As those who caught her black-leather-clad act at Sunday night's closing ceremony of the Olympics may have been able to guess, Christina Aguilera is no longer the pop princess next door.
After bursting onto the scene three years ago as the apple-cheeked face behind "Genie in a Bottle," Aguilera has done her best to set herself apart from other teen queens. So as the chart-topper puts the finishing touches on her follow-up to her 1999 self-titled debut album, the emphasis is on pow, not pop.
"This album is very real," Aguilera told MTV News recently during a visit to the recording studio. "This whole album is very much from me, and it's just on a very real level. It's not a pop-pop record. It's got a lot of soul on it. It's got more R&B. It's got hip-hop influences. It's got rock, which is very interesting, but very much a part of who I am. ... It needed to come out, so it's exciting."
Aguilera's been working on new material since last fall with producers Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette, No Doubt) and Rockwilder (Jay-Z, Redman) and is expected to have a new album in stores this summer (see "Christina Aguilera Album Expected In June").
For much more from MTV News' studio visit with Christina and your first earful of some of her new music, tune in to "Backstage at the Grammys" Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on MTV. Then, point your browser to MTVNews.com for our complete Christina interview.
