Maps of Music

Mi Reflejo (2000)

Where the lyrics of Mi Reflejo take you, and where it was really made.

Christina Aguilera's first Spanish-language album was built largely from songs she had already sung in English, and critics mostly panned it, yet it spent 19 weeks at number one on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart.

Key places

Pérez's Miami Beach home studio (2000)

Recording site South Beat Studios — Most of the album was recorded in Miami Beach, Florida, mainly at producer Rudy Pérez's home studio. The pin marks the city centre, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Royaltone Studios in California (2000)

Recording site Schnee Studio — Additional recording for the album took place at Royaltone Studios in California. The pin marks the city centre, not the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cocoa-Butt in California (2000)

Recording site Cocoa-Butt — Additional recording for the album took place at Cocoa-Butt in California. The pin marks the city centre, not the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

LA East in Utah (2000)

Recording site LA East — Additional recording for the album took place at LA East in Utah. The pin marks the city centre, not the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• First Spanish-language studio album by Christina Aguilera, and her second studio album overall
• Released September 12, 2000, as a co-production between RCA Records and BMG US Latin
• Produced by Rudy Pérez, who also adapted and composed most of the tracks
• Eleven tracks: five Spanish versions of songs from her debut album, four original compositions, and two covers
• Title means "My Reflection" in translation

Background

• Her self-titled 1999 debut sold over 14 million copies and won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2000
• Aguilera, who has Ecuadorian descent on her father's side, wanted to record an album acknowledging her Latina heritage
• More than 300 compositions were considered during song selection
• By October 1999, Billboard editor John Lannert reported she had begun an album in Spanish with Cuban American musician Rudy Pérez as producer
• According to her manager Steve Kurtz, Aguilera wanted to record a Spanish-language album even before her debut
• Her Spanish version of "Genie in a Bottle", titled "Genio Atrapado", peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart
• The album title comes from the Spanish version of "Reflection", recorded for the Mulan soundtrack
• Before the title was announced, the album was originally titled Latin Lover Girl
• Album and title were announced on August 8, 2000

Recording

• Most recording took place at Pérez's home studio in Miami Beach, Florida
• Additional recording took place in California, Florida, New Jersey and Utah
• Recording began in April 2000 and ended about three months later
• Aguilera was touring with TLC at the time, so she visited the home studio for only a few days at a time
• Pérez said her limited Spanish fluency slowed the work, so he wrote lyrics phonetically and devised a method for her to pronounce the "r" sounds

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born December 18, 1980, in Ocean Breeze, New York; American singer, songwriter, and actress.
• Appeared on The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1993–1994); recorded "Reflection" for Mulan (1998) and signed with RCA Records.
• Debut album Christina Aguilera (1999) topped the US Billboard 200 and produced three Hot 100 number-one singles.
• Stripped (2002) and Back to Basics (2006) reinvented her image; Back to Basics was her second US number-one album.
• Known for a four-octave range, melismatic style, and use of the whistle register; ranked among the greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone.
• Sold over 100 million records worldwide; five Grammy Awards.
• Acted in Burlesque (2010), The Emoji Movie (2017), and Zoe (2018).
• Coached The Voice (2011–2016); named a Disney Legend in 2019.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: average score of 56 from seven reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews
• AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine: called the album a mirror image of Christina Aguilera, found the songs a little too familiar but well-produced, and concluded it adds nothing new because it is old music in new clothing
• Billboard editor: described it as a mostly mainstream pop album with Latin inflections
• CDNow, Eliseo Cardona: gave a mixed review, praising her vocal performance but criticizing the literal Spanish translation of the lyrics
• CDNow: commended "Cuando No es Contigo" for making Aguilera a credible, expressive salsera
• Entertainment Weekly, David Browne: wrote the review as a parody memo and mocked her Spanish-language album given her Ecuadorian heritage
• HOB.com, Mike Magnuson: wrote a critical review, calling the album purely a marketing scam gone too far
• Los Angeles Times, Ernesto Lechner: negative review, describing her performance on the album as ridiculous
• Zero magazine: called the album a decent effort, praising the Spanish tracks as excellent but criticizing "Falsas Esperanzas" for portraying her as a third-rate Gloria Estefan

Reappraisal

• Billboard, September 2018: ranked number 10 on its Top 20 Latin Albums of All Time list
• Billboard, 2025: included on its list of the Top Latin Albums of the 21st century
• Aguilera, 2020 Billboard statement: said she was excited to bring new life to the songs and reinvent them

Records

• Billboard Top Latin Albums: number one for 19 weeks
• Billboard Latin Pop Albums: number one for 19 weeks
• Billboard 200: peaked at number 27, selling nearly 43,000 copies in its first week
• RIAA: certified 6× Platinum in the Latin field on September 10, 2001
• Argentina: number two, certified platinum by CAPIF
• Uruguay: number two
• Mexico: number five, certified two times platinum
• Spain: number 12, certified Platinum
• Best-selling Latin pop album of 2000
• 2.2 million copies sold worldwide by 2006

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title comes from the Spanish version of "Reflection", a track recorded for the Mulan soundtrack; the album was originally titled Latin Lover Girl before the announcement.
• Aguilera felt freer on this album to create new ad libs and vocal runs than she had been allowed on her debut, according to her 2020 Billboard statement.
• Pérez originally composed "Pero Me Acuerdo de Ti" for the Mexican singer Gibrann's 1990 album Escapate Conmigo.
• "Cuando No es Contigo", an uptempo salsa song, was arranged and produced by American musician Sergio George.
• Pérez said the mainstream market only notices Latin music when a major success arrives, and that the team did the same thing they always do.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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