Christina Aguilera Records New Music for Live-Action Mulan

It has been more than 20 years since Christina Aguilera belted out the famous lyrics to “Reflection” from the animated film, Mulan, and now she’s announced she’s recorded a new version of the track for the live-action film

February 28, 2020 - 18:11

It has been more than 20 years since Christina Aguilera belted out the famous lyrics to “Reflection” from the animated film, Mulan, and now she’s announced she’s recorded a new version of the track for the live-action film. During a Wednesday night performance for her Las Vegas residency, Xperience, she announced that she’s recorded a new version of “Reflection” along with some new material for Disney’s live-action remake of the 1998 film.

“The live action Mulan is coming out by the way,” she told the audience before performing the hit song. “You have to go see it. I recorded a new ‘Reflection’ and new material for the movie. I’ve been working on that, but this is the original.”

Aguilera released released “Reflection” as her first ever single when she was 17 and the mega-success of the track led her to release her debut album in 1999. The vocal range she exhibited in the song is what got her the opportunity in the first place after her manager asked her if she could hit a certain note required for the track.

“He’s like, ”Can you belt the high E above middle C?” And now this is known as the note that changed my life, because basically I had to prove that I could belt this note — like, full-on belt it,” she told Entertainment Weekly in 1999. “By Fed-Exxing out, overnight, a karaoke tape of [singing over] Whitney Houston’s ”I Want to Run to You,” which has that note, just like ‘Reflection.”

This isn’t the first time she’s taken to the stage at her residency to make a major announcement, last year the 39-year-old songstress told the audience she would be releasing a Spanish album before performing her bilingual track “Desnudate” off her 2010 album, Bionic. Aguilera’s first and only Spanish album, Mi Reflejo was released in 2000 and it went on to win a Latin Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. While she hasn’t shared any updates since then about the Latin album, the live-action Mulan comes out March 27 so the soundtrack or track release will follow. The filmmakers did announce that this remake will not be a musical – to the dismay of long-time fans of the original – but iconic tracks like “Make a Man Out of You” and, of course, “Reflection” might still make an appearance in the film. Judging by the trailer we can speculate that director Niki Caro might incorporate instrumental versions of the film’s original music but no confirmation has been made.

But even if “Reflection” only plays during the credits it’ll be a nostalgic moment for fans of the original film and it’ll introduce the younger generation to one of the most iconic and inspiring songs from a Disney movie.

“It’s so amazing how it truly is timeless,” Aguilera said of the song to Variety “It resonates now maybe more than ever because everybody wants to feel heard and comfortable in their own skin and accepted and loved. It’s our message to truly be unafraid to take off that mask and reveal who you really are and own your truth.”