Christina Aguilera's life in pictures

Christina Aguilera has been in the spotlight for nearly a quarter of a century since making her Hollywood debut at the tender age of 13 on "The All-New Mickey Mouse Club." Xtina has come a long way since her Mouseketeers days, with her career spanning the worlds of television, music and film. In honor of her 36th birthday on Dec. 18, 2016, we're taking a look back at her life in pictures. Keep reading to reminisce about the '00s pop princess!

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Christina Aguilera was born on Dec. 18, 1980, to Shelly Fidler, a musician, and Fausto Aguilera, a soldier in the U.S. Army. Before her parents divorced when she was 6, the family — which also included Christina's younger sister, Rachel — moved around a lot due to her father's job in the military. Christina has since opened up to allege that her father physically and emotionally abused her (he's denied it) and said she used music to cope.

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Christina Aguilera found her talent for music at a young age. In 2006, she told Newsweek, "I was known around the neighborhood as the little girl with the big voice, and I always liked that contrast." She appeared on "Star Search" in 1990 at age 10, and the next year auditioned for "The All-New Mickey Mouse Club." In 1991, she wasn't old enough to be featured on the show — but two years later, she joined the cast and starred on the Disney Channel series (with some other future superstars) until its cancellation in 1994.

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In 1998, Christina Aguilera landed a life-changing gig — singing the theme song to Disney's "Mulan." A then-18-year-old Christina recorded the song "Reflection" that year, which resulted in her signing with RCA Records and beginning to work on her own debut album.

Christina Aguilera's self-titled debut album came out in August 1999 and eventually topped the Billboard 200 chart. It went on to sell 8 million copies and make Christina a household name. Its lead single, "Genie in a Bottle," topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts and became the top-selling debut single that year. But the most impressive and dramatic result of its success was yet to come…

As Christina Aguilera's star rose, so did those of her former "The All-New Mickey Mouse Club" colleagues. Comparisons were made between Christina and fellow Mousketeer Britney Spears, who released her first song, "…Baby One More Time," in 1998 and also put out a self-titled debut album in 1999. While their co-star Justin Timberlake went on to develop a successful pop music career too as part of the boy band *NSYNC, it was the relationship between Christina and Britney that often drew the most attention and blossomed into somewhat of a rivalry. The stars took the stage together at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards (seen here) to introduce Whitney Houston.

Christina Aguilera took home the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in Februrary 2000 despite only having one single out by the submission deadline — a fact she noted in her acceptance speech. The pop star beat out rival Britney Spears as well as Kid Rock, Macy Gray and Susan Tedeschi for the honor.

Back to her roots! Christina Aguilera opted to sing in Spanish for her second studio album, "Mi Reflejo," a nod to her Ecuadorian heritage. The album debuted in September 2000 and featured Spanish-language versions of her first four singles. It topped the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart for 19 weeks and sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. It also won Christina a Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album.

Christina Aguilera got into the holiday spirit for her third studio album, "My Kind of Christmas." It was released in October 2000 and ended up selling more than a million copies in the United States alone, but despite enjoying commercial success, Christina was unhappy with the direction of her career. The same month her Christmas album was released, she filed a lawsuit against her former manager, Steve Kurtz, and hired new representation as she sought to get off of the bubblegum-pop path.

One of Christina Aguilera's first steps on the path to reinvention? Signing on to sing with fellow pop stars Lil' Kim, Pink and Mya on the song "Lady Marmalade," which was featured on the soundtrack to "Moulin Rouge." The single was a hit, becoming one of the biggest songs of the year in 2001 and giving fans a preview of Christina's more adult image.

Christina Aguilera was determined to shed her good-girl image. She named her fourth studio album "Stripped," telling MTV, "I feel like it is a new beginning, a re-introduction of myself as a new artist in a way, because for the first time people are really seeing and getting to know how I really am." "Stripped" debuted in October 2002 at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and went on to sell 13 million copies worldwide. With the new music came an edgy new look — "Dirrty," anyone? — that included black hair, lots of skin and some new piercings.

One of the biggest moments in recent pop culture history involved Christina Aguilera reuniting with her "The All-New Mickey Mouse Club" co-star and pop rival Britney Spears on stage at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. The divas performed "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood" alongside music idol Madonna at the event, culminating in the women kissing — and getting the world's attention.

Like her debut album, "Stripped" resulted in another Grammy Award for Christina Aguilera. The then-brunet star took home the prize for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2004 for the album's second single, "Beautiful."

Christina Aguilera had been dating music marketing executive Jordan Bratman since 2002. They enjoyed a fairy-tale engagement in February 2005: Jordan popped the question while the two were on vacation in Carmel, California, in a room filled with rose petals, balloons and presents. Christina later told People magazine, "When I got to the last box, there was a ring in it. He got down on one knee and said, 'Will you do me the honor of being my wife?' I've been floating ever since." Four days later, she showed off her fiance — and her new bling — at a party in Beverly Hills.

After a quick engagement, Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman tied the knot in Napa Valley in November 2005. The couple enjoyed a lavish four days of festivities in the Northern California region and asked for guests to donate to Hurricane Katrina and Rita relief efforts in lieu of gifts. Three months later in February 2006, the loved-up newlyweds posed for photos at a Grammy party.

In 2006, Christina Aguilera went back to basics… literally. The star put out her fifth studio album, titled "Back to Basics," which she described to MTV News as being, "kind of a throwback with elements of jazz, blues and soul music combined with a modern-day twist, like hard-hitting beats." This new era of Christina was coupled with a new image as the diva, seen here at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, adopted a more vintage-influenced hairstyle and wardrobe.

After months of speculation, Christina Aguilera announced in November 2007 that she was expecting her first child. It was actually her friend Paris Hilton who first spilled the beans after she congratulated Christina and Jordan Bratman in front of a crowded Las Vegas club that September. A few months later, Christina gave birth to son Max Liron Bratman on Jan. 12, 2008, and took to her website to tell her fans, writing, "Today is a very joyful and special day for Jordan and I as we welcome our first son into this world."

To celebrate her music career so far, in 2008, Christina Aguilera put out a greatest-hits album titled "Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits." Aside from including her biggest singles, it also had two new songs including the single "Keeps Gettin' Better." She sported short bangs and a dazzling gown while promoting the album at the 2008 American Music Awards.

Christina Aguilera put out her sixth studio album, "Bionic," in June 2010, but it didn't fare as well as her previous efforts. The lead single, "Not Myself Tonight," only made it to No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It's over! After nearly five years of marriage, Christina Aguilera separated from husband Jordan Bratman in September 2010. She filed for divorce a month later and requested joint custody of their son. Of the split she told People magazine, "Although Jordan and I are separated, our commitment to our son Max remains as strong as ever."

On the heels of her failed album and crumbling marriage, Christina Aguilera made a career transition to the big screen in 2010. She had a cameo in June's "Get Him to the Greek" then starred in November's "Burlesque" alongside Cher. The film went on to nab a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and Christina's song in the film, "Bound to You," earned a nom for Best Original Song.

Christina Aguilera went public with a new romance in January 2011 when she attended the Golden Globes with boyfriend Matthew Rutler. The couple met on the set of "Burlesque" and started dating in late 2010 following the demise of her marriage.

Back to television! Christina Aguilera joined the cast of the hit NBC show "The Voice" in April 2011 as one of its celebrity coaches. She put out a song with co-star Adam Levine's band Maroon 5 that June, "Moves Like Jagger," which topped the Billboard charts that summer and became the ninth-best-selling single that year.

2012 saw the release of Christina Aguilera's least-successful album to date, "Lotus." First single "Your Body" received minimal radio play and though the second single, "Just a Fool" — a duet with her "The Voice" co-star Blake Shelton — enjoyed moderate success, it was not enough to move units. Later that year, Christina (see here at the 2012 American Music Awards) left "The Voice" and was replaced by Shakira for the show's fourth season.

2013 proved to be a more successful year career-wise for Christina Aguilera. That January, the star was featured on Pitbull's "Feel This Moment," which dominated the charts that year. In September, she returned to "The Voice," replacing Shakira, and in October, she was featured on the soundtrack for "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" with the track "We Remain." November saw a slimmed-down Christina attending the American Music Awards and teaming up with duo A Great Big World for the song "Say Something," which also became a big hit that year.

Matt Rutler proposed to Christina Aguilera in February 2014 after more than three years of dating. She announced the news on Valentine's Day with a photo of her stunning engagement ring. But that wasn't their only happy moment that year…

Christina Aguilera and fiance Matthew Rutler were also expecting a baby! After a happy and active pregnancy, they welcomed a daughter on Aug. 18, 2014. The superstar tweeted a few days after the birth, "So proud to welcome our beautiful daughter Summer Rain Rutler into the world."

2015 was a busy year for Christina Aguilera! She won a Grammy in February for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for her song "Say Something" with A Great Big World. She also returned to her television roots that April on ABC's "Nashville" as singer Jade St. John.

Christina Aguilera returned to "The Voice" for Season 8 in February 2015, replacing Gwen Stefani. She swapped spots again with Gwen for Season 9, only to return for Season 10 in February 2016, which she won with her artist, child star-turned-singer Alisan Porter, making her the first female coach to score a victory.

Despite being engaged for more than two years, Christina Aguilera explained she's in no rush to tie the knot with fiance Matt Rutler. The star talked to Women's Health in February 2016 about her personal life and explained wedding talk is only a "casual conversation."

Christina Aguilera dyed her hair red and lent her voice to a good cause in 2016, releasing a song called "Change" to honor victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, with proceeds benefiting their families. She performed the track on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on June 24. Later that summer, she also released the song "Telepathy" for the Netflix show "The Get Down."