The song, from Xtina’s new album Liberation, is about the loss of childhood ambition
Having not heard from her since the 2012 release Lotus, it’s fair to say that the fans were dying for some Christina Aguilera. Their stanning has included some Xtina Dazed fan art, where they recreated Dazed print magazines with Aguilera on the cover. So the fans were presumably ecstatic when it was revealed that her newest LP, Liberation, was on its way and would include the voices of Anderson .Paak and Ty Dolla $ign.
ummmm these Xtina fan art Dazed covers can i work here 💜🔴💜🔴 pic.twitter.com/Q9qZXjqund
— Anna TÁfolla (@AnnaCafolla) February 2, 2018
Liberation is out today, and includes a new song, “Maria”, that’s co-produced by Kanye West, who previously worked on the album’s “Accelerate”. Named after the singer’s childhood hero, The Sound of Music’s Maria Von Trapp, “Maria” references Aguilera’s loss of childhood ambition; West in turn incorporates a sample from the 1965 film’s Roger & Hammerstein melody “Maria” by Roger & Hammerstein. Also credited as a producer is Hudson Mohawke, who worked with Kanye on Yeezus and The Life of Pablo.
Liberation is a reflection on Aguilera’s younger self, merging R&B and hip hop influence with Aguilera’s pop style. Listen to “Maria”, and the rest of Liberation, below.