Linda Perry didn’t think Christina Aguilera would be a good fit to sing her song “Beautiful.”
The songwriter discussed the song and her initial opinion of Christina during a recent episode of the Zach Sang Show.
The “Genie in a Bottle” singer heard a demo of “Beautiful” and wanted it. Linda recalled thinking, “No, you’re like, a hot chick. I’m not giving you this song. No way. Are you kidding me?”
But then her manager advised her to give Christina a chance and she was pleasantly surprised by what she heard.
“It made sense,” Linda shared. “That’s when I discovered, oh, beautiful people are actually insecure and just as damaged as I am.”
She 61-year-old record producer continued, “She’s just as f–ked up as I am. Okay. And then it broke the ice between the both of us when I saw that.”
It was actually the original demo that Linda made Christina use because she appreciated how raw and emotional it was. While the pop icon pleaded to re-record it, Linda strongly preferred the initial record.
“That’s the version that sold me [and] made me believe she had emotions. That she was insecure, that she was lacking in confidence in certain places, that she needed acceptance and approval,” she said. “I said, ‘Christina, what is wonderful about this vocal is you didn’t know what you were doing. That’s why it’s going to be huge, because so many people are going to relate to this imperfect vocal. That’s what this song is about. Not being perfect. I think that’s an art that needs to come back.’”
Christina eventually sang the song and included it on her 2002 album Stripped.
That song won her the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2004.
Christina was one of many celebrities who attended the recent 35th anniversary celebration of The Abbey in West Hollywood!
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