the , or to a o ...

where she uses a "clever" metaphor to talk about an

abusive relationship Relational aggression or alternative aggressionSimmons, Rachel (2002). ''Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls''. New York, New York: Mariner Books. pp. 8–9. . Retrieved 2016-11-02. is a type of aggression in which harm is cause ...

. It is followed by the fourth track and third single from ''Stripped'', " Fighter", which incorporates strong elements from heavy metal and

arena rock Arena rock (also known as AOR, melodic rock, stadium rock, anthem rock, pomp rock, corporate rock and dad rock; ; ) is a style of rock music that originated in the mid-1970s. As hard rock bands and those playing a softer yet strident kind of po ...

. It talks about a woman wants to thank a man who has done something wrong to her, and was inspired by Aguilera's unhappy childhood. It is followed-up by the interlude "Primer Amor Interlude", the

Latin pop Latin pop (in Spanish and in Portuguese: Pop latino) is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. Originating in Spanish-speaking musicians, Latin ...

and

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura a ...

track "Infatuation", and the interlude "Loves Embrace Interlude", respectively. "Loving Me 4 Me" is a "sultry" classic R&B and

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and con ...

ballad. The follow-ups "Impossible" and "Underappreciated" explore

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

. The first of these, featuring Keys, incorporates a

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

theme, while the second talks about the pain of a breakup. The piano ballad "

", which talks about the theme of

, was deemed as the album's highlight by many critics, who praised its overall production. The next track "Make Over" is a

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

and

dance-rock Dance-rock is a dance-infused genre of rock music. It is a post-disco genre connected with pop rock and post-punk with fewer rhythm and blues influences. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of both punk and disc ...

song that features a garage-rock beat. It was sued in the United Kingdom for illegally sampling the

Sugababes Sugababes are a British girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by All Saints manager Ron Tom, Sugababes releas ...

' song " Overload" (2000), ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' also noted similarities between the two songs. Later, the

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

(ASCAP) added the songwriting credits of Sugababes to the song. "Cruz" is a rock ballad that is musically similar to works of

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

. "Soar" is one of two tracks written for ''Stripped'' by Rob Hoffman and Heather Holley centered around themes of

self-empowerment Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming strong ...

. The second track "I Will Be" is the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to " Dirrty" in the UK. The two next tracks, "Get Mine, Get Yours", a pop song with rock and soul influences, and "Dirrty", a

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

anthem that talks about the theme of

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal pene ...

, and have been described as "majestically filthy". The latter is the remake of Redman's " Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get in da Club)" (2001), and also features the rapper. The follow-up is the interlude "Stripped Pt. 2". The empowering ballad "

" talks about trusting oneself. "I'm OK" is a ballad which incorporates strings and discusses Aguilera's abusive childhood with her father, and the final song from the album "Keep on Singin' My Song" incorporates elements from

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub- ...

with a gospel

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

Release and promotion

''Stripped'' was first released internationally on October 22, 2002 and in the United States a week later by

. Promotion for ''Stripped'' started on October 28, when Aguilera appeared at a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

radio station B96's Halloween Bash and performed four songs from the album–"Dirrty", "Get Mine, Get Yours", "Beautiful" and "Impossible". The same day, Aguilera performed "Beautiful" on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production ...

'', wearing a black gown, a black

fedora A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both side ...

, and black heels. She also performed "Dirrty" and "Beautiful" on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

''; the show aired in October. On November 1, Aguilera appeared on ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

'' and performed "Beautiful" and "Impossible". On November 4, Aguilera was invited as a guest on ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form fr ...

'' to promote ''Stripped''. At the

on November 14, Aguilera performed "Dirrty" with rapper Redman, recreating the stage as a boxing ring while entering the stage riding a motorcycle and wearing

chaps Chaps ( or ) are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps' integrated belt, but unlike trousers, they have no seat (the term "assless chaps" is a tautology) and are not jo ...

during the performance, as seen in the music video for the song. On December 15, she performed "Dirrty" at the 2002 VH1 Awards. On January 13, 2003, Aguilera performed "Beautiful" and "Impossible" at the

. Aguilera gave a performance of "Beautiful" on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'' on March 15, where she also sang "Fighter". At the

on August 23, Aguilera performed with

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage producti ...

and

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

a medley of Madonna's songs " Like a Virgin" and "

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

", and Elliott's " Work It". Towards the end of "Hollywood", Madonna kissed both Aguilera and Spears during the performance, making huge tabloid stories and fuss from the public, and marking it as one of the most iconic performances from the

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

history. Later that night, she also performed "Dirrty" and "Fighter" with Redman and guitarist

Dave Navarro David Michael Navarro (born June 7, 1967) is an American guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock band Jane's Addiction, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. Between 1993 and 1998, Navarro was the guitarist of the Red Hot C ...

. On January 16, 2004, she performed "Walk Away" on the ''Late Show with David Letterman''. On February 8, Aguilera performed "Beautiful" at the

46th Annual Grammy Awards The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2004 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003. They recognized acc ...

, where she also won a

Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

for the song. Aguilera also supported ''Stripped'' by embarking on two separate tours. In summer 2003,

and Aguilera embarked on The Justified & Stripped Tour, which took place in North America. Talking about the tour, Timberlake said "

guilera Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains ...

s got one of the most amazing voices I've ever heard. That homegirl can sing ... this is why I am standing here". Several tour dates were canceled and rescheduled due to the collapse of lighting systems. An

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

entitled '' Justin & Christina'' was released exclusively at

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

in July 2003 to promote the tour. The EP contains four

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

es of Aguilera and Timberlake's songs from their respective albums, and two new tracks. In late 2003, Aguilera embarked on The Stripped Tour, the former's extension without Timberlake's acts. The tour took place in Europe, Japan and Australia. The former grossed a total of US$30,261,670, becoming the 16th highest-grossing tour of 2003. In May 2004, Aguilera was expected to return to North America during the second leg of The Stripped Tour. However, the 29 tour dates were canceled last-minute due to the singer's vocal strain. On January 13, an accompanying

live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music * Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of album ...

video album A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

of the tour, titled ''

Stripped Live in the UK ''Stripped Live in the U.K.'' is the second concert DVD by Christina Aguilera, and documents the premiere United Kingdom, UK performances of The Stripped Tour. The DVD does not include "Make Over" which was situated after "Can't Hold Us Down". An ...

'', was released worldwide. On December 8, a

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

including both ''Stripped'' and ''Stripped Live in the UK'' was released in the United Kingdom.

20th anniversary

On October 21, 2022, for the album's twentieth anniversary, Aguilera released a deluxe edition of the album with two new tracks: "I Will Be" (the

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to " Dirrty") and the

Benny Benassi Marco "Benny" Benassi (; born 13 July 1967) is an Italian DJ, record producer and remixer. He is widely seen as a pioneer of electro house, a genre brought into the mainstream by his 2002 summer club hit " Satisfaction". He started his career ...

remix of "

". This was announced alongside new vinyl releases, HD remasters for music videos and a new music video for "Beautiful" which premiered on October 19, 2022.

Singles

"Dirrty" was serviced as the lead single from the album on September 3, 2002. Perry and Aguilera's management wanted to release "Beautiful" as the lead single. However, Aguilera wanted to release a seriously "down and dirty" song to announce her comeback, so RCA Records decided to release it as the first single. Upon its release, the song received mixed to negative reviews from critics; some of whom criticized its sound and negatively compared it to

' song " I'm a Slave 4 U" (2001), while the others chose it as a standout track from ''Stripped''. Its accompanying music video, directed by

David LaChapelle David LaChapelle (born March 11, 1963) is an American photographer, music video director and film director. He is best known for his work in fashion, photography, which often references art history and sometimes conveys social messages. His pho ...

, was criticized due to its sexual content, and sparked protests in Thailand. However, it was an international hit, achieving certifications in Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The album's second single "Beautiful" was written solely by Perry. Rush-released following the commercial underperformance and controversy surrounding previous single "Dirrty", "Beautiful" received universal acclaim from music critics. Commercially, the single gained impact on charts worldwide, peaking within the top five in many countries, as well as achieving certifications in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Its music video, directed by

Jonas Åkerlund Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund (; born 10 November 1965) is a Swedish film director, screenwriter, music video director, and drummer. His video for Madonna's song " Ray of Light" won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form, and a record of fiv ...

, garnered critical acclaim from media outlets by touching on

anorexia nervosa Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gre ...

homosexuality Homosexuality is Romance (love), romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romant ...

bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an ...

, self-esteem, and transgender issues. The video was honored at the

14th GLAAD Media Awards The 14th Annual GLAAD Media Awards (2003) were presented at three separate ceremonies: April 7 in New York City, New York ; April 26 in Los Angeles; and May 31 in San Francisco. The awards were presented to honor "fair, accurate and inclusive" repre ...

(2003) due to its positive portrayal of the

LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and so ...

. "Beautiful" was listed as one of the greatest songs throughout the

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decade by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' and VH1. "Fighter" was released as the third single from ''Stripped'' on March 10, 2003. The single was well received by most critics, as well as achieving chart success in several countries and certifications in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. Its accompanying music video, directed by

Floria Sigismondi Floria Sigismondi (, born 1965) is an Italian-Canadian film director, screenwriter, music video director, artist, and photographer. She is best known for writing and directing ''The Runaways'', for directing music videos for performers includin ...

, was inspired by the director's dark theatrics and

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

s. The album's fourth single "Can't Hold Us Down", featuring Lil' Kim, was released on July 8, 2003. It garnered mixed reviews from music critics, and gained moderate success commercially, receiving a gold certification in Australia. Its accompanying music video was directed by LaChapelle. "The Voice Within" was released on October 27, 2003 as the fifth and final single. Critics complimented the simple piano ballad, which talks about the theme of self-respect. Its accompanying music video was directed by LaChapelle. "Infatuation" was released as a promotional single in Spain on September 22, 2003. "Walk Away" peaked at number 35 in Denmark on March 14, 2008, despite never being released as a single.

Critical reception

''Stripped'' received generally mixed reviews from music critics. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...

score of 55, based on 14 reviews. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' was positive toward the album, writing that the album is "a must-heard recording rich with pleasantly surprising depth". In a mixed review,

E! Online E! (an initialism for Entertainment Television) is an American basic cable channel which primarily focuses on pop culture, celebrity focused reality shows, and movies, owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of NBCUniver ...

wrote, "If she had just shown up and sang her ass off, Stripped would've been a better show". Josh Kun from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...

'' commented, "As an artistic statement, ''Stripped'' is all over the place;it's a move toward hip-hop, it's a move toward rock, it's

ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished ...

, it's

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

". Jancee Dunn of ''Rolling Stone'' provided a three-out-of-five-stars rating for the album, calling it "almost" an album for grown-ups, yet criticized its lack of musical concentration. ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...

'' wrote a mixed review, yet commenting that it is better than Britney Spears' works. Writing for

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

, Jacqueline Hodges said that the album "is as full-on bold and over the top as most of Christina's outfits ... much of this seems to be an exercise in stretching the vocal chords 'sic''.html"_;"title="sic.html"_;"title="'sic">'sic''">sic.html"_;"title="'sic">'sic''to_weak_backing_tracks"._Jim_Wirth_for_''

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_album"_comparing_it_to_Carey's_1999_''Rainbow_(Mariah_Carey_album).html" "title="NME.html" ;"title="sic">'sic''.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''to weak backing tracks". Jim Wirth for ''NME">sic">'sic''.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''to weak backing tracks". Jim Wirth for ''NME'' commented that ''Stripped'' is a "

album" comparing it to Carey's 1999 ''Rainbow (Mariah Carey album)">Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.

Accolades

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Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers co ...

, " Dirrty" , , style="text-align:center;", , - ! scope="row",

GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their liv ...

, Special Recognition , "

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, rowspan="4",

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video categor ...

Best Female Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Y ...

, rowspan="6", "Dirrty" , , rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;", , - ,

Best Pop Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop was first given out in under the name of Best Pop Video, as MTV began to put several teen pop acts in heavy rotation. Nominations, however, were not just limited to pop acts, as dance, R&B, pop/rock, and reg ...

, , - ,

Best Dance Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best dance music, Dance Video was first awarded in 1989, and it was one of the original four genre categories that were added to the MTV Video Music Awards that year. With a revamp of the awards in 2007, the category ...

, , - ,

Best Choreography The MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography is a craft award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and choreographer of the music video. From 1984 to 2007, the full name of the award was Best Choreography in a Video. The biggest winner ...

, , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2", 2003 ,

MOBO Award The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...

, Video of the Year , , style="text-align:center;", , - , Q Award , Song of the Year , , style="text-align:center;", , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" ,

, rowspan="2",

MTV Europe Music Award The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an a ...

, Best Album , ''Stripped'' , , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", , - , Best Song , "Beautiful" , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="4" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

, rowspan="4", Grammy Award ,

Best Pop Vocal Album The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...

, ''Stripped'' , , rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;", , - , Song of the Year , rowspan="2" , "Beautiful" , , - ,

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

, , - , Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals , " Can't Hold Us Down" , , - ! scope="row",

, MTV Asia Award , Favorite Video , "Beautiful" , , style="text-align:center;", , - ! scope="row",

Brit Award The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

, Best International Album , rowspan="2", ''Stripped'' , , style="text-align:center;", , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" ,

, rowspan="2",

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...

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, rowspan="3", MTV Video Music Award , Best Female Video , rowspan="3", "

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Commercial performance

''Stripped'' debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 330,000 copies, only behind Eminem's '' 8 Mile: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture'', which debuted at number one with first-week sales of 702,000 copies. The album stayed on the chart until 2004, and was certified five times platinum by the

(RIAA). By December 2009, Nielsen SoundScan reported that ''Stripped'' had sold 4,234,000 copies in the country, becoming her second highest-selling album in the United States, only behind her self-titled debut studio album (1999), which had sold 8,207,000 copies. As of 2018, the album has sold over 4,423,000 copies in the country alone. In Canada, ''Stripped'' debuted at number three on the

Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Oce ...

with first-week sales of 14,000 copies, and was eventually certified triple platinum by

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It ...

. Elsewhere, ''Stripped'' was a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit is a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release but became a success later on. A sleeper hit may have little prom ...

, debuting low in many countries and eventually turning into a commercial success. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 19 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

, peaking at number two. It became Aguilera's best-performing album in the country, spending 102 weeks within the top 100 of the chart, and was certified sextuple platinum by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...

(BPI). The album became the 29th bestselling album there throughout the 2000s decade in the United Kingdom, also becoming the second highest-selling album by an American female artist in the country during the decade, only behind

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

' ''

Come Away with Me ''Come Away with Me'' is the debut studio album by American recording artist Norah Jones, released on February 26, 2002, by Blue Note Records. Recording sessions took place at Sorcerer Sound Studio in New York City and Allaire Studios in Shok ...

'' (2002). As of 2006, the album had sold 1,850,852 copies in the United Kingdom, and was ranked at number 73 on the list of 100 bestselling albums in the United Kingdom during the same time. As of April 2021, ''Stripped'' has sold a total of 2,050,000 copies in the United Kingdom. In March 2015, the

Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...

(OCC) revealed that ''Stripped'' had become the 40th bestselling album of the millennium in the country. Throughout Europe, ''Stripped'' also peaked within the top ten in several countries, including Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, and Switzerland. It was one of the bestselling albums in Poland in the first half of 2003. ''Stripped'' was certified triple platinum in Europe by the

International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

(IFPI) for shipping over three millions copies in the continent and was the bestselling pop album by a female artist of 2003. In Oceania, ''Stripped'' debuted at number thirty-three on the Australian ARIA Albums chart on November 10, 2002 before falling off the chart the following week. It re-entered on January 19, 2003 at number 41 due to the promotion and success of the album's second single "Beautiful", and reached the top ten on the chart eight week later, it peaked at number seven in October 2003 and spent a total of 67 weeks on the chart. The success of the album was aimed by its five singles that reached the Australian

ARIA In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

Singles chart's top ten, as "Beautiful" reached number-one, and became her second number-one single there, "Dirrty" peaked at number four, while "Fighter" and "Can't Hold Us Down" both reached number 5, and "The Voice Within" reached number eight. In New Zealand, ''Stripped'' entered the albums chart at number 48 on February 23, 2003 but exited the chart the following week before its re-entry at number 26 on March 16, 2003 due the success of "

", and reached number five which became its peak position four week later. It spent 46 weeks on the chart and became Aguilera's longest-charting album there. It was certified quadruple platinum by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...

(ARIA) for shipments of 280,000 copies in the country, and was certified double platinum by the

Recorded Music NZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded ...

(RMNZ), shipping over 30,000 copies in the country. According to the RIAA, ''Stripped'' sold over 12 million copies worldwide.

Legacy and influence

Following its release and five successful singles, ''Stripped'' became one of Aguilera's strongest charting albums. In the United States, the album became the tenth bestselling album of 2003, and Aguilera was ranked as the most successful female pop artist of the year with six chart entries. Likewise, Aguilera was the fourth most successful female musical act on the US ''Billboard'' 200, and the thirteenth overall. Due to the successful single releases, the magazine ranked Aguilera as the second bestselling female singles artist on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, only behind

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

, and the top female

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...

artist. In 2017, ''Billboard'' named ''Stripped'' as one of the most important albums of the 2000s, noting the cultural and sonic influence the album had on an array of artists including

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to th ...

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series '' Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for p ...

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...

and

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

. They added that,

Ultimately, Christina defining herself as ''Stripped'' was not an ode to her sexually empowered image, but representative of her peeling back layers and getting to the music and emotions that make up the vocal powerhouse as a human, including all her darkness, fears and insecurities.

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...

cited ''Stripped'' as an inspiration for her second studio album '' Revival'' (2015), saying: "That's one of my favorite albums and that was kind of what I started off ''Revival'' as, some sort of story. I mean, that album for her was incredible — 'Beautiful', 'Can't Hold Us Down', all of that — that's the stuff that I love". She added: "That was an album, that was complete on my record. I have 'Rise', 'Survivors', 'Revival', '

Kill Em with Kindness "Kill Em with Kindness" is a song recorded by American singer Selena Gomez. It was serviced to contemporary hit radio on May 3, 2016, through Interscope Records as the fourth and final single from her second studio album ''Revival (Selena Gomez ...

'. My stuff is full on, it's an album, it's a piece, it's something that I'm proud of." In an interview with ''

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

'',

said that their album '' Tell Me You Love Me'' (2017) was inspired by ''Stripped''. They stated that they "grew up listening to Christina Aguilera" and explained that they were "inspired by the

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

artwork A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetics, aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from ...

Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter (born May 11, 1999) is an American singer and actress. Carpenter made her acting debut with an appearance in the television crime show '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and had a recurring role on Fox's short-li ...

has also stated that after she heard the album, she "knew that hewanted to sing" and she began to see "songs as a part of what hecould do to showcase and develop erown voice". The album was included in the book ''

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...

''. Justin Myers of the

called the album "a phenomenon". Despite the heavy criticism received upon release, ''Stripped'' has gone on to earn widespread acclaim, years after its release. The album's fifteenth anniversary in 2017 saw many critics reevaluate the album in their articles, praising the album's longevity, musicality, cohesion, and its lasting impact and influence in contemporary music. ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

'' writer Sophie Wilkinson stated in a retrospective review, "Say what you like about the flailing 'Dirrty' dance routines it spawned, but Christina Aguilera's sophomore album ''Stripped'' still has merits beyond the cliché of a former teen star removing her

saccharine Saccharin (''aka'' saccharine, Sodium sacchari) is an artificial sweetener with effectively no nutritional value. It is about 550 times as sweet as sucrose but has a bitter or metallic aftertaste, especially at high concentrations. Saccharin is ...

casing to reveal her womanhood". She added that the album relayed feministic messages and that "15 years on, the album still gives any woman the confidence to speak up and be heard, to take charge of her sexuality and ownership of her body, or even just sing along loud enough to amplify its messages". In a ''Billboard'' article, Jeff Benjamin praised the album's ability to shift between genres and the personal content featured. He went on to say that Aguilera was continuing the legacy that "Aguilera helped build after the likes of

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her musi ...

, Madonna and

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

". Benjamin also praised Aguilera for her feminist sentiment on the album's second track and fourth single "Can't Hold Us Down", while maintaining an openly sexual image, noting that it was not expected of feminists to be sexual at the time of the album's release.'''' ''

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

'' praised ''Stripped'' for remaining a "cohesive and forward-thinking collection of songs" 15 years after its release and noted its impact in contemporary music, while also stating that ''Stripped'' became "the blueprint for

diva Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is cl ...

s making the transition from teen idol to adult pop star". That same year, ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

'' named it one of the greatest, most "crucial" albums recorded by women. Later that year, ''

HuffPost ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' noted that with ''Stripped'', Aguilera led the charge at the beginning of the 21st century in influencing and introducing the next generation feminist rhetoric into pop culture. In 2018, the enduring impact of ''Stripped'' was noted by the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' and several other pop media outlets including

Fuse Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabili ...

and Vinyl with consensus; "''Stripped'' proves as the blueprint for honest and raw female pop". '' Crack'' writer Emma Garland called the album a "re-introduction to Christina Aguilera on her own terms". She added that the album "is best measured by its cultural impact on those it was always intended for – a mass audience of young people who ..had spent much of the late 90's and early 00's being patronised by an industry that served them dynamic but spiritually void bubblegum pop washed down with empowerment slogans from the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and ...

Track listing

Notes * signifies a vocal producer Sample credits * "Make Over" interpolates " Overload", as performed by the

. Later pressings of the album contain songwriting credits for

Keisha Buchanan Keisha Kerreece Fayeanne Buchanan (; born 30 September 1984) is an English singer and a founding member of the girl group Sugababes alongside Mutya Buena and Siobhán Donaghy. With the Sugababes, she had six number one singles and two number ...

, Mutya Buena,

Siobhán Donaghy Siobhán Emma Donaghy (born 14 June 1984) is an English-Irish singer and songwriter. She is best known as a founding member of the girl group Sugababes. Donaghy left the Sugababes in 2001 and released her debut solo album, '' Revolution in Me'', ...

, Felix Howard,

Cameron McVey Cameron Andrew McVey (born 11 March 1957) is an English singer, songwriter and music producer. He worked with the bands Massive Attack, Portishead, All Saints, Sugababes/Mutya Keisha Siobhan and his wife Neneh Cherry. He is the father of ...

Paul Simm Paul Simm is an English musician, composer and record producer, known for his work with Amy Winehouse, the Sugababes and Neneh Cherry. Biography Paul Simm, discovered the piano aged five and mostly self-taught, by eleven was performing regular g ...

and Jonathan Lipsey; these credits were absent on initial pressings of the album. * "I'm OK" contains an audio sample performed by

Ellen Muth Ellen Muth (; born March 6, 1981) is an American former actress best known for her role as Georgia "George" Lass in Showtime's series ''Dead Like Me'' (2003–2004 series, 2009 film). Early life Muth was born in Milford, Connecticut, to Eric ...

and

David Strathairn David Russell Strathairn (; born January 26, 1949) is an American actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he has often portrayed historical figures such as Edward R. Murrow, J. Robert Oppenheimer, William H. Seward, and John Do ...

from '' Dolores Claiborne'', a film based on the novel of the same name by

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Stripped''. Production *

– vocal producer *E. Dawk – vocal producer, co-writer *

Ron Fair Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several ar ...

– executive producer, A&R *

– producer *

– producer,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...

*Rob Hoffman – producer *Heather Holley – producer *Steve Morales – producer *

– producer *Glen Ballard – producer *Rockwilder – producer *Tony Black –

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

*Oscar Ramirez – recording *Wassim Zreik – recording *Shane Stoner – recording *David Guerrero – engineer, assistant mix engineer *Dylan Dresdow – engineer, mix engineer *Andrew Chavez – assistant engineer, assistant mix engineer *Davy Vain – assistant engineer, Pro Tools engineer *Brian Douglas – assistant engineer *Alex Gibson – assistant engineer *Jay Goin – assistant engineer *Mark Kizula – assistant engineer *Aaron Leply – assistant engineer *John Morichal – assistant engineer *Rafael Serrano – assistant engineer *Kevin Szymanski – assistant engineer *Scott Whitting – assistant engineer *Tony Maserati – mixing *Peter Mokran – mixing *Dave Pensado – mixing *Rich Balmer – assistant mix engineer *Tony Flores – assistant mix engineer *Anthony Kilhoffer – assistant mix engineer *Jamie Sickora – assistant mix engineer *Ethan Willoughby – assistant mix engineer *Jolie Levine-Aller –

production coordinator A production coordinator (officially called production office coordinator and abbreviated POC) is a unionized position in stagecraft under the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and is governed in Los Angeles by Local 87 ...

*Stephanie Kubiak –

production assistant A production assistant, also known as a PA, is a member of the film crew and is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production. The job of a PA can vary greatly depending on the budget ...

*Joann Tominaga – music contractor *Brian Gardner – mastering *Jeri Heiden –

art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...

*Glen Nakasako – art direction & design *Miranda Penn Turin –

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is emplo ...

Musicians *Christina Aguilera – lead

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

– featured vocals * Redman – featured vocals *

– additional vocals, backing vocals,

, other instruments *E. Dawk – vocals producer & arranger, choir vocals arrangement *Balewa Muhammad – vocals producer and arranger *Maxi Anderson – background vocals, choir vocals arrangement *Alexandra Brown – background vocals *Crystal Drummer – background vocals *Charlean Hines – background vocals *Erica King – background vocals *Nolie Robinson – background vocals *Alfie Sillas – background vocals *Toya Smith – background vocals *Maxine Waters-Willard – background vocals *

–

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

, piano, strings arrangement & conduction,

music programming Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices and computer software, such as sequencers and workstations or hardware synthesizers, sampler and sequencers, to generate sounds of musical instruments. These mu ...

*Alex Al – bass *Uriah Duffy – bass *

Mike Elizondo Mike Elizondo (born October 22, 1972) is an American producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. A protege of Dr. Dre, Elizondo has worked with 50 Cent, Eminem, Carrie Underwood, Fiona Apple, Mastodon, Ry Cooder, Skylar Grey, Twenty ...

– bass *Rufus Jackson – bass *

Tarus Mateen Tarus Mateen, also known as Taurus Mateen and Tarus Dorsey Kinch (born October 21, 1967, Bakersfield, California) is an American double-bass and electric bassist, who works in jazz, pop, and R&B idioms.Gary W. Kennedy, "Tarus Mateen". '' The Ne ...

– bass *Steve Morales – drum programming, arranger *

Matt Chamberlain Matthew Chamberlain (born April 17, 1967) is an American session musician, drummer, producer and songwriter. Biography Life and career Chamberlain was born in San Pedro, California on April 17, 1967. He began learning how to play the drums ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

*Brian Frasier-Moore – drums *Kameron Houff – drums *Paul John – drums *Brian McLeod – drums * Mike Stinson – drums *Ahmir Thompson – drums *Darryl Dixon – horns *Gary Grant – horns *Jerry Hey – horns *Daniel Higgins – horns *Fred Maxwell – horns *Bill Reichenbach – horns *David Watson – horns *Rob Hoffman –

, programming, orchestral percussion, rhodes *Glen Ballard – guitar, arranger,

keyboardist A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical inst ...

*Aaron Fishbein – guitar,

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

*John Goux – guitar *Michael Landau – guitar *

– guitar *Arthur White – guitar *Dwayne Wiggins – guitar *Ramon Stagnaro – acoustic guitar *Damon Fox – keyboards *Randy Kerber – keyboards * David Siegel – keyboards *

Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and musical director based in Los Angeles, California. A prolific session musician, Phillinganes has contributed the role of keyboards to numerous alb ...

– piano *Richard Dodd –

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, ...

*Lily Haydn –

viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

*Shanti Randall – viola *Eric Gorfain – violin *Larry Gold – strings arrangement & conduction *Ron Fair – strings arrangement *Bill Ross – orchestra arrangement *Anson Dawkins – choir vocals arrangement *Eric Dawkins – choir vocals arrangement

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

*
Stripped
' at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

(list of releases) {{Authority control Christina Aguilera albums 2002 albums Albums produced by Glen Ballard Albums produced by Linda Perry Albums produced by Rockwilder Albums produced by Scott Storch Albums produced by Alicia Keys Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios RCA Records albums Albums recorded at Henson Recording Studios

Background and development

Recording and production

Music and lyrics

Release and promotion

20th anniversary

Singles

Critical reception

Commercial performance

Legacy and influence

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links