Christina Milian

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Christina Milian
Christina Milian at the Billboard Children Uniting Nations afterparty red carpet.
Christina Milian at the Billboard Children Uniting Nations afterparty red carpet.
Background information
Birth name Christine Flores
Born September 26, 1981 (1981-09-26) (age 26)
Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Genre(s) R&B, pop, hip hop
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress
Years active 1998–present
Label(s) Def Soul, Island, MySpace
Associated acts Cool & Dre, DJ Khaled, Fabolous, Ja Rule, Joe Budden, Rick Ross, Eric West
Website www.christinamilian.org

Christina Milian (born Christine Marie Flores; September 26, 1981) is an American R&B and pop singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and former MTV VJ. Milian debuted as a singer in 2000 when she appeared on Ja Rule's "Between Me and You", while also co-writing songs for Jennifer Lopez, PYT,[1] and Paula DeAnda.[2]

In 2001, Milian released her first solo single, "AM to PM", which became a worldwide hit. The success of "AM to PM" sparked the international release of Milian's first studio album, self-titled Christina Milian. Milian has released three studio albums and one compilation album. She has also had four solo top five singles (and also a top ten featuring credit single) in the UK as well as hits in the rest of Europe and North America. Milian's first significant acting role was as a reporter on the Disney Channel's Movie Surfers show in 1998 billed as Tina Flores.[3] Milian's first lead role was in the 2003 film Love Don't Cost a Thing opposite Nick Cannon. She also starred as singer Linda Moon in Be Cool, the sequel to Get Shorty, and appeared in the 2006 horror film Pulse.[4]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Milian was born in Jersey City, New Jersey,[1] to Cuban parents Don and Carmen. She has two younger sisters, Dannielle and Elizabeth.[5] Her family moved to Waldorf, Maryland soon after her birth and she set her heart on an entertainment career at the age of four. Milian shot commercials for Wendy's and Honeycomb and played the lead role in the musical Annie before moving to Los Angeles at age thirteen to pursue an acting career. Soon after the family's move, her father divorced her mother. Milian graduated from Westlake High School in Waldorf, Maryland; and also attended Matthew Henson Middle School in Indian Head, Maryland.[6]

[edit] Recording career

[edit] 2000–2002: Music beginnings

Christina Milian (2001)
Christina Milian (2001)

In 2000, Milian made her first official musical appearance on Ja Rule's second studio album Rule 3:36, performing guest vocals on his song "Between Me and You". Released as the album's lead single in 2001, the track managed to peak at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and in the top 30 of the UK singles chart, building Milian's reputation as a singer. Milian also appeared in Mýa's video for "Best of Me" playing a friend. In the meantime Milian co-wrote and provided extensive backing vocals for the track "Play" for Jennifer Lopez's 2001 album J. Lo which became another success. Milian would later pass down the song to Lopez because of already having a club song with "AM to PM" as promotion. She also went on to co-write "Same Ol' Same Ol", the first single from girl group PYT's debut album Down With Me.

In 2001, Milian eventually released her first solo single, "AM to PM", off her self-titled debut album. The song became a worldwide hit reaching the top 5 in the UK and Denmark, top 10 in the Netherlands, and top 30 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and in Australia. The success of "AM to PM" sparked the international release of the Christina Milian album which she co-wrote and produced, although not in the United States. The second single "When You Look At Me" was another international hit reaching the top 5 in the UK, Netherlands, and Ireland and making the top 40 in Denmark, Germany, Australia, and France. Although a music video for the album's third single "Get Away" (another collaboration with Ja Rule) was filmed in Paris, the single was not released officially.

Afterwards Milian also was featured on the track "It's All Gravy", a duet with British Rapper Romeo of the UK garage group So Solid Crew. While the song was another UK top ten hit single in 2002, Milian provided the theme song for the hit Disney series Kim Possible, "Call Me Beep Me" later that year. In 2002, she also collaborated with Hilary Duff on her Christmas album Santa Claus Lane, on the song "I Heard Santa on the Radio."

[edit] 2003–2004: New image and popularity

It's About Time (2004). Listen to "Dip It Low" audio sample (help·info).
It's About Time (2004). Listen to "Dip It Low" audio sample (help·info).

In 2003, Milian started recording songs with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Bloodshy & Avant and Cory Rooney for her first U.S. release, It's About Time (whose title is a direct reference to how long it had taken for one of her albums to be released domestically). The album was released to positive reviews on July 13, 2004, but failed to receive immense commercial success when it debuted at #21 in the UK and #14 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling over 36,000 copies in the first week only. While It's about Time ended up with lackluster sales of 394,000 copies in the United States, it gained prominence when it received a Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary R&B Album" in 2005.

The album's first single, "Dip It Low" (written by singer Teedra Moses and Black Eyed Peas producer Poli Paul) however, became Milian's biggest hit to date, when it peaked at #1 on a world composite dance chart (compiled on data from the U.S., UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Australia), simultaneously reaching #2 in the UK, #5 in the U.S., #7 in New Zealand and the top 20 in Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Norway and the Netherlands. The single was also certified Gold by the RIAA for digital sales. The album's second and final single, "Whatever U Want" (featuring Joe Budden) failed to reprise the success of the lead single, but again reached the top 10 in the UK as well as charting on the Billboard Hot 100.

[edit] 2006–2007: Career development

So Amazin' (2006)
So Amazin' (2006)

Milian's third studio album So Amazin' was released on May 16, 2006. Milian worked with Cool & Dre on the majority of the production of the album, and the project was finished with additional help from Rich Harrison and executive producers Jay-Z and LA Reid. Christina mentions working with Cool & Dre for the entire album "made a more consistent, very real and personal album".[7] compared to her other works. The record's first single "Say I" featured rapper Young Jeezy and was released in March 2006 as a single and video. The song made it to number 1 on iTunes UK Music Store and was number 1 on AOL music, but altogether saw moderate success only with peak positions on #21 in the United States, #4 in the UK and #45 in Australia.

While So Amazin' failed to reach the top 10 when it debuted at #11 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the album saw minor international success only, peaking at #67 in the UK inter alia. With "Gonna Tell Everybody" a second single from the album was chosen, but Island Def Jam neither agreed to film a music video nor booked promotional appearances for Milian to promote the song. In June 2006, instead, Milian's representative confirmed that she had left the Island Def Jam record label due to "creative differences" - though disappointing album sales were believed to be the main factor, since the album sold less than 500,000 worldwide (over 130,000 in United States).[8]

Due to the low sales of So Amazin', Milian released her first compilation album, titled The Best of Christina Milian on November 14, 2006.[9] The album was released under the Universal International label. The album includes her hit singles and songs that she hand picked herself from her first three studio albums, Christina Milian, It's About Time, and So Amazin', though, only one track, Say I, was chosen from So Amazin', possibly due to the fact that it is her lowest selling album. The album was only released in Japan and some other Asian countries; but was not released in the U.S. or Europe. The album peaked at a disappointing #29 on the Japanese ORICON Albums Chart, and has sold only 38,078 copies to date.

[edit] 2008: New album

Currently, Milian is working to release her 4th studio (3rd in North America) album in late 2008, as stated in her MySpace blog. Milian has signed with Myspace Records, and will release her fourth album under the new label.[10] Milian has confirmed J. R. Rotem, Nate Hills, The Matrix, Missy Elliott, Lil Jon, Lisa Maffia, Cool & Dre, Polow da Don, The Writing Camp and Ryan Tedder will be featured producers; while Rick Ross and Frankie J will be featured guest stars. So far there is no confirmed title or release date for the album, but she has stated on her MySpace blog that the album will have similar sound to her last album, So Amazin'. One of the tracks, the Benjamin Franklin produced ballad "That One" has been leaked on YouTube. She also stated in a video that "Blissville" will be the first single, which features Rick Ross. She is also collaborating with Kanye West.[11]

[edit] Acting career

Milian's first significant role was as a reporter on the Disney Channel's Movie Surfers show in 1998 billed as Tina Flores.[3] While in this role, she also appeared in minor roles in the movies A Bug's Life and American Pie and in guest appearances on the television series Sister, Sister, Smart Guy, Clueless, Get Real, Charmed, The Amanda Show, and The Steve Harvey Show.[6][12] In 2002, Milian was appointed to host of the television show Wannabes on MTV. She met director Joseph Kahn on an episode of Wannabes who suggested she audition for a lead role in the film Torque opposite Ice Cube. Her audition was successful, which later got her a lead role in Love Don't Cost a Thing in 2003. Milian was nominated for her acting in Love Don't Cost a Thing at the Teen Choice Awards for Choice Breakout Movie Star - Female.[13]

Milian as Rachael Davenport on The CW's hit TV series Smallville.
Milian as Rachael Davenport on The CW's hit TV series Smallville.

In 2005, she had roles in the films Man of the House opposite Tommy Lee Jones and Be Cool with John Travolta and Uma Thurman. She played a main role in the horror film Pulse, released in August 2006, starring alongside Veronica Mars actress Kristen Bell. She made an appearance in the music video for Jessica Simpson's single "A Public Affair," alongside Christina Applegate, Eva Longoria, Maria Menounos, Ryan Seacrest and Andy Dick; and was also named #10 in Maxim's Hot 100.[14]

On October 25, 2007, Milian guest starred on The CW's hit TV series Smallville, in the episode Action.[15] On December 15, 2007, she starred as the main character in the Christmas movie for ABC Family entitled Snowglobe,[16] alongside Lorraine Bracco. The Nielsens ratings for December 10–16 showed that "Snowglobe" was rated the sixth most watched show for the week on cable, with 4.4 million viewers.[17] She will be the leading character in The CW's new show "Eight Days A Week" as Olivia, alongside Mario Lopez.[18] Milian is also set to star in The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner, with a February 19, 2009 release date.[19] She also made an appearance in the music video for Flo Rida's single "Elevator," alongside DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Brisco, Gunplay of Triple C's, Dre and Lil Boosie.

[edit] Writing career

On December 8, 2006, E! News reported that Milian has started to write books. She is currently writing two books, both targeted for teenage girls. She has stated that she wants to show her female fans the healthy way on how to be happy.[20] There has been no release date set for either book as of yet.

[edit] Personal life

Christina Milian and boyfriend Dre
Christina Milian and boyfriend Dre

Milian is currently dating Dre from producing group Cool and Dre. In an interview, Dre said "Yeah, that's definitely wifey right there," he said. "A real man isn't ashamed to claim what's his. I could never disrespect by not claiming my girl. No matter how 'G' you wanna keep it on the industry tip, you don't want to do that to somebody especially if it's genuine. We've been together for a little bit now."[21]

After being together for nearly two and a half years, in the summer of 2005, Milian broke up with actor Nick Cannon. In an interview with Angie Martinez, she spoke about how she found out about Cannon cheating on her. According to Milian, while she was away filming Pulse in Romania, she attempted to log in to his T-Mobile account by entering in random passwords. After succeeding with one of the passwords, she was able to read his messages to and from other women with whom he had romantic relationships. When she returned to the states, she decided to play dumb before bashing him with the news that she knew he was cheating.[22] Nick Cannon later revealed he refused to stay faithful to Christina Milian because their relationship was becoming too much like a Christian romance.[23]

Christina Milian and Eric West
Christina Milian and Eric West

On August 6, 2005, Milian co-hosted The Reign at the Gerald W. Lynch Theatre in New York City with singer Eric West. The event was designed by a group of inner-city children in 2003 to raise funding and awareness for HIV/AIDS prevention education for men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS through the Elton John Aids Foundation, as well as working with the Fresh Air Fund to continue to help other inner-city children and family's. Both Milian and West were awarded Outstanding Achievement Awards for their humanitarian efforts.[24] Soon after, various media outlets also reported that Milian was dating West. Both deny they were dating, and Milian posted on her MySpace that she "[has] no idea who Eric West is."[25]

During an interview in March 2007, singer Joss Stone went on-the-record to insult Milian. In an interview, Joss Stone talked about the fact that she hates Milian, who used to date Beau Dozier. She described Milian as a "highly paid [stripper]." Milian’s publicist responded by saying that "Christina has never met Joss," and that "she can’t imagine what this is all about."[26] Stone later said that she "deserves a punch" for attacking Milian over a misunderstanding. Stone heard Milian had been insulting her in an interview, and immediately lashed back, without contacting her first. After her public attack, Stone realized her source had been lying to her and quickly contacted Milian to apologise for her actions. Stone told Complex magazine, that she felt bad, and called Christina to say sorry. She said that Milian "was so sweet about forgiving me."[27]

Milian ignited controversy when she has sold personal items on eBay, fueling rumors that she was broke after being dropped from Def Jam. Milian denied the rumors, saying that the proceeds would go to charity: "My mother and I find this a much easier way to have a clear out because in the past we have not been able to donate certain pieces because they are not age appropriate for most charities we donate to or they are stage costumes."[28]

On December 12, 2007, Milian was interviewed by Rachael Ray on The Rachael Ray Show. They talked about Milian's new film, Snowglobe, and her plans for the holidays. Milian said she'll be giving back to those in need by working with the charity Children Uniting Nations to help other girls. "It's being a big sister to foster children," she explains. "I just went through a whole training program and mentoring program and I'm going to get put together with my child really soon. I can't wait."[29]

[edit] Discography

Main article: Christina Milian discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Films

Year Title Role Other notes
1998 A Bug's Life Additional voices
1999 Durango Kids Eleanor "Ellie" Bigelow
1999 American Pie Band Geek Cameo
1999 The Wood Girl at dance Cameo
2003 Love Don't Cost a Thing Paris Morgan
2004 Cheer Up Anne
2004 Torque Nina
2005 Man of the House Anne
2005 Be Cool Linda Moon
2006 Pulse Isabell Fuentes
2007 Snowglobe Angela Moreno TV Movie
2009 The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past TBA

[edit] TV series

Year Title Role Other notes
1996 Sister, Sister Lana 1 episode
1997 Smart Guy "Groupie" 2 episodes
1998 - 2000 Movie Surfers Tina Flores Regular
1999 Clueless Megan 2 episodes
1999 Get Real Tennisha 3 episodes
1999 Charmed Teri Lane 1 episode
1999 The Steve Harvey Show "Working homegirl" 1 episode
1999 The Amanda Show "Various roles" 1 episode
2004 Cribs Herself 1 episode
2007 Smallville Rachel Davenport 1 episode
2008 Eight Days a Week Olivia Campbell Cancelled

[edit] Host work

  • 2003: MTV's Wannabes

[edit] Awards and nominations

Year Award Result
2004 Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakout Movie Star - Female Nomination
2004 Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Chemistry (shared with Nick Cannon) Nomination
2004 Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liplock (shared with Nick Cannon) Nomination
2005 Teen Choice Award for Choice Crossover Artist Nomination
2005 BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Theatrical Film (for Be Cool) Nomination
2005 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album (for It's About Time) Nomination
2005 Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Dip It Low" (shared with Fabolous) Nomination
2005 The Reign Award Elton John Award for Outstanding Achievement (shared with Mariah Carey and Eric West) Won[30]
2005 Groovevolt Music and Fashion Award for Best Song Performance - Female for "Dip It Low" Nomination
2005 International Dance Music Award for Best R&B/Urban Dance Track for "Dip It Low" Nomination
2006 Ozone Award for Best R&B Female Won[31]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Christina Milian. MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
  2. ^ Paula DeAnda - Walk Away (Remember Me). Music Videos and Lyrics - Music Lovers Group. Music Lovers Group.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
  3. ^ a b Christina Milian Biography (1981-) (HTML). Film Reference.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  4. ^ Christina Milian (HTML). Screen Rush.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  5. ^ Christina Milian Biography. ChristinaMilian.org - The Official Site of Christina Milian. Milian Corporation. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
  6. ^ a b Christina Milian (HTML). Famous Why.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  7. ^ Chris Rolls (2006-05-23). Exclusive Interview with Christina Milian. MP3.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  8. ^ Mark Lelinwalla (2006-06-12). Island Def Jam Drops Christina Milian. VIBE.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  9. ^ Best Album [Import]. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  10. ^ Music News: Christina Milian Signs With Myspace Label / More Mariah Updates / Vote For Danity Kane’S New Single (HTML). Concreteloop.Com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  11. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxBZDw38Jkw
  12. ^ Christina Milian (HTML). TV.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  13. ^ Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003) - Awards (HTML). IMDB.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  14. ^ Christina Milian of 2006 Hot 100 on Maxim.com (HTML). Maxin.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  15. ^ "Action". Caroline Dries (writer) & Mairzee Almas (director). Smallville. The CW. 2007-10-25. No. 5, season 7. 42 minutes in.
  16. ^ Christina Milian to Inhabit 'Snowglobe' - Telefilm will be part of ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas (HTML). Zap2it.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  17. ^ Nielsens ratings for January 21-27 (HTML). USATODAY.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  18. ^ Leslie Bibb Flies to Atlanta on CBS (HTML). Variety.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  19. ^ The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (HTML). IMDB.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  20. ^ Marc Malkin (2006-12-08). E! - Planet Gossip Blog - Money Honeys: SJP, Milan and Mendes - Eva Mendes. E! Online. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  21. ^ Janeé Bolden (June 12, 2006). Cool & Dre's Dre Talks Debut, Love Affair With Christina Milian SOHH. Accessed January 1, 2008.
  22. ^ CHRISTINA'S ROMANIAN NIGHTMARE: Milian Deals with Racism and Nick Cannon's Cheating in Eastern European Country. (HTML). EURweb.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  23. ^ Christina Milian Loves Dre (HTML). The Celebrity Blog.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
  24. ^ the-nyc.com. Christina Milian and Eric West CO-host "The Reign" Fundraiser, an Event to Raise Funds to Fight HIV/AIDS Around the World. Retrieved on 5 August 2005.
  25. ^ Jawn Murray (2006-09-18). Sept. 18, 2006 - AOL Black Voices. AOL. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  26. ^ Joss Stone Calls Singers “Highly Paid Strippers,” Disses Christina Milian (HTML). Pop Crunch.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  27. ^ Stone Red-Faced About Milian attack. contactmusic.com (2007-06-26). Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  28. ^ R&B Celebrity Christina Milian: I’m Not Broke! (HTML). The Celebrity Blog.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
  29. ^ Rachael Ray Show Christina Milian (HTML). Rachael Ray Show.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
  30. ^ Mariah Carey - Awards (HTML). Mariah Carey Fan.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
  31. ^ Keith “1st Prophet” Kennedy. A Date With Destiny. Tastemakers. TJsDJs.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Christina Milian
Albums
Singles
"AM to PM"  · "When You Look at Me"  · "Get Away"  · "Dip It Low"  · "Whatever U Want"  · "Say I"
Other singles
"Between Me and You"  · "It's All Gravy"
Related articles