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This thread is about @Xtina's 4th album, the iconic #Bionic. It's turning 10 in just a few weeks…
Even though it was panned when it was released in June 2010, #Bionic has since gained an incredible legacy.
Ladies and gentlemen… "The History and Impact of Bionic" !
Even though it was panned when it was released in June 2010, #Bionic has since gained an incredible legacy.
Ladies and gentlemen… "The History and Impact of Bionic" !
Did you know #Bionic was supposed to be released in 2008? The album release was postponed because of @Xtina's pregnancy+involvement in "Burlesque", which resulted in the release of her greatest-hits album "Keeps Gettin' Better", something less time consuming than a full album.
Xtina stated in a Marie Claire interview that #Bionic would be an experimental pop+dance record and a real departure from #Back2Basics: "With this new album, I wanted to go in a completely opposite direction – a very futuristic, robotic sound and computer-sounding vocals."
She added: "I'm experimenting with my voice in ways I've never done before, almost like a technical, computer-generated sound, which is different for me because I'm the type of vocalist that just belts. I'm always inspired by new things because otherwise I get bored."
That's why she asked so many underground and alt-artists/producers to work with her: the iconic Lesbian singer/songwriter @Peaches, the legendary @MIAuniverse, the amazing @Santigold as well as the incredible bands @LadytronMusic & Le Tigre.
The goal? Create something fresh.
The goal? Create something fresh.
#Bionic was also the very first mainstream album to feature the now-legendary rapper @NickiMinaj & the amazing songwriter @Sia.
Yes, it was before Nicki's debut single & before Sia was asked by everyone and their mother to write their singles (Rihanna, Britney, Beyoncé, Shakira.)
Yes, it was before Nicki's debut single & before Sia was asked by everyone and their mother to write their singles (Rihanna, Britney, Beyoncé, Shakira.)
Most of the album was done by early 2008 but Xtina had to focus on her private life (she just gave birth to Max) + on filming "Burlesque."
That's why, when she was finally ready to release it, @RCARecords thought she should rework it and add some more commercial songs.
That's why, when she was finally ready to release it, @RCARecords thought she should rework it and add some more commercial songs.
Her record company basically forced her to record some more commercial and "current-sounding" tracks, including "Not Myself Tonight", the lead single, which appeared to be one of the least exciting songs on the record (even though it's a bop.)
The hype leading to the single's release was HUGE. Any music lover will remember that. You have to remember that Xtina was coming from three huge Grammy-winning eras (her debut, #Stripped and #BackToBasics) and had solidified her status as one of the biggest pop stars on Earth.
"Not Myself Tonight" became the most-added song on US radio in its first week. I don't want to rehash controversy on why it was removed from so many stations so quickly but well. You know. @PerezHilton decided to attack @Xtina by stating that she copied @LadyGaGa.
The blogger's influence and platform was HUGE back then and the news outlets bandwagoned one after the other.
In 2013, GaGa apologized to Xtina, stating that this feud should have never happened and that the hatred towards Xtina had been very unfair. https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/lady-gaga-apologizes-to-christina-aguilera
In 2013, GaGa apologized to Xtina, stating that this feud should have never happened and that the hatred towards Xtina had been very unfair. https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/lady-gaga-apologizes-to-christina-aguilera
Whether GaGa herself was part of this is up to everyone's personal opinion. I think it's history and both artists have had their ups and downs.
This feud was mostly fueled by @PerezHilton. Never forget he paid her fanclub to get "Floptina" written on the album's poster…
This feud was mostly fueled by @PerezHilton. Never forget he paid her fanclub to get "Floptina" written on the album's poster…
In May 2010, Xtina adressed the situation on a blog note: "I appreciate any woman fearless enough to go against the norm. She has earned her success with hard work and I have nothing but respect for that. There is room for all of us on everyone's iPods."
GaGa & Xtina have met and showed each other so much respect and admiration, even performing together on @NBCTheVoice in December 2013. Whether she was involved or not, I think we can all agree it's part of the past and both have proved to be exceptional artists and human beings.
#Bionic was released in June 2010, after an intense week of promotion.
Who could forget @Xtina's legendary #Bionic medley at the MTV Movie Awards? The performance was met with great acclaim, praising Xtina's vocals and charisma.
Who could forget @Xtina's legendary #Bionic medley at the MTV Movie Awards? The performance was met with great acclaim, praising Xtina's vocals and charisma.
Do you remember her emotional performance of "You Lost Me" in front of millions of spectators for the grand finale of American Idol?
She also appeared on so many night and morning shows, interviews, etc.
She also appeared on so many night and morning shows, interviews, etc.
The best one is her MTV Storyteller special, where she sang "I'm OK" for the first and only time. This song is about her abusive father.
Anyway, the album debuted at #3 with lukewarm sales in the US (110k copies) but at #1 in the UK and in the top 10 of most countries on Earth. In its first week, it sold over 300k copies worldwide. It was not a disaster but not great either. It sold around 1.3M copies to date.
Just a few weeks after releasing the album, @Xtina announced that she was going to divorce her husband and thus cancelled the Bionic Tour (whose only the US dates had been announced.)
The promotion for the album immediately stopped.
The promotion for the album immediately stopped.
After the first seven days of release, Xtina never appeared on TV to promote the album or any single again.
She just shot a video for "You Lost Me", which many considered a message to her ex-hubby. Xtina disappeared for a few months after that.
She just shot a video for "You Lost Me", which many considered a message to her ex-hubby. Xtina disappeared for a few months after that.
We never really knew what happened to her but she apparently went through very hard times - as one can expect. She had met Jordan Bratman in 2003 and they had Max together in 2008.
Xtina started appearing again in October 2010, for the release of #Burlesque.
Xtina started appearing again in October 2010, for the release of #Burlesque.
In 2012, for the release of #Lotus, Xtina was asked what she thought about #Bionic: "It was ahead of its time tbh. It's just a special piece in my body of work that will forever live on. The older the record gets the more people will come to appreciate it and check it out."
Xtina was actually right… Once the public fell in love with her again (one might argue that her weekly presence on @NBCTheVoice really helped), articles about #Bionic's impact started flourishing on Internet.
Here we go! We're done with history, let's talk about LEGACY.
Here we go! We're done with history, let's talk about LEGACY.
In 2012, @MTV called #Bionic "misunderstood", "futuristic" and -indeed- "ahead of its time."
"Is there a pop album from the last several years that was as unjustly sh**ted on as Bionic? Bionic's moments of greatness remain about as good as it gets." http://www.mtv.com/news/2301279/christina-aguilera-bionic/
"Is there a pop album from the last several years that was as unjustly sh**ted on as Bionic? Bionic's moments of greatness remain about as good as it gets." http://www.mtv.com/news/2301279/christina-aguilera-bionic/
In 2018, @Pitchfork claimed that Bionic was "a risk that could have reaped the rewards of poptimism if the album had only been released a few years later" and called the singles "cutting-edge" and the album "too forward-thinking." https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/christina-aguilera-liberation/
The @HoustonChron in 2018:
"Bionic was ahead of its time, a forward-thinking assertion of independence like Madonna’s Erotica and Janet’s Velvet Rope. Fans&critics didn’t know what to make of the aggressive electropop elements laced throughout the album." https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/music/article/In-defense-of-Bionic-Christina-13339833.php
"Bionic was ahead of its time, a forward-thinking assertion of independence like Madonna’s Erotica and Janet’s Velvet Rope. Fans&critics didn’t know what to make of the aggressive electropop elements laced throughout the album." https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/music/article/In-defense-of-Bionic-Christina-13339833.php
Just a few days ago, @Medium stated that "Bionic still needs justice. Now we realized we have opted out one of the most innovative records in pop music." https://medium.com/@21199gb/christina-aguileras-bionic-always-needs-justice-888ce21daf30
Let's never forget that the #JusticeFor trend started in 2013 with #JusticeForBionic. Yes, 7 years ago!
The hashtag trended at #1 and #Bionic reached several top 10 on iTunes after the movement, even in the US, more than three years after its release. https://www.idolator.com/7479513/justice-for-bionic-christina-aguilera-lady-gaga?chrome=1
The hashtag trended at #1 and #Bionic reached several top 10 on iTunes after the movement, even in the US, more than three years after its release. https://www.idolator.com/7479513/justice-for-bionic-christina-aguilera-lady-gaga?chrome=1
Today, songs like #Glam (a drag queen-anthem, long before RuPaul's Drag Race became big), #BirdsOfPrey (a mysterious dark-pop ballad), #WooHoo (the sexual Nicki collab) or #MondayMorning (a funky song that still sounds fresh 10 years later) are often praised in the pop community.
#Bionic as an album was all about expressing female pride, sisterhood, feminism and femininity.
"Woohoo", @NickiMinaj's first ever pop collab, was about the pleasure a woman gets when a man goes down on her.
"Woohoo", @NickiMinaj's first ever pop collab, was about the pleasure a woman gets when a man goes down on her.
#IHateBoys was also pretty straightforward. A #MenAreTrash anthem. "We would all be happy, all be glad if sweet mama nature never had all these dirty little boys that think that the girls were only made for toys. Inflated egos, little dicks - I HATE BOYS!"
Xtina was right: 10 years later, in hindsight, more music critics, amateurs, lovers and fans rediscover this underrated masterpiece, leaving behind the sabotage theories, imaginary feuds, comparisons to other popstars.
Bionic doesn't need comparisons. It's unique.
Simply iconic.
Bionic doesn't need comparisons. It's unique.
Simply iconic.
Oh, and Perez Hilton is now an irrelevant and widely hated and ignored flop. So, guess who won?
Yeah, that’s right: Cursetina is real and karma is a bitch.
Yeah, that’s right: Cursetina is real and karma is a bitch.
Just imagine a 10th anniversary edition of #Bionic including "Kimono Girl" and one of the Goldfrapp-produced tracks… Just imagine! @Xtina @RCARecords @Goldfrapp
