Before Nicki and Cardi, before Taylor and Katy, before Drake and Meek, there was Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears. Two artists at the top of their game, competing for domination of the Billboard charts and who could work the pettiest dig in the magazine headlines. A decade or two ago, Christina and Britney were locked in a feud for the ages — but it didn’t have to be that way.
On her guest spot on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Aguilera spoke out about her “rivalry” with Spears, and how, if social media had been around in the ’90s, the two artists could have controlled the narrative more. Aguilera said that she was initially turned off by the vanity of selfie culture on Instagram, but she quickly realized how the platform could be a tool of communication — for artists to connect more with their fans, and for artists to control their own media image.
“You do an interview, and you know back then [in the 1990s], the media was the storyteller for you,” she said. “When I was coming up it was very obvious, me and Britney were definitely […] considered rivals. If we had social media back then, we would have probably done a song together or something and squashed it.”
Is it too late for a Britney/Xtina collab? Kimmel asked if Aguilera might still consider working with Spears.
Aguilera responded with a laugh. “Hey, I’m down! If her reps say ‘OK,’ you know…” Your move, Britney.
