Christina Milian
Christine Flores (born September 26, 1981), better known by her stage name Christina Milian is an American R&B and pop singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actress. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Milian moved to Los Angeles when she was thirteen years old, desiring to be an actress. Milian’s self-titled debut album spawned the singles “AM to PM” and “When You Look at Me”. Both singles peaked in the top three on the UK Singles Chart, but the album did not sell many copies. Milian’s second studio album, It’s About Time, was not a commercial success, but received a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Contemporary R&B Album”. The album’s lead single, “Dip It Low”, became Milian’s biggest hit to date, and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for digital sales. The album’s second and final single, “Whatever U Want”, failed to reprise the success of the lead single, but again reached the top ten in the UK. Milian’s third studio album, So Amazin’, featured Cool & Dre on the majority of the production. The album’s only single, “Say I”, saw moderate commercial success worldwide, as did the album itself. Just a month after the release of her album, Milian’s representative confirmed that she had left the Island Def Jam record label due to “creative differences”. Later that year, Milian released her first compilation album, titled The Best of Christina Milian, although it was only released in Japan.
Although Milian is best known for her singing career, she originally wanted to be an actress. Milian was cast in her first lead role in Love Don’t Cost a Thing, played a main role in Be Cool, and in the horror film Pulse, and is set to appear in The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, alongside Matthew McConaughey. Often compared to Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Lopez, Milian has also been described as a role model. Milian’s mother, Carmen, currently manages her musical and theatrical careers.
Early life
Christina Milian was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Cuban parents Don and Carmen Flores. Named Christine Flores, Milian changed her name and adopted her mother’s maiden name “in [the] hopes of landing a wider range of acting roles”. The eldest of three sisters, she moved with her family to Waldorf, Maryland soon after her birth. Milian was only four years old when she showed an interest in show business, and when her family realized that she was a talented actor, she determined to pursue an entertainment career. As a child, Milian was “very imaginative and very creative”, and watching television and listening to the radio became her life. They inspired her to have fun, and she convinced her parents that she “wanted to be inside the TV”, although “it took some time to convince them”. By the time she was nine, Milian had begun auditioning with local talent agencies, shot commercials for Wendy’s and Honeycomb, and played the lead role in the musical Annie. Milian’s mother, realizing her daughter’s potential, moved to Los Angeles with her three daughters when Milian was thirteen years old. Milian’s father stayed in Maryland and divorced her mother soon after the move.
Milian describes her family as her “everything”, and said that although she got along with everyone as a child, she “didn’t have too many friends”. Acting at a young age, Miian said that “people knew about it. It was the talk. Even the teachers were talking about it.” When Milian moved to Los Angeles, her only desire was to be an actress. She has said that she “always wanted to be in the record business”, but did not know how to obtain a recording contract. After living six months in Los Angeles, Milian moved into the same apartment complex as Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. Darkchild heard about Milian from a boy band he was working with, and once he heard her sing, they began working together. For a year and a half, Milian would go into a studio everyday and work with Darkchild; this is where she started meeting people in the record business. Milian began writing songs at the age of seventeen because she needed a demo to help her obtain a recording contract. According to Milian, every time she recorded a song, the producer would refuse to give her the demo, or would write lyrics that she did not agree with. She felt that she had to write a song, record a demo, and send it out on her own.
Personal life
Milian has been described as a role model to young girls, which she says she feels good about. Milian has said that she is not a shy person, and tells girls to be their own person. She feels that there are a lot of people who young girls look up to, but “at the end of the day you have to be your own person and love yourself”. Milian has worked with the Children Uniting Nations charity to give back to those in need, and to help other girls. She said that she would be “a big sister to foster children”, and that she “went through a whole training program and mentoring program”. Milian was awarded with a humanitarian award at The Reign music awards from the Elton John AIDS Foundation for being a role model for young children. She said that she had “never been rewarded that way and never been acknowledged like that. That was really nice of them, and I was happy I was able to show up for the kids.” Milian shared the award with singers Eric West and Mariah Carey. The event was designed by a group of inner city children to raise funding and awareness for HIV and AIDS, as well as prevention education for men, women and children. Soon after, various media outlets 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”.
After being together for two and a half years, Milian broke up with actor Nick Cannon in the summer of 2005. Milian, while filming Pulse in Romania, attempted to log in to Cannon’s 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 told him that she knew he was cheating and broke up with him. Cannon revealed that he refused to stay faithful to Milian because their relationship was becoming too much like a “Christian romance”. Milian is dating Dre from producing group Cool and Dre, who produced the majority of Milian’s third studio album, So Amazin’. Dre has confirmed the pair are dating, saying that they have “been together for a little bit”. Milian has said that since Dre is based in Miami, they visit each other frequently and “make it work”. Although the pair have been dating for more than two years, Milian has denied that there will be a marriage anytime soon.
Discography
- TBA (2009)
- Best of (2006)
- So Amazin’ (2006)
- It’s About Time (2004)
- Christina Milian (2001)
Filmography (selected)
Films
- The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
- Need for Speed: Undercover (2008)
- Pulse (2006)
- Be Cool (2005)
- Man of the House (2005/I)
- Torque (2004)
- Love Don’t Cost a Thing (2003)
- Def Jam Vendetta (2003)
- Kim Possible: Revenge of Monkey Fist (2002)
- The Wood (1999)
- American Pie (1999)
- Durango Kids (1999)
- Bug’s Life (1998)
Television
- Snowglobe (2007)
- Smallville (2007)
- Eight Days a Week” (2007)
- Get Real (1999)
- Clueless (1999)
- The Wild Thornberrys (1999)
- Charmed (1999)
- The Steve Harvey Show (1999)
- Clips’ Place (1998)
- Sister, Sister (1996)