Stripped

About Stripped

Stripped is the fourth studio album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on October 22, 2002, by RCA Records. Looking to transition from the teen pop 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 Xtina. Musically, its music incorporates pop and R&B with influences from many different genres, including soul, rock, hip hop, and Latin music. Lyrically, most of the songs from the album discuss the theme of self-respect, while a few other songs talk about sex and feminism. As an executive producer, Aguilera enlisted many new collaborators for the album. Upon its release, Stripped received generally mixed reviews from music critics; most of them criticized its lack of musical focus, while some of them called it "almost" an album for grown-ups. However, the album received multiple Grammy Award nominations, including one win. Commercially, Stripped debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 330,000 copies. Consequently, it was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping over four 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 twenty-ninth and fortieth best-selling album of the decade and millennium there, respectively, with two million copies sold. Stripped has sold over 15 million copies worldwide. more »