Christina Aguilera Previews Vegas Residency & Laughs Off Super Bowl Rumors at iHeartRadio Theater in LA
Before packing up her bedazzled luggage and heading to Las Vegas for her brand-newXperience residency,Christina Aguilerastopped by the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank, Calif., on Thursday night to give fans a taste of what's to come when she sets up shop in Sin City.
In addition to performing a trio of her biggest hits for the intimate crowd — "Genie in a Bottle," "Beautiful" and "Fighter" — she also sat down with friend and fellow artist Elle King for a 20-minute-plus Q&A about why she chose to do a residency, her set list ideas so far and more.
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Below, find highlights from Aguilera's Xperience launch party:
Super Bowl?
Following her iHeart set on Thursday night,Aguilera's cheeky appearance on Watch What Happens Live aired on Bravo, during which she Pleaded the Fifth when host Andy Cohen asked her about the possibility of joining Maroon 5 at the Super Bowl halftime show for their "Moves Like Jagger" collab. Well, one of her fans in the iHeart crowd also had the Big Game on their mind, hollering "Super Bowl!" at the stage during a quiet moment. "Well, you know, there's always time for that," she responded with a laugh.
Crowd Participation
She's still in the planning stages of her residency, but Aguilera knows she wants her Fighters to be the real stars of her Vegas revue. "I'm very excited about using all of your senses and really allowing the audience to participate as much as possible," she teased, adding that while her recently wrapped Liberation Tour was all about her return to the stage, she wants the residency to put her fans center-stage.
The Request Line Is Open
We at Billboard have already compiled ourfantasy Xperience set list(take a look, Christina!), and she's ready for your requests too. "I'm still accepting ideas, and I'm open to that," she said. "We're still creating a set list. … I do like to listen to the fans."
The Holy Trinity
It seems safe to assume that the three songs Aguilera performed on Thursday night will be included on that set list. She started things out with her 1999 breakthrough hit "Genie in a Bottle," and the night's live band really transformed the song from its original snake-charmer pop vibe to a smoky nightclub rocker. Next up was her 2002 signature ballad "Beautiful," which she dedicated to all the Fighters out there. And then she appropriately wrapped it up with another Stripped hit, "Fighter" — a perfectly powerful ending to her vocal master class. "See you in Vegas!" she yelled to the crowd to wrap up the night.
Christina Aguilera: The Xperience is currently set for 16 dates in 2019: May 31, June 1, June 5, June 7, June 8, June 13, June 15, June 16, Sept. 20, Sept. 21, Sept. 24, Sept. 27, Sept. 28, Oct. 2 and Oct. 4. Tickets go on sale via Ticketmaster on Saturday.
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