Pop Quiz

Once upon a time, Christina Aguilera was a force to be reckoned with. She made albums that debuted — and stayed at — No. 1. She sold out arenas packed with fans on summer tours. She was a trendsetter, an original. She was beloved.

Now it seems that time has come and gone. In the three or so years since the release of her third album “Back to Basics,” Ms. Aguilera’s position in the kingdom of pop music has been dramatically altered. “Basics” debuted at No. 1 of the Billboard album charts and sold over 300,000 during its first week in the States, spawning hit singles like “Ain’t No Other Man.”

“Bionic,” Aguilera’s fourth album, was released in June and has had somewhat of a different trajectory.

The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard charts and only managed to sell 110,000 copies that first week. While it may be a bit premature to say that the album is a complete failure commercially, things aren’t looking good. The album’s lead single, “Not Myself Tonight,” debuted and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 23.

Aside from sales, Xtina is facing harsh criticism in the online world. Bloggers like Perez Hilton have started campaigns against the singer, calling her “Floptina” after her disappointing sales figures were reported. Though Hilton claims to be a fan, his opinion seems to be a popular one: Aguilera is no longer original.

In a world with Lady Gaga, the dance/pop genre seems to have no room for other female artists wearing couture and thrusting their pelvic bones. Christina has been dubbed a copycat for her musical and fashion inspirations.

Piling onto the mess that is Aguilera’s public reception are those videos floating around YouTube.

One video simply called her “Diss List” shows various interviews from fellow celebrities and a few interviews from Christina herself, each one more damning than the next. Each celebrity voices that Aguilera is the “nastiest” celebrity they’ve ever met.

Without proper time to trace the roots of each interview, it’s hard not to question the validity of some of the quotes presented. While there is evidence against her, it’s hard to believe each individual’s experience with Xtina was really as bad as they recall. Plus, I hardly think anyone really cares what Valerie Bertinelli thinks.

So what’s a girl to do?

While there’s nothing anyone can do about her sales figures, Aguilera should ride out the “Bionic” wave and not rush out a new album in attempt to sweep this one under the rug. “Bionic” is a good album that will benefit if the right singles are chosen for release.
Come November, Christina may have quite the turnaround in the public sphere. The singer’s first full-fledged film role in “Burlesque,” a musical co-starring Cher, is already garnering buzz.

The most important thing Aguilera needs is humility. Forget keeping up with the Gagas and embrace the new landscape of pop music. Return to the trendsetting tunes that are definitively Christina.

Oh, and drop the diva attitude.