Aguilera to perform at Emirates Palace

ABU DHABI // Christina Aguilera, the Grammy award-winning singer, is scheduled to perform for the first time in the Middle East with a one-off concert at the Emirates Palace hotel in the capital next month. Aguilera, 27, best known for such songs as Dirrty, Candyman and Genie in a Bottle, will perform on the lawns of the luxury hotel on Oct 24. Ticket prices and allocations will be announced next week and will go on sale in the last week of September. Demand to see Aguilera, who has sold more than 37 million albums worldwide, is expected to be high. Up to 20,000 fans will be able to watch the singer. "You should expect a top-notch production with high-calibre performers and dancers," said a source close to the new organisation responsible for bringing concerts to Abu Dhabi. "She's a fantastic singer and has an incredible live presence; that's what Abu Dhabi needs in order to activate the entertainment industry." Born on Staten Island, New York City, Aguilera was known to her neighbours as the little girl with the big voice. She auditioned for a role in the New Mickey Mouse Club show but was rejected because she was too young. Her career began in 1998 when a cover of Whitney Houston's Run To You she recorded in her bathroom got her the chance to record the theme song for the Disney film Mulan. Her performance earned her a record deal with RCA later that same week. Aguilera's daring outfits have sometimes commanded as much attention and headlines as her music. After seeing one of Aguilera's music videos on television, the singer's grandmother reportedly called her mother to complain about how little she was wearing, adding that she understood why Aguilera came under such harsh criticism for her choice of costumes. Aguilera began dating music marketing executive Jordan Bratman in 2002. The couple married in California in 2005. They have one son, Max, who was born in January of this year. garis@thenational.ae