Christina Aguilera felt restricted while recording her self-titled 1999 debut album. 

The vocal powerhouse rose to fame in the late-nineties with her first record, featuring the hit singles Genie In A Bottle and What A Girl Wants. 

It was a runaway hit worldwide and in the US hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming one of the best-selling albums of the decade from 2000-2009. 

But behind the scenes, recording the album was a struggle, with Christina admitting: “I was told on my first record so many times: ‘You can’t sing like that, you have to hold back. It’s not okay to ad-lib like that, to do runs like that, to slide into vocals.’ I was so micromanaged as to what I could do on that first album.

“[The Lady Marmalade video] was a full circle moment of not only the look and visual, but also yes, getting to vocally just give and play.”

Also featuring P!nk, Mya and Lil’ Kim, the track appeared on the ‘Moulin Rouge!’ soundtrack, with the Missy Elliott-produced track topping the charts in the UK and US and finally allowed the superstar the opportunity to showcase her range and belt.

Speaking to Allure, Christina also revealed music executives wanted her to change her name because they felt her Latin surname was too hard for people to pronounce.

“It always just did not sit well with me. I did not feel OK changing it or becoming some random made-up word,” she insisted. “I wanted to be who I was and that’s Aguilera, it’s always been who I was, it’s a part of my roots and my background and a part of who I am. 

“So, I never wanted to shy away from that, even if it was hard for people to pronounce. Coming up, I definitely stuck to my guns and did not want to change who I am.”