Rise to Fame
She sent a Whitney Houston demo to Disney in 1998 and walked out with the lead song on Mulan. That "Reflection" credit got her signed to RCA, and her debut album opened at number one on the Billboard 200 in 1999, with three singles hitting the top of the Hot 100. RCA pushed teen pop; she wanted R&B and soul. The label won that argument, but she won the Grammy for Best New Artist at 19. Three years later she released Stripped and burned the wholesome image down on her own terms.
In the Spotlight
The scrutiny over her appearance dominated 2024 more than any music news, and she pushed back publicly in January 2025, calling it everyone else's problem. A Las Vegas residency and a 2022 Spanish-language album have kept her active, and a new English-language record is reportedly close, backed by a documentary from Time Studios and Roc Nation. TikTok has made her vocal runs a benchmark for what pop singing is supposed to be. She's not in decline. She's waiting for the moment to feel right.
Side Notes
She grew up moving between military bases on two continents, including two years in Japan, before landing near her grandmother's collection of blues and soul records. That collection did more for her voice than any vocal coach. She was eventually homeschooled because jealous classmates and their parents made threats against her family after she kept winning local talent shows. The 1993 Mickey Mouse Club cast, which also included Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Ryan Gosling, called her "The Diva." That was a fact, not a compliment.