Linda Perry initially thought Christina Aguilera was too “hot” to record Beautiful.
The 45-year-old pop idol went on to win a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the iconic noughties tune tackling societal beauty standards.
However, the track’s songwriter has admitted she didn’t think the Genie in a Bottle hitmaker was the right fit at first.
She told The Zach Sang Show: “She was like, ‘Okay I want that.’ And I’m thinking in my mind, ‘No, you’re like, a hot chick. I’m not giving you this song. No way. Are you kidding me?'”
After some persuading from her manager, she realised that even beautiful people have insecurities.
She said: “It made sense.
“That’s when I discovered… Oh, beautiful people are actually insecure and just as damaged as I am.
“She’s just as f***** up as I am. Okay. And then it broke the ice between the both of us when I saw that.”
Christina wanted to re-record the vocal, but Linda says the demo captured the essence of the song.
Linda explained: “That’s the version that sold me [and] made me believe she had emotions. That she was insecure, that she was lacking in confidence in certain places, that she needed acceptance and approval.
“I said, ‘Christina, what is wonderful about this vocal is you didn’t know what you were doing. That’s why it’s going to be huge, because so many people are going to relate to this imperfect vocal. That’s what this song is about. Not being perfect … I think that’s an art that needs to come back.'”
Beautiful featured on Christina’s 2002 album Stripped.
Two decades later, the singer released an anniversary edition of the LP, plus a reimagined music video for Beautiful by award-winning director Fiona Jane Burgess
The video spread the self-love anthem’s message via young people who have experienced the pressures of social media.
Christina first teased the video “in celebration” of World Mental Health Day in 2022.
She tweeted at the time: “In celebration of the 20 year anniversary of Stripped and World Mental Health Day, I’m honored to share a new music video for Beautiful, coming October 19th. [purple heart emoji]
“Tune out and turn in. Take your space, log off, put your mind, body, and soul first.”