By the time Christina Aguilera released her fourth album, Stripped, in 2002, she had taken more control of her music, sonically and lyrically.
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Only credited on one of her songs since her eponymous debut in 1999—”This Year” off her 2000 holiday album My Kind of Christmas, 2000— when Stripped came along, Aguilera had co-written 18 of the 20 tracks on the album, which hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and earned her a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for hit “Beautiful.”
Onward, Aguilera has had a hand in penning a majority of her catalog through her ninth album Aguilera in 2022, including hits “Ain’t No Other Man,” “Hurt,” “Candyman,” ‘Dirrty,” “Keeps Getting Better,” and “Fighter,” among others.
In line with her lengthy and diverse collaborations over the past two decades with everyone from Blake Shelton, Pitbull, Lady Gaga, Nelly, Maroon 5, P!nk, Ricky Martin, Lil’ Kim, and more Aguilera has also written a few songs for other artists.
Here’s a look into two hit songs Aguilera wrote for Pitbull and Kelly Clarkson.
1. “Miss Independent,” Kelly Clarkson (2003)
Written by Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Matt Morris, Rhett Lawrence
After her momentous debut season win on American Idol in 2002, Kelly Clarkson released her debut album, Thankful, a year later. Co-writing with a collection of writers, including Diane Warren and Babyface, Clarkson got her first No. 1 with “A Moment Like This.”
Aguilera was also given credit, co-penning Clarkson’s first single, “Miss Independent,” which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Originally written for Stripped, Aguilera decided not to use the track and pitched it to Clarkson. The empowering song follows an independent young woman who doesn’t want any man to get too close but eventually opens up to real love.
“My big first single was ‘Miss Independent,’ and I had to fight so hard to get that song on my record, like, with the guitars how I liked it and everything how I liked it,” said Clarkson in a 2022 interview. “Everybody wanted me to do ballads straight off of ‘[‘American] Idol.’ I was like, ‘No, I really like this song. I want to set up some kind of precedent.’ It was very important to me as an artist, and I got to write on it as well, which was important to me.”
Miss independent
Miss self-sufficient
Miss keep your distance
Miss unafraid
Miss out of my way
Miss don’t let a man interfere, no
Miss on her own
Miss almost grown
Miss never let a man help her off her throne
So, by keeping her heart protected
She’d never ever feel rejected
Little miss apprehensive
Said ooh, she fell in love
2. “Feel This Moment,” Pitbull, featuring Christina Aguilera (2012)
Written by Christina Aguilera, Pitbull, Chantal Kreviazuk, DJ Buddha, Nasri, Adam Messinger, Sir Nolan
Aguilera and Pitbull first collaborated on his 2012 album, Global Warming, co-writing “Feel This Moment,” which ended up reaching No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song also samples a-ha‘s 1985 hit “Take On Me.” Pitbull, Aguilera, and a-ha singer Morten Harket performed the song together at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards.
“‘Feel This Moment’ is a special record, and to work with Christina Aguilera is an honor, a blessing, someone that I highly respected, as far as her talent, her voice, her range that she can take it,” said Pitbull of their collaboration when the song was first released. He added, “It’s got a very powerful sample and everybody’s gonna dance too. On top of that, when I say ‘Feel this Moment’ is basically, ‘feel life, don’t live life for a moment, live life for life, that is your moment.'”
Ask for money and get advice
Ask for advice, get money twice
I’m from the dirty, but that chico nice
Y’all call it a moment, I call it life
One day while my light is glowin’
I’ll be in my castle golden
But until the gates are open
I just wanna feel this moment
Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Billboard
