Christina Aguilera, the "Genie in the Bottle," is making her local fans' dreams come true by throwing her first concert on the Chinese mainland in Shanghai next Tuesday.

The concert, as part of her "Back to Basics" world tour this year, will be held at the Shanghai Grand Stage, where the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Roger Waters have performed in turn, the difference being Aguilera is the star of the day, not yesterday.

"I love Christina," says Karen Ge, 25, a local office worker. "I started to listen to her songs when I was still in the high school. Her early hits such as Reflection and What A Girl Wants have always been my long-time favorites, and her recent singles Ain't No Other Man and Candyman are also on the top list of my iPod. I love her powerful, penetrating voice as well as her sexy, sultry image."

While 24-year-old PR consultant Jiang Jieting, who is also an amateur singer, has her own understanding of the superstar: "The great thing about Christina is that she is always moving forward. You can feel the distinctive changes through her music.

"She used to spend much energy on competing with Britney Spears than music," she continues. "Nowadays, especially after her marriage, she became 'simple' and I guess that's why she named her latest album Back to Basics. She is being true to herself, doing her own music."

Obviously, Aguilera enjoys an ascending, promising career compared with her counterparts who are busy rehabbing, divorcing or serving a jail sentence.

The 26-year-old has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, scoring four No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and has won four Grammy Awards (she won a Grammy for each of her albums) and a Latin Grammy Award.

Aguilera's Asian tour started on Monday in Osaka, Japan. She will be arriving Shanghai next Monday for a press conference before the concert. About 80 crew members, together with more than 2,500 cases of lights, sound equipments, costumes and backline equipment, will fly to Shanghai with her.

The program list will be the same worldwide, according to Emma Entertainment, the local organizer. In 90 minutes, the pop star will perform all her best hits including the reggae version of What A Girl Wants, Beautiful, Dirty, and the latest singles Ain't No Other Man and Candyman.

(Shanghai Daily June 20, 2007)