Christina Aguilera has admitted performing in high heels over the years has caused damage to her knees.
During an interview with Raye for Rolling Stone published on Monday, the Beautiful hitmaker praised the English singer-songwriter for choosing to perform barefoot whenever she can.
“I think she’s already ahead of the game, to be very honest with you,” said Christina when asked if she had any advice for Raye. “I mean, even the fact that she sings barefoot. I’ve already f**ked up my legs and my feet so bad with all this high heel nonsense, shenanigans. I f**ked up the cartilage in my knee. I love that about you, though. I never had the balls to just do it. Those are the best when you just feel the floor underneath.”
In response, Raye went on to explain why she doesn’t like wearing shoes when singing.
“I feel like when I’m wearing shoes, I’m thinking about wearing shoes. Is that weird?” the 26-year-old mused.
Elsewhere in the chat, Raye asked Christina to name her “toughest vocal performance”.
Accordingly, she chose A Song for You, which she recorded with Herbie Hancock for his 2005 album Possibilities.
“(The) arrangement was so intricate, so delicate and full of ad-libs. It was a lot to try and perfect that live,” she recalled, before adding: “I sang Run to You for Whitney Houston in front of her. That was nerve-wracking, but she couldn’t have been more sweet and lovely.”
Further on in the discussion, Raye also asked Christina how she was able to navigate fame as a popstar in the late ’90s and early 2000s.
“When I came into this business, there was a really big pop boom, and it was very specific what a label wanted a popstar to look like, to sound like… I wanted it so bad,” the 43-year-old reflected. “I knew what I liked… I felt like my voice was stifled. You’re going to have situations where you have no creative control or you’re in a position where your hands are tied. It’s just no place for an artist. When my hands feel too bound, and I feel like there’s no breathing room… that’s when I start to suffer.”
