Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera: Who is the better performer?

Christina

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by kmc1111

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The common refrain of Britney fans is that while Christina has the pipes, it's Britney who is the superior performer. Early in their career this may have been the case, but as you'll soon agree Christina overtook Britney in all areas of performance long ago.

The biggest thing that sets them apart is that Christina sings live while Britney lip-syncs. For a singer, the strength of your voice must surely be the most important part of a performance. Christina's incredible vocals imbue every performance with an emotional quality and a sense that you're hearing something special. When the song means something to her, the emotion in her voice brings a tear to your eye, whereas Britney's pre-recorded vocals make her performances feel lifeless and robotic.

These days performing isn't just about putting on a good live show, it's about your music videos as well, and here Christina has the edge. She puts a huge amount of effort into creating a piece of art, not just a back-drop for her song. In this she reminds me of Michael Jackson, who knew how to tell a story through his videos. Britney's videos are usually made up of a mish-mash of dance scenes and costume changes, none of which seem to be linked to her song. Her best video is still her first, made over a decade ago.

Britney is the one known for putting on a spectacular live show, and while her first two tours were certainly superior to Christina's first, ever since Christina took control of her image her tours have been extraordinary. She creates an amazing atmosphere and really gets the audience involved. Her costumes designed by Roberto Cavalli are a sight to behold and the set pieces blow your mind. Every song receives special treatment, unlike Britney's shows where many songs start to blend together.

The best performers are those who have many strings to their bow. Christina can not only belt out the big notes, she's proved herself to be a talented actress, blowing people away with her spot-on performances on SNL. She'll soon be seen acting up a storm with Cher and Kristen Bell in the film Burlesque, which is already sounding a whole lot better than Britney's tepid debut in Crossroads. Britney's major talent has always been dancing, but in the past few years Christina has overtaken her in that department as well, moving far more confidently on-stage.

Finally Christina will always be a more well rounded performer than Britney because she has more confidence, charisma and stage presence. Whether she's singing, hosting an awards show or giving a speech, Christina makes you sit up and take notice. Compare this to Britney, who seems lost on stage as soon as she finishes the song. Watching Christina in concert reminds you of true divas such as Bette Midler and Cher who own the stage. Her shows aren't reliant on special effects, costume changes and back-up dancers. One of her most effective performances is of her song Beautiful. She stands on the empty stage, dressed down and barefoot , singing acapella. The crowd goes wild. I can't imagine Britney carrying that off.

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