When Christina Aguilera began working on her second album, Stripped, she had what every pop star dreams of: multiple No. 1 hits, a No. 1 album, a headlining tour. But she was unhappy, and Linda Perry could see that when they got in the studio together.

Perry is the sole songwriter/producer of "Beautiful," which is not only one of Aguilera's biggest hits to date, but one of the biggest self-acceptance anthems of her generation. And though Aguilera didn't write the song, she knew it fit perfectly within the narrative of Stripped.

"I'd always been given a schedule, and an agenda, and told the places I need to go, how I needed to dress," Aguilera says. "It was a machine, and at that point in my life… I just felt like there was so much inside of me that I didn't get to say and that I wasn't able to share, and I wanted to connect deeply with my fans."

That's the urgency — and also, the insecurity — that made Perry realize Aguilera was the perfect singer for the "Beautiful" narrative. And that's likely why "Beautiful" has connected so widely for so long: it's as authentic as songs come.

"Beautiful" was released as a single on Nov. 16, 2002, and quickly became a touted part of her discography. Along with topping multiple charts, the track earned Aguilera both a GLAAD Media Award in 2003 and a GRAMMY for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2004. Twenty years later, "Beautiful" still serves as an anthem for anyone struggling with self-acceptance — one that has arguably become more meaningful than ever.

As the song celebrates its 20th anniversary, GRAMMY.com spoke with Aguilera, video director Jonas Akerlund, GLAAD's Anthony Allen Ramos and Trans Lifeline's Myles Markham about the impact of "Beautiful" and why its message is still important today.

"It really did change my whole concept of what 'Beautiful' really meant."

Perry was very protective of "Beautiful" because of the importance of its message. She had previously previewed the song to Pink for the Missundaztood sessions, however, ultimately decided to keep it for herself. And as Perry told American Songwriter in 2021, she initially didn't see Aguilera as a fit for the song when they first met at Perry's home studio.

"I was just thinking, I'm looking at this hot chick, that's got everything going on, at least that's what you think, and she's wanting this song about singing about being beautiful? How vain is that?" Perry said. 

Even so, she let Aguilera record a demo. Just before they got started, Aguilera told a friend who was in the studio with her, "don't look at me" — and that changed everything. "I realized this beautiful girl, that's riding high on the charts, everybody knows her, is just as insecure as I am," Perry recalled. "It really did change my whole concept of what 'Beautiful' really meant."

As Aguilera admits herself, she was "feeling a lot of things" on that fateful demo day, but Perry helped her dig into those feelings and ultimately realize that it was okay to not feel perfect.

"[Linda] really did an amazing job at breaking me free of that mental pressure that we all can have in striving for our best possible selves," Aguilera says, "and embracing the vulnerability in the fact that what we do might not be perfect, but in actuality, it is, and it makes us unique."

The song's recording holds true to that sentiment, as the demo version was what was released — complete with the "don't look at me" at the beginning. 

"I never would have even kept the vocal that was on there," Aguilera says, "but [Linda] really pushed me to do so. I didn't punch into it and perfect it in any way, and I had kept things on it I would never normally live with. But I did embrace the honesty of it, because it was the sentiment of the song — to really tap into what you feel insecure about. But in all actuality, it's the flaws and seemingly the imperfections that are super rare and beautiful."

"The video for 'Beautiful' did a really unique thing for the time and genre."

The official music video for "Beautiful" premiered a few weeks after the song was released as a single. The four-minute clip sees Aguilera huddled in the corner of an empty home, her solitude his juxtaposed with clips of people feeling a similar sense of disconnect via body dysmorphia, gender non-conformity, same-sex relationships, and racial suppression. 

While sexual fluidity and gender non-conformity weren't necessarily new phenomenons within pop visuals — take Madonna's videos like "Justify My Love," or George Michael's video for "Outside," which recreated his arrest for soliciting sex from an undercover cop — it did mark a first for Aguilera's generation of pop stars. Britney Spears' "Overprotected" and *NSYNC's "Pop" contained similar themes of feeling overwhelmed by everyday life and wanting to break free from other people's expectations, but until that point, none of Aguilera's peers had a song or video that fought society's expectations quite like "Beautiful." 

"Back then, music videos were all about selling albums," Jonas Akerlund, who directed the "Beautiful" video, says. "Nobody gave a s— about a message. So the fact that Christina and a few other artists actually brought attention to something more than just an artist singing a song was amazing. And that suited me, because I always wanted to make an impact with my videos. I love her for that, and I'm proud I was a part of that."

"The video for 'Beautiful' did a really unique thing for the time and genre, and that was to break down the binary between things like disgust and desire, self love and self hatred," Myles Markham, Development Coordinator for Trans Lifeline, adds. "[It] really opened up a conversation of what it could mean to be yourself against the expectations and pressures of a patriarchal society."

"It was such an important part of who I was becoming as an artist and who I was as a person."

The song's self-acceptance message, as well as the LGTBQ+ representation in its video, earned Aguilera the Special Recognition award at the 2003 GLAAD Media Awards. "Beautiful" has become an unofficial anthem for the LGBTQ+ community, in part because it "explored gender expression in a time when this type of representation was rare," as GLAAD's Vice President of Communications & Talent Anthony Allen Ramos suggests. 

In her acceptance speech at the GLAAD Media Awards, Aguilera implied that the impact of "Beautiful" was exactly what she hoped. "This song is definitely a universal message that everybody can relate to — anyone that's been discriminated against or unaccepted, unappreciated or disrespected just because of who you are," she said. "It was so important to me that I support the gay community in this sense."

For Aguilera, the Stripped era was all about getting a message across and freeing herself of the narratives and comparisons that were forced upon her. While the album was liberating for Aguilera herself, she wanted to make an impact on others who were dealing with similar feelings. Most importantly, she wanted to be raw and honest, through both her lyrics and her visuals — and "Beautiful" did just that.

"Jonas came through sharing such a heartfelt sentiment of honesty, and not just making it stereotypically beautiful," she says. "Bringing up really hard conversations and instilling hope was such an important part of who I was becoming as an artist and who I was as a person."

To this day, Akerlund says he still has people thanking him for making the "Beautiful" video and sharing stories as to why the video was impactful to them. He also proudly keeps a collection of fan letters he's received over the years.

"I'm from Sweden, and back then, I didn't really understand what an impact these kinds of [videos] could have," Akerlund says. "I thought it felt like the most natural thing to incorporate all these elements into the story [of 'Beautiful']. I didn't really think too much about it, but it was amazing to see the reactions."

"It's the same universal message in all parts of the world."

On the 20th anniversary of Stripped this October, Aguilera shared a new video for "Beautiful" — a "2022 version," which touched on the ways technology has infiltrated society, particularly how it has affected younger generations. At the heart, many of the themes in the original video are mirrored in the new visual — body dysmorphia, mental health issues, and unrealistic beauty standards. All the while, their internal struggles are magnified as their lives are on display via social media.

"The original 'Beautiful 'video set out to bring awareness and a sense of compassion in the face of judgment, criticism, and outside opinions," Aguilera wrote in an Instagram post upon the release of the 2022 Version. "It still carries an important message to remember our core values outside of what's being fed to us…to find a sense of balance and accepting ourselves for who we are."

"Beautiful" remains one of Aguilera's signature songs and a staple in her setlist. She says she still feels a sense of pride seeing fans sing the song back to her at her concerts, especially those who bring their kids "to the table and the conversation."

The song's message remains evergreen and intersectional. From its raw, unedited vocals, to the forlorn piano chords, to its groundbreaking video, "Beautiful" encapsulates the feelings of loneliness many people felt in a time when gay rights were still in limbo, and before conversations surrounding mental health became table topics. 

"Beautiful" continues to help people find comfort, and reminds listeners that outside forces, as Aguilera sings, "won't bring us down." That lasting connection is what Aguilera loves most.

"To be able to perform ["Beautiful"] on stage and see people of so many different ages and walks of life — and to know that it represents something very different for each person, but in actuality, it's the same universal message in all parts of the world — it's just really beautiful to see that in person, in real time," Aguilera says. "To know that it meant so much to so many people is just the greatest reward, ever."

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Updated Friday, Feb. 2, to add Kacey Musgraves as a presenter.

Presenters for the 2024 GRAMMYs have been announced: Christina Aguilera, Lenny Kravitz, Lionel Richie, Mark Ronson, Maluma, Kacey Musgraves, Meryl Streep, Samara Joy, Taylor Tomlinson, and Oprah Winfrey are all confirmed to take the GRAMMY stage on Music's Biggest Night this weekend, Sunday, Feb. 4. Of course, it wouldn't be a proper GRAMMY night without a few surprise guests, so make sure to tune in to find out who you'll see on GRAMMY Sunday.

In addition to the star-studded presenter lineup, the 2024 GRAMMYs will feature breathtaking performances from the leading artists in music today. Performers at the 2024 GRAMMYs include Billie Eilish, Billy Joel, Burna Boy, Dua Lipa, Joni Mitchell, Luke Combs, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Travis Scott, and U2. Several confirmed GRAMMY performers will make GRAMMY history at the 2024 GRAMMYs this weekend: Mitchell will make her GRAMMY performance debut, while U2 will deliver the first-ever broadcast performance from Sphere in Las Vegas. Additional performers will be announced in the coming days. See the full list of performers, presenters and host at the 2024 GRAMMYs to date.

Learn More: 2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List

The 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards, will broadcast live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.^ Prior to the Telecast, the 2024 GRAMMYs Premiere Ceremony will broadcast live from the Peacock Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on live.GRAMMY.com. On GRAMMY Sunday, fans can access exclusive behind-the-scenes GRAMMY Awards content, including performances, acceptance speeches, interviews from the GRAMMY Live red-carpet special, and more via the Recording Academy's digital experience on live.GRAMMY.com.

Trevor Noah, the two-time GRAMMY-nominated comedian, actor, author, podcast host, and former "The Daily Show" host, returns to host the 2024 GRAMMYs for the fourth consecutive year; he is currently nominated at the 2024 GRAMMYs in the Best Comedy Album Category for his 2022 Netflix comedy special, I Wish You Would.

The 66th GRAMMY Awards are produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy for the fourth consecutive year. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins are executive producers.

^Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on demand in the United States. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live but will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs in the U.S. only.

Stay tuned for more updates as we approach Music's Biggest Night!

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Last year, pop diva Christina Aguilera returned to her Ecuadorian roots with Aguilera, her first full Spanish-language album since Mi Reflejo (2000). By the end of the year, she snagged multiple awards for the LP, including Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 2022 Latin GRAMMY Awards.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, revisit the moment Aguilera took the stage to accept her gramophone for her self-titled project.

"This is so important to me, and it's been amazing to come back to this home," Aguilera shared before expressing gratitude to her collaborators and longtime supporters.

"The fans, the Fighters, thank you so much!" She squealed. "We've been on this journey for so long, so I couldn't thank you more."

It was quite an eventful night for Aguilera. She received seven nominations in total — including Album Of The Year and Record and Song Of The Year for "Pa Mis Muchachas" — and delivered a show-stopping performance of "Cuando Me Dé la Gana" with Christian Nodal.

Press play on the video above to watch Christina Aguilera's complete acceptance speech for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 2022 Latin GRAMMYs, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

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He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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If the name Jon Bellion sounds familiar, it's probably because of his 2016 single "All Time Low." With its relentless "low-low-low-low-low" chorus, the electronic-fused pop confection scored Bellion his first major hit — as a solo artist, that is.

Prior to Bellion's breakthrough with his debut solo single, he'd already made a name for himself behind the scenes by writing and producing songs for the likes of Eminem, Jason Derulo, Zedd and CeeLo Green. And in the seven years since "All Time Low" became a top 20 hit, he's celebrated plenty of other smashes with some of pop's A-listers from Christina Aguilera to Justin Bieber.

This year alone, he worked with the Jonas Brothers to executive produce their statement-making record The Album, helped shape Maroon 5's "Middle Ground" — which is expected to be the lead single off the veteran pop-rockers' forthcoming eighth studio album — and teamed up with Switchfoot for an orchestral 2023 update of the band's 2003 breakout single "Meant to Live."

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Bellion's most recent work can be heard on Tori Kelly's new self-titled EP tori, which dropped July 28. Along with producing the project, Bellion joined Kelly for a magnetic, electro-tinged track titled "young gun." Upon the EP's release, Kelly herself noted Bellion's impact, calling their collaboration "the start of something really special."

In honor of Bellion's latest project, take a look at nine songs you may not have known contained Bellion's signature touch — a roadmap to his becoming one of the most in-demand producers of the moment.

Eminem feat. Rihanna — "The Monster"

One of Bellion's earliest smashes came courtesy of Eminem — well, and Bebe Rexha. The pop singer penned the track's dark hook while working on her debut album, but it later made its way to Eminem and eventually shapeshifted into his fourth collaboration with Rihanna. The song became the duo's second No. 1 collaboration following 2010's "Love The Way You Lie" and remains one of most monstrous hits in Bellion's career.

Jason Derulo — "Trumpets"

Jason Derulo worked solely with Bellion on this top 20 hit from his 2013 Tattoos, which was later re-packaged as 2014's Talk Dirty. Built around an irresistible horn line of, yes, literal trumpets, Bellion and Derulo concocted a bouncy, flirtatious symphony to smoothly objectify the R&B singer's lady love, and manages to name drop Coldplay, Katy Perry and Kanye West over the course of just three minutes and thirty-seven seconds.

Christina Aguilera feat. Demi Lovato — "Fall in Line"

Bellion handled production on Christina Aguilera's fierce 2018 team-up with Demi Lovato, "Fall in Line," off the former's 2018 LP Liberation. Behind the boards, Bellion effectively captured all of the feminist rage and empowerment that the two vocal powerhouses lit into their lyrics, pairing their sneering vocals with a vamping strings section, rattling chains and a robotic male overlord futilely demanding, "March, two, three, right, two, three/ Shut your mouth, stick your ass out for me."

"Fall in Line" scored a nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2019 GRAMMYs, marking Aguilera's twentieth career nod and Lovato's second. 

Maroon 5 — "Memories"

To kick off their seventh album, JORDI, Maroon 5 enlisted Bellion to co-write lead single "Memories." The gentle ballad found frontman Adam Levine mourning the loss of a friend, pouring one out over a lilting reggae-pop line that cleverly samples Johann Pachelbel's "Canon in D Major." While the heartfelt song is dedicated to the band's longtime manager (and namesake of the LP) Jordan Feldstein, who tragically passed away in 2017 due to a blood clot, the relatable sentiment of "Memories" helped it peak at No. 2 on the Hot 100.

In addition to "Memories," Bellion also worked with the band on two other songs from JORDI, co-writing fourth single "Lost" as well as Anuel AA and Tainy collab "Button." Three years later, he would reunite with the band to co-write and co-produce their latest, equally delicate single "Middle Ground" alongside the likes of Andrew Watt and Rodney Jerkins.

Miley Cyrus — "Midnight Sky"

Miley Cyrus came raring into her glam rock-inspired album Plastic Hearts on the back of "Midnight Sky," an unapologetic statement of independence following her split from longtime love Liam Hemsworth. Dripping in sultry synths, the power ballad took a page from '80s rock icons like Joan Jett, Debbie Harry and Stevie Nicks.

The sound was an entirely new one for Cyrus — which is one of Bellion's tools when working with a new superstar for the first time. In a 2023 Billboard interview, he likened his approach to inventing a new kind of ride for the given A-lister. "They have already built an amazing theme park: millions of people go to it and experience their roller coasters," he said. "They put me in charge of revamping or creating a new section of the theme park, and they let me be the foreman of it all." The new style worked in Cyrus' favor, and earned Bellion yet another top 20 hit on the Hot 100.

Justin Bieber — "Holy"

Bellion's fingerprints are all over Justin Bieber's 2021 album Justice, starting notably with its Chance the Rapper-assisted lead single "Holy," which he both co-wrote and co-produced. The superproducer contributed to six other songs on the pop-driven LP — including the pop radio No. 1 "Ghost," which was inspired by Bellion's late grandmother — as well as three deluxe tracks. And though Bellion didn't have any credited features, his voice can still be heard: he offered background vocals on seven of the songs.

Justice earned Bellion his very first GRAMMY nomination, as the project was nominated for Album Of The Year at the 2022 GRAMMYs (Bieber also received seven other nods). 

Selena Gomez — "My Mind & Me"

Bellion first collaborated with Selena Gomez on Rare album cut "Vulnerable" alongside Amy Allen, Michael Pollack and The Monsters & Strangerz. Two years later, the entire team reunited for the title track to the pop singer's Apple TV+ documentary My Mind & Me.

Bellion and co. helped Gomez tap even further into the most vulnerable side of her psyche to date. "Vulnerable" saw Gomez letting her guard down with a new flame, but "My Mind & Me" allowed her to completely lay bare her mental health journey. "Sometimes I feel like an accident, people look when they're passin' it/ Never check on the passenger, they just want the free show," she sings. "Yeah, I'm constantly tryna fight somethin' that my eyes can't see," over spare guitar and piano.

Jonas Brothers — "Waffle House"

After the success of their 2019 comeback album Happiness Begins with producer Ryan Tedder, the Jonas Brothers recruited Bellion to helm the boards on their 2023 follow-up The Album. The producer helped the hitmaking siblings tap into a new facet of their pop-rock sound, finding inspiration in the '70s music their dad raised them on. (As Joe Jonas told GRAMMY.com upon the album's release, Bellion "was saying exactly what we were hoping for" when they first met to mull over ideas.)

While Bellion had a hand in every song on The Album, second single "Waffle House" is the latest to earn both him and Jonas Brothers a top 15 hit on pop radio. Bellion also serves as the one and only featured artist on The Album, coming out from behind the boards and into the vocal booth for bombastic closer "Walls."

Tori Kelly — "missin u"

Tori Kelly first linked up with Bellion thanks to Justin Bieber, as the pair worked together with the Biebs on tender bonus cut "Name" from the Justice sessions. So, when it came time to launch a new era with her self-titled EP tori, the songstress turned to Bellion to help bring her vision to life.

On lead single "missin u," the two-time GRAMMY winner throws the guitar-driven singer/songwriter vibes of her past work out the window in favor of a sleek R&B sound reminiscent of the early 2000s. The sonic gear shift is a natural fit for her lithe voice as she replays a romance that "was rainin' purple skies in my room." Somehow, Kelly even manages to outdo the vocal acrobatics of "missin u" with a deliriously brilliant "R&B edit" that adds even more layers, soul and vocal flourishes to the single.

"When I first started working with Jon Bellion, we were just beginning to scratch the surface on a new sound that truly felt like my own," Kelly explains in a video celebrating the release of her self-titled EP tori. "I know that I'm gonna look back on this collaboration as the start of something really special." As for Bellion's thoughts on his latest project? "Tori Kelly's the greatest vocalist of all time!"

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