25 years ago Christina Aguilera released her third album and her first holiday album, My Kind of Christmas, which gave the diva a chance to showcase more of her vocal prowess than her debut allowed her to. Now she’s commemorating this special milestone with a film/live concert and album (her first ever) entitled Christina Aguilera: Christmas in Paris – and completely missing the opportunity to have called it “Christinamas in Paris”.
But for those who are curious, this was no ordinary live concert and album recording. It was described as “defying the conventions of a concert film”, mixed with glorious views of the “City of Love”, interludes of her exploring the city dressed in outfits including a chic black number and of course a beret, a long sparkly party dress, and a big and beautiful red ball gown whilst talking about her love of Paris as well as her journey and inspirations, with performances at the top of and in front of the Eiffel Tower and at the famed Crazy Horse Saloon. Its vibe was sleek, artsy, and cinematic – not quite a documentary but not quite a concert either.
Christmas in Paris (though filmed in October), was as Christina Aguilera herself says, a film that captures the “beauty” of the city with “magic” of the season as the stage she used was transformed into a winter wonderland for her, her band, dancers and orchestra. There she also donned a number of other outfits that further showed off her slim new figure, mostly snow white in colour, the odd classic red and splashes of black (though sadly no green).
Unlike other filmed live concerts, the direction, camera shots and close-ups across the stage, background and sights of Paris, and of course Christina made this more than just another visual recording of her singing and performing as it exuded the enchanting etherealness of both Paris and Christmas. On the close-ups of Christina we are treated to the flawlessness of both her skin and her singing as you almost study her mouth and neck with every note, run, belt, inflection and mannerism. For eagle-eyed fans who are into scrutinising her live vocals, especially when her live performances have sometimes been hit and miss, these presented the perfect opportunity to, and there are barely any faults to find.
In terms of the setlist, it was perhaps a little over eager of her to constantly refer to it as being a celebration of her Christmas album since the she only performed three songs from it (Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, O Holy Night and The Christmas Song). While it was refreshing for her to perform a whole load of other classic holiday songs, there were certainly more she could have brought back from the album, including Christmas Time (see above – written especially for her and that album), Merry Christmas, Baby, This Christmas and Angels We Have Heard on High. She could have also performed Baby It’s Cold Outside, which she recorded with Cee Lo Green for his Christmas album.
That said, she certainly wowed with her renditions of My Favourite Things from The Sound of Music (watch below – though not a Christmas song), Stevie Wonder’s Someday at Christmas, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree and Let It Snow. But perhaps her best performance was that of What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? in a nod to Ella Fitzgerald’s take on it. Here, her she really showed the versatility and colour in her voice that was something many casual listeners might not recognise, yet her unique styling was still present and distinguishable – if refrained and still beautiful.
As well as Christmas songs, Xtina also performed at the Crazy Horse, a well-known cabaret and strip joint where she gave the audience new renditions of Express from Burlesque, Genie in a Bottle, and Lady Marmalade (missing the chance to sing this at Moulin Rouge). The former was intro’d with an extra sexy twist of Santa Baby which only made you want to hear her sing it in full, while Genie in a Bottle was a sensual, semi-erotic jazz and blues-inflected performance with her writhing about in a white, full-bodied lace number. These songs, along with Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas were not strictly live, as they had clearly been newly re-recorded versions she lip synced to; those at the Crazy Horse allowing her to focus more on the choreography and staging than vocals.
She also sang Ave Maria with French singer Yseult in a nod to her faith, and while a hauntingly gorgeous duet between these two powerhouses – and certainly for Yseult as an independent artist, an incredible platform for her – it also isn’t a Christmas song. I feel a version of Silent Night (which Christina has recorded before but not for her album) or another similar religious carol would have been better suited. Additionally, another highlight was her performance of Little Drummer Boy (or Little Drummer Girl as it has been renamed) featuring the talented multi-instrumentalist Sheila E. that “drummed up” a lot of excitement. In both collaborations, Christina gracefully took a backseat and allowed her stage partners to shine and be spotlighted while still complementing them.
If anything, this has proven that Xtina could easily whack out another Christmas album with these and other songs. Admittedly, Christina Aguilera: Christmas in Paris felt a little bit self-indulgent (but who can blame her?), especially in the segments where she narrates what the season and Paris means to her as well as the joys of motherhood, her past and her path ahead. But despite that and the serious lack of more songs from the album she was celebrating, for a lot of people – especially big fans of hers – it’s a delightful gift that continues showing why she’s an icon and staves off the hunger for new original music from her. At least until 2026…
Christina Aguilera: Christmas in Paris is being shown sporadically in select cinemas on limited dates and the album is available to stream or buy now.
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