Christina Aguilera is a few hours away from releasing her long-awaited Spanish-language album La Fuerza but gave fans another taste of what is coming. The Ecuadorian-descent superstar premiered today, January 20, her new single “Santo” alongside urban music sensation Ozuna.

The award-winning artists united their unmistakable voices to create a perfect fusion resulting in a powerful interpretation that honors Latin and Afro-Caribbean rhythms and continues the story that began with Aguilera’s most recent Spanish-language hits “Pa ‘Mis Muchachas” and “Somos Nada.”

The iconic star got inspired by her Ecuadorian roots and started working on six unique and exquisite songs intended to push for empowerment. Ahead of the anticipated release, Christina Aguilera sat down with Latinx media to talk about all the details from her second album in Spanish, including all the talented and accomplished artists working on it, lessons learned, and how La Fuerza might be her best work to date.

“It’s never been off my plate not to come back to Latin music, and Mi Reflejo had been such a beautiful special time in my life, but it was 20 plus years ago when I was just coming on the scene. I was so green to the business. I was baby Christina,” she said. “And 20 years later, I’m a grown woman who is had such an incredible career, and now I can I get to come back having reflected on that, being a mother and now being able to share with my kids, a big part of them and who they are.”

According to Aguilera, knowing that her kids can enjoy her singing in Spanish feels special. “They can see mommy do her thing in Spanish, and they can hear it and feel it from a musical level,” she added.

The Grammy and Latin Grammy winner said that La Fuerza is just beginning something incredible, and she plans to convert the album into a trilogy. “This is only the first chapter of three that will be giving more music to come within the year 2022. I wanted to keep surprising the fans, so that was important to me,” the star revealed.

La Fuerza and her upcoming projects include collaborations with Becky G, Nicki Nicole, Nathy Peluso, Ozuna, and more stars. Aguilera told us that she has always loved collaborating and the sense of community in the Hispanic community. “There’s so much love there that I definitely wanted to make it a unified experience,” she said. “But ‘Pa’ Mis Muchachas’ was such an important way to come into all this in a celebratory way with such incredible, accomplished women in the in music. I have so much admiration for strong women who speak their truth.”

Aguilera praised Nicki Nicole for “being so young and doing [music] in such a fierce way. [She] reminds me a lot of me coming up. So fresh and new in the business at that time when I did my first Spanish album.” The star continued adding that Nathy Peluso is “a powerhouse” and “ incredible on stage.”

“She’s just a natural mover and performer. I get mesmerized when I watch her,” said Aguilera about Peluso. “And then you have Becky, who just represents such a strong, polished, smart little businesswoman. I love having conversations with her; after the Latin Grammy, we were able to sit down and have dinner with her and her boyfriend. So it’s more important to me now that I do things with artists who I really not only admire, but I know I‘m doing it because I love and want the experience to outweigh any other. At this point in my life and career, it’s important to do things that I love and not for any other reason. And yeah, I just I’m so humbled and blessed to work that all of these artists so far.”

Although Xtina is Ecuadorian, she stopped speaking Spanish once her mom and dad divorced and lost connection; therefore, she had to prepare to make sure La Fuerza was up to the standards. “Spanish is not my first language, but it is very much a part of my childhood and a part of how I grew up. I grew up in a Spanish-speaking household. My father is from Ecuador, and we lived for a period of time with my [paternal] grandparents, and so it was constantly being spoken,” she reveals.

“My mother is fluent in Spanish. It‘s how they met in college. She went to be a translator, and they fell in love. But as many in my position, whenever my parents got divorced, I stopped hearing it on a regular basis but still it’s something that‘s always inside of you,” Aguilera added.

The Latina Powerhouse also revealed that her upcoming Spanish-language songs would address her dad. “I have a little bit of an estranged relationship with my father. I’ve spoken openly about it in the past. [For] the other separate chapters, I do address my father, and it’s the first time I am coming from a place where I’m making peace with certain parts of my past,” she said.

“So on a deeper level, this album means a great deal to me just because I’ve been able to embrace so many things about who I am and where I am now.”

Christina Aguilera told HOLA! USA that among the lessons she learned from La Fuerza is that stepping out of your comfort and staying humble will open many doors and set an example for others. “I learned that I’m fearless. That I accept the challenges that I’m afraid of,” she told us. “It’s not the easiest thing to step out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there and say ‘I don’t know everything. I don‘t claim to know everything. But I’m willing to learn and grow and accept new challenges every day.’ And that’s an example that I want to set for my children.”

She continued: “And I think walking away no matter what happens even taking the professional aspect out of it. I’m doing this for me. Because this is important to me as a woman, and the respect for my past and my roots and my children, this is something that I feel honors myself and will be an experience that I cherish for the rest of my life.”