The Christina Aguilera interview

TORONTO -- Christina Aguilera looks tired and incredibly tiny. Sipping from a glass of orange juice to fight off a cold that forced her to cancel a recent European appearance, the 19-year-old Grammy-winning singer sounds a bit overwhelmed as she lists her upcoming projects.

"Right now, we're getting ready to finish up the Latin album, which I've been in Miami recording for a few weeks now," Aguilera says, "translating a few songs from my debut album and putting a new twist on some new material - -a new R&B/salsa kind of a twist. There will be a lot of very versatile things on that record coming out in the fall."

She takes a deep breath before rattling off the rest of her plans in one long, uninterrupted list.

"Then I'm working on the Christmas album on the side ... doing a duet with one of my favourite idols, (blues legend) Etta James, for that one which I'm really excited about, as well, preparing for the tour and of course, in the meantime, writing and coming up with new ideas, new areas to explore for this second album, the follow-up to my debut album."

But before the new album is recorded, Aguilera plans to release at least two more singles from her debut: "So Emotional" in the fall and "Come On Over" as soon as "I Turn To You", her current hit, "runs its toll," she says.

Aguilera also plans to re-record "Come On Over".

"We're going to head back in the studio, give it more of an edge, R&B it up a little, maybe rock it out a little, give it a lot of different new directions and get it out there," she says excitedly.

The teen star's songs aren't the only things she wants to re-invent. Sitting in her hotel room in a glittery 'Rock Star', midriff-bearing T-shirt, and pulling on her now trademark platinum tresses, she claims her current look won't be around forever.

"I'm experimental by nature," Aguilera says about her image, "...always exploring my creativity. Right now we want to keep it pretty simple. On 'Come on Over', we're going to edge out the make-up a little bit more. I love what Gwen Stefani (of No Doubt) does with herself and her image and making it a little different, but she's still glamorous at the same time. She's a glamorous rock chick, and that's really attractive to me, that's really cool - -experimenting with different hair colours, hair styles, not afraid to be daring and funky, just changing it up."

Aside from experimenting with hair colours, Aguilera also plans to break new ground on her second album, which she says will be released in 2001.

Some might wonder if she's feeling the pressure to live up to the success of her self-titled debut, which shot up the charts and earned her a Grammy for Best New Artist. But Aguilera has big plans.

"There's still a lot to be accomplished, that was a dream of mine of course - to win a Grammy," she admits, remembering how her knees shook as she took the stage to accept the award. "But my long-term goal is to become an all-around entertainer. I look up to great performers such as Madonna and Janet Jackson, who've taken on the stage, the studio and the screen and have been successful in all three while maintaining their strength as positive female artists who aren't afraid to take chances and be daring and experimental and sexy, yet not ... you know, they still have a power about them. They're still dominating as females and not being vulnerable in their sexuality, which is really cool."

Lofty goals for such a young star, and hearing the minute singer discuss the different aspects of female sexuality and her long-term goals, it's easy to forget that she is only 19, until she's asked about her rumoured romantic interest in fellow music star Enrique Iglesias.

"Right now I'm pretty single," she insists. "I'm just so focused on what

I have career-wise on my plate, it's kind of like overload with the tour and the Spanish album and the Christmas record. My career is my boyfriend."

She's used that line before and knows it, but she smiles for a moment and lets her human side shine through her slick, rehearsed answer.

"But I do have fun on the side. Enrique and I have actually maintained friendship since the Super Bowl [where they both performed] and he's a sweetheart, sent me flowers when I was sick and everything over the past two weeks," she says. "He's just...he's a wonderful person, really down-to-earth and for as gorgeous as he is, you wouldn't expect him to be. It's really cool talking to someone like that."

That seems to be the extent of the Enrique relationship, but Aguilera is quite open about her romantic past..

"I fell in love for the first time over the past year," she says. "That's also been a learning and growing experience for me. But right now it's just I had to get back to my own independence and stay focused on what was important and that's my career, above all, for me right now. But it [love] is a really amazing thing. It turned my world upside down for a second. I was like, 'What is this?' And it still pretty much has."

Is the love over?

"Not necessarily," she says. "I don't think you forget your first love, that's what everybody says. You always have that little glass that goes across your heart when you think about it ... but it's not like that. It's a cool relationship right now."

After successfully downplaying the much publicized romance rumours, Aguilera tackles the question that very young pop fans want to know: Are

Aguilera and Britney Spears, who were in the Mickey Mouse Club together, friends or competitors?

"I have not been able to talk to Britney at length since we were best friends on the Mickey Mouse Club," she says. "I miss her a lot. I think she's a really sweet girl who's really talented. When we cross paths we definitely say 'hey'. I miss the girl. Someone did my make-up for the July issue of Rolling Stone and the guy was going to see Britney in a week and I told him to give her my phone number, so I gave it. We'll see if she calls. There's no hard feelings or competition like everybody thinks there is."

The words are barely out of Aguilera's mouth before she's whisked away to her next interview. Stifling a cough and taking a deep breath, she readies herself for more questions. This is Aguilera's life, and she shows no signs of slowing down.

Note: On Wednesday, Aguilera will hold a press conference in Toronto and then join MuchMusic for an Intimate and Interactive session.