Aguilera gains credibility in return to her roots

Malcolm Mayhew

Friday, Oct. 6, 2000 | 9:45 a.m.

What: Tiger Jam III featuring Christan Aguilera

When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Mandalay Bay Events Center

Tickets: $22.50, $37.50, $57.50

Information: Call 632-7777

Ramiro Burr freely admits it: The first time he heard that 19-year-old pop queen Christina Aguilera was doing an all-Spanish disc, he was suspicious that she was simply jumping on the Latin-music bandwagon, currently helmed by Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias.

Then Burr, a well-respected music reporter for the San Antonio Express-News who has written about Latin music for 10 years, heard the record, titled "Mi Reflejo;" he was quickly won over.

"The kid's got talent," Burr says of Aguilera, who will perform Saturday at Tiger Jam III at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. "I think that, yes, if one wanted to be a cynic, they could say she was out to make money strictly off the bandwagon. But she's got so much versatility, power, soul and flavor, she could be singing in French and have the same appeal. I think this a great record."

Aguilera and her army of record company personnel are hoping the rest of the Latin community will think so, too.

Aguilera's expansion into Latin music is certainly a risk -- an experiment that could expand her career, or, if she fails, turn it into a joke.

Throughout the history of pop music, well-established Latin singers have sought to widen their appeal by crossing over into U.S. territory, from Menudo to Martin to Enrique and Julio Iglesias. Next up is Shakira, a young Latin singer who is huge in Mexico but almost unknown beyond her homeland's borders; the recent Latin Grammy winner will release her all-English debut next year.

Aguilera has decided to go in the opposite direction. Thanks to the sale of millions of copies of her self-titled 1999 debut, the singer is already a major star in the United States, making entertainment headlines by day, playing to sold-out audiences by night.

And though she's just now learning to speak Spanish, she's betting that her Hispanic heritage will give her a leg up in the rapidly expanding Latin music scene.

"In a way, it makes perfect sense for her to do this right now," says Jose Valle, vice president and general manager of Dallas Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation Group, which owns several Spanish-oriented radio stations in North Texas. "The United States population is changing. There's a much larger Spanish population here now, and it keeps growing, which means the Latin music scene will, too. So, in a way, she's working toward the future."

But Aguilera isn't just interested in reaching Hispanics in the United States. She's one of the first chart-topping American artists to recognize that although the huge U.S. market is the holy grail for performers the world over, it's not the only major market anymore. Ricky Martin didn't need to top the charts in the United States to be a huge star; his success throughout the '90s in Latin America -- with its 500 million population -- was greater than it probably ever will be in the United States.

Aguilera, however, says that potential sales south of the border aside, she is simply paying homage to her roots.

"It's very cool for me personally, because it gives me a chance to explore my Latin side," Aguilera said. "(It's) something I've wanted to do for a longtime, even before I was signed. I love the Spanish language. (It) opens up a whole new musical arena for me."

The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Latin chart, which reflects U.S. sales, and is selling well in Latin American countries, says her producer, Rudy Perez.

"Latin American audiences love her," he says. "I think she could do just as well over there as Ricky did over here."

But John Ortiz, director of promotion for record company EMI Latin, sees it in a different light.

"I don't think she's in the same boat as Ricky," he says. "I don't expect to see the boom we saw with him. What a lot of people don't realize is that he was such a superstar in Latin communities, he already had a fan base over here within those communities. Christina doesn't have that there. It's going to take a lot more work."