Blank Page

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"Blank Page"
Song by Christina Aguilera
from the album Lotus
Recorded2012
Length4:04
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
YouTube

"Blank Page" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera, taken from her seventh studio album, Lotus (2012). It was written by Aguilera, Chris Braide and Sia, with production done by Braide. Aguilera had worked with Furler on her previous two albums Bionic and Burlesque, both released in 2010. Following the release of Lotus, Aguilera revealed that Furler is one of her favorite people to work with and that she is very inspiring.

"Blank Page" is a minimalist piano-driven ballad that received frequent comparisons to Aguilera's 2002 single "

international singles chart. Aguilera performed the song live for the first time at the 39th People's Choice Awards
, where she was awarded with the People's Voice Award.

Background and recording

Australian singer-songwriter Sia is one of Aguilera's favorite people to collaborate with.[1]

Following the release of her sixth studio to an album,

Moves Like Jagger" (2011), which spent four weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.[4] Following these events, Aguilera announced that had plans to begin production of her seventh album, stating that she wanted high quality and "personal" songs for the record.[4] Regarding the creative direction, she revealed that the album would be a "culmination of everything I've experienced up until this point ... I've been through a lot since the release of my last album, being on ('The Voice'), having had a divorce ... This is all sort of a free rebirth for me."[5] She further said "I'm embracing many different things, but it's all feel-good, super-expressive [and] super-vulnerable."[5] Aguilera continued to say that the album would be about "self–expression and freedom" because of the personal struggles she had overcome during the last couple of years.[6] Speaking about her new material during an interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2012, Aguilera said that the recording process for Lotus was taking a while because "I don't like to just get songs from producers. I like them to come from a personal place ... I'm very excited. It's fun, exciting, introspective, it's going to be great".[7] "Blank Page" was written by Aguilera, Sia and Chris Braide, the latter of whom also produced the song. Aguilera's vocals were recorded by Oscar Ramirez at The Red Lips Room in Beverly Hills in California. Braide provided the programming, string arrangement, piano and keyboards.[8] Furler herself recorded a demo version of the song before Aguilera opted it for Lotus.[9]

Development

Lotus is the third album in which Aguilera and Furler have collaborated on material together for. They first worked together on Aguilera's sixth studio album,

Golden Globe nomination for, we also did a lot of work on my 'Bionic' record, that was so sentimental, intimate and vulnerable feeling, and that's what I love about working with her".[14] Aguilera was interviewed by Billboard when she attended the Billboard Film & TV Music Conference. She revealed that she views "Blank Page" as a more "vulnerable" version of her 2002 song, "Beautiful".[1]
When she was asked by the interviewer who her favorite people were to collaborate with, she responded by solely mentioning Furler and explained what led to her to enjoy working with her:

Sia is one of them. She comes in, singer-songwriter, she just writes the most beautiful amazing ballads. Now she is making a name for herself on a more broad commercial scale with a lot of more dance-driven stuff, and she is just an incredible singer. She came in and she just writes such serious songs, I was like 'Oh she is gunna [sic] be such a serious person, and I'm nervous to meet her, and I just want her to get me and understand that I'm not a cheesy pop star'. She comes in and she was all nervous, and she is the most bubbliest person in the world, but once she starts singing and getting into her thing, you're just sucked into this world of 'wow' and it's inspiring to be around people with such creative energy. I love that, that's the best experience.[1]

Composition and lyrics

"Blank Page" is a simplistic

Someone Like You", a song performed by English singer-songwriter Adele
:

Only two of the disc's 11 tracks attempt a genuine expression of vulnerability. Just one, 'Blank Page,' finds her looking inside and taking some blame. It's a pretty song, if one that blatantly rides Adele's coattails. Not only does 'Page' employ the same piano/voice arrangement as that star's 'Someone Like You,' Aguilera apes the precise length of Adele's notes.[21]

Critical reception

"Blank Page" garnered strong critical acclaim from

The Huffington Post concurred with Hampp in the respect that she also thought that "Blank Page" was reminiscent of the songs co-written by Furler on Bionic, which she also described "that album's highlight".[22]

Jon Caramanica of

alternative leanings". He did, however, describe it as the album's most straightforward ballad and as a song which could have been written in 1972, "with its yearning lyrics and sparse production".[26] That Grape Juice praised the song and noted: "Rousing, resonant, and lyrically astute, this has etched itself onto the list of Xtina’s most moving musical moments."[27]

According to PopDust editor Jason Scott, the song features some of "the most accomplished vocal nuances of her [Aguilera's] career. At times, she tears mountains apart, and in other moments, she weaves a brittled and silky web." Scott ranked "Blank Page" on the list of Aguilera's ten best songs.[28]

Live performances

Aguilera performed "Blank Page" for the first time live at the 39th People's Choice Awards on January 9, 2013.[29] She was surrounded by white candles, and she wore a white blaze with black leggings.[29] According to reports published by Us Weekly, Aguilera was very emotional prior to her performance, and that the audience was in tears during her rehearsals of the song.[30] Lauren Moraski of CBS News called it a "heart-wrenching performance."[31] Amy Sciarretto for PopCrush wrote that it was a "simple and unfettered" performance that allowed her to "show off" her vocals. She continued to write that although she occasionally sounded strained, she sounded better than most singers on their good day.[29] After her performance, she was presented with the People's Voice Award, where she also gave an acceptance speech.[29]

On May 28, 2016, Aguilera's performance in front of a crowd of 250,000 people marked the closing of the Moroccan music festival Mawazine. Among the twenty songs performed by her was the ballad "Blank Page", preceded by a snippet of "I Am" from the album Bionic.[32][33][34] In July 2017, the singer performed "Blank Page" at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee.[35][36]

Credits and personnel

Recording
  • Vocals recorded at The Red Lips Room, Beverly Hills, CA; Human Feel, Los Angeles, CA.
Personnel
  • Songwriting – Christina Aguilera, Chris Braide, Sia Furler
  • Production – Chris Braide
  • Vocal recording – Oscar Ramirez
  • Programming, string arrangement, piano and keyboards – Chris Braide

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Lotus, RCA Records.[8]

Charts

Following the release of Lotus, "Blank Page" debuted on the South Korea

International Singles Chart at number 53 during the week of November 11 to 17, 2012, with digital download sales of 4,299.[37]

Chart (2012) Peak
position
South Korea (International Singles) (
Gaon)[37]
53

References

  1. ^ a b c "Christina Aguilera Video Q&A: From 'Mickey' to 'Lotus' and Finding Her 'Voice'". Billboard. October 31, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  2. Buzz Media. Archived from the original
    on April 4, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Hampp, Andrew (September 21, 2012). "Christina Aguilera: Billboard Cover Story". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Schneider, Marc (April 11, 2012). "Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Hit the Studio". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Elber, Lynn (August 28, 2012). "Christina Aguilera: New album is a 'rebirth'". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  6. ^ Kennedy, Gerrick D. (September 13, 2012). "Christina Aguilera readies new album 'Lotus'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  7. ^ "Christina Aguilera: 'New album is quality over quantity'". Digital Spy. May 27, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Lotus (inlay cover). Christina Aguilera. RCA Records. 2012. p. iTunes Digital Booklet.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Giles, Jeff (January 2, 2013). "Listen to Sia's Demo of Christina Aguilera's 'Blank Page'". PopCrush. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Bionic (liner notes). Christina Aguilera. RCA Records. 2010.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ "Christina Aguilera Album & Song Chart History - Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  12. ^ "Christina Aguilera Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  13. ^ Burlesque (liner notes). Christina Aguilera. RCA Records. 2010.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^
    VEVO. VEVO/YouTube
    . September 29, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  15. ^ a b c Gallucci, Michael (November 2012). "Christina Aguilera, 'Lotus' - Album Review". PopCrush. Townsquare Media. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  16. ^ a b c d e Younie, Chris (November 2, 2012). "News: Review: Christina Aguilera – Lotus". 4Music. Channel 4. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  17. ^
    Rovi Corporation
    . Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  18. ^ "iTunes - Music - Lotus by Christina Aguilera". iTunes Store (GB). Apple. November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  19. ^ a b c d Hampp, Andrew (November 12, 2012). "Christina Aguilera, 'Lotus': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  20. ^
    Viacom
    . Retrieved December 11, 2012.
  21. New York Daily News
    . Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  22. The Huffington Post. New York: AOL
    . Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  23. ^ Caramanica, Jon (November 13, 2012). "Albums by Christina Aguilera, Soundgarden and Brian Eno". The New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  24. ^ Zaleski, Annie (November 13, 2012). "Christina Aguilera: Lotus". The A.V. Club. Chicago: The Onion, Inc. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  25. ^ Godfrey, Sarah (November 12, 2012). "Album review: 'Lotus,' by Christina Aguilera". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  26. ^ Wass, Mike (November 13, 2012). "Christina Aguilera's 'Lotus': Album Review'". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  27. ^ "10 Years of Christina Aguilera's Underrated 'Lotus' Album: TGJ's Top 5 Songs". That Grape Juice. Townsquare Music. November 13, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  28. ^ Scott, Jason (June 13, 2018). "Christina Aguilera's 10 Best Songs". PopDust. PopDust, Inc. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  29. ^ a b c d Sciarretto, Amy (January 9, 2013). "Christina Gives Candlelit Performance of 'Blank Page' at 2013 People's Choice Awards". PopCrush. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  30. ^ Chen, Joyce (January 9, 2013). "Christina Aguilera Gets Emotional Singing New Song "Blank Page" at People's Choice Awards". Us Weekly. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  31. ^ Moraski, Lauren (January 10, 2013). "Christina Aguilera receives People's Voice honor". CBS News. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  32. ^ "Xtina Travels To Morocco To Perform At The Mawazine Festival; Slays In The Process". 8Gossip. May 29, 2016. Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  33. ^ Aïda Bouazza (30 May 2016). "Mawazine: Une Clôture En Apothéose". L'Économiste (in French). Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  34. ^ "Pictures/Video: Mawazine Festival 2016". Christina Aguilera. May 29, 2016. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  35. ^ "Christina Aguilera comes to town for private Northwestern Mutual performance". OnMilwaukee. July 25, 2017. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  36. ^ "Christina Aguilera Setlist – BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI, USA". Setlist.fm. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  37. ^
    Gaon Chart. November 17, 2012. Archived from the original
    (The URL will open up the South Korea national singles chart. To view international, click the right hand box out of three above the orange 'number one' position. Then above the chart table on the right, select 2012 instead of 2013 and then select November 11 to 17, then at the bottom of the page.) on December 19, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.