Christina Milian

Christina Milian ( , Flores; born September 26, 1981 ) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Following a number of minor television and film roles in the late 1990s, Milian made her recording debut on American rapper Ja Rule's 2000 single "Between Me and You", which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Under Island Records, she released her 2001 debut single "AM to PM", which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. In 2002, she performed the theme song ("Call Me, Beep Me!") for the Disney Channel animated series Kim Possible. Following a series of delays, her debut studio album, Christina Milian (2002), was released to moderate commercial reception. Her second album, It's About Time (2004), spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top-five hit "Dip It Low" (featuring Fabolous). Her third album, So Amazin' (2006), yielded the US top-40 single, "Say I" (featuring Jeezy). Milian experienced particular success in the United Kingdom, where each of her songs released under Island peaked within the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart. She parted ways with Island following the release of the last album, and self-released her first extended play, 4U, in 2015.

As an actress, her first lead film role was in Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003). She subsequently had lead roles in the films Be Cool (2005) and Pulse (2006), and in the direct-to-DVD film Bring It On: Fight to the Finish (2009). Milian also starred in the ABC Family Original Movie Christmas Cupid (2010). From 2015 to 2016, she starred in the sitcom Grandfathered. She played María LaGuerta in the series Dexter: Original Sin (2024–2025). Milian also co-founded and co-owns Beignet Box, a dessert shop in the Los Angeles area.

Early life Christina Flores was born on September 26, 1981, Jersey City, New Jersey, and is of Cuban descent.

Flores changed her name and adopted her mother's maiden name (Milian) in the hopes of landing a wider range of acting roles. As a child, Milian was "very imaginative and very creative", and watching television and listening to the radio became her life. They inspired her to have fun, and she convinced her parents that she "did not want to be inside the TV", although convincing them took some time. She began writing songs at the age of 17 because she needed a demonstration recording (demo) to help her obtain a recording contract. According to Milian, every time she recorded a song, the producer would refuse to give her the demo or would write lyrics with which she did not agree. She felt that she had to write a song, record a demo, and send it out on her own. During this time, she had minor roles in film and television, including Sister, Sister, Smart Guy, The Steve Harvey Show, Get Real, The Wood and American Pie. Milian made her first professional musical appearance on rapper Ja Rule's second studio album Rule 3:36 (2000), performing vocals on the song "Between Me and You". and on the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart in the United Kingdom. Milian co-wrote and performed vocals for the track "Play" for Jennifer Lopez's album J. Lo (2001), and co-wrote "Same Ol' Same Ol'", the second single from girl group PYT's debut album PYT (Down with Me) (2001).

Milian's collaboration with Ja Rule led to a record deal with Def Soul Records, prompted by his affiliation with Murder Inc. Records, an imprint that was distributed through Def Jam, the parent label of Def Soul Records. She travelled to Sweden and recorded her self-titled debut album. The album was released outside North America on January 23, 2002, peaking at number 23 on the UK Albums Chart in the United Kingdom. The album's domestic release was canceled, primarily due to the September 11 attacks. Two singles were taken from the album, "AM to PM" and "When You Look at Me", both of which charted worldwide. A music video for the track "Get Away" was filmed in Paris, although it was not officially released as a single. Critical response to the album was generally mixed to positive. In the following years, she was featured on the track "It's All Gravy", a duet with British rapper Romeo, which peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Milian's third top ten song in Britain as a credited artist, and fourth overall; and collaborated with Hilary Duff on the song "I Heard Santa on the Radio" for Duff's debut album Santa Claus Lane (2002).

"I'm kind of happy that I was never the successful actress that went into music. But now that people know me for my music, it's definitely worked out for my acting career." — Milian on her music and acting careers. Milian also appeared in the video game Def Jam Vendetta (2003), where she plays non-playable character Angeline "Angel" Rodriguez.

Milian's second studio album, It's About Time, was released in the US on July 13, 2004. The critical response to the album was mixed; the club tracks, most notably lead single "Dip It Low", were praised while the ballads were said to be disappointing. The style and sound of the album was compared to that of Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez by several critics. Milian later admitted that her new sexy image for "Dip It Low" and the whole album was mainly for shock value. She had to make her way back into the US market, and by choosing a sexier image, she made a name for herself. "Dip It Low" was also meant to show that she was not the same 18-year-old girl in the "AM to PM" video. The change was reflected in the album's lead single, "Dip It Low", which was more of a club and R&B track than her previous pop release "AM to PM". Milian performed as an opening act on Usher's Truth tour to promote her album. The album debuted and peaked at number 14 on the Billboard 200, and number 21 on the UK Albums Chart, selling a total of 382,000 and 63,708 copies respectively, The single was certified Gold by the RIAA for digital sales, and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

2005–2006: So Amazin and label departure Milian starred in Be Cool (2005), the sequel to Get Shorty, with John Travolta and Uma Thurman, She was then cast in a lead role in the horror film Pulse, starring alongside Kristen Bell and Ian Somerhalder. The film was a remake of the Japanese film Kairo (2001), and was adapted by Wes Craven and Ray Wright. Filming took place in Romania, a traumatic time for Milian, where she endured racial abuse and discovered that boyfriend Nick Cannon was cheating on her. The same year, Milian was awarded with a humanitarian award at The Reign fundraiser from the Elton John AIDS Foundation for being a role model for young children. Milian said, "I've never been rewarded that way and never been acknowledged like that. That was really nice of them, and I was happy I was able to show up for the kids." L.A. Reid suggested to Milian that she should work with Cool & Dre, with whom she ended up working with as the first people to start off the album. Although Milian was originally supposed to work with several different music producers, she felt that the chemistry they had in the first week was so "instant and real" that she felt she could not get a better "vibe" with anybody else other than them. Milian ended up working with Cool & Dre on the majority of the production of the album, producing ten of the album's eleven tracks together. The album was completed within a three-month period. The album's lead single, "Say I", featured rapper Young Jeezy. The single saw peak positions of number four in the UK, So Amazin debuted and peaked at number eleven on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Internationally, the album peaked at number 55 on the Swiss Albums Chart, 67 on the UK Albums Chart, and 139 on the France Albums Chart. Reviews of So Amazin were mixed; critics felt that while Milian claimed that she was displaying the various sides of her personality, the album could "only [scratch] the surface of who she really is." "Say I" was praised by several critics, and was described as "instantly rousing" and "intoxicating". In June 2006, Milian's representative confirmed that Island had released her from the imprint. In an interview with Rap-Up, Milian revealed she was dropped a week after her album was released. The singer believed it was a "budget cut", and that Island Def Jam wanted to spend more money on label mate Rihanna; Milian also turned down what would later be Rihanna's hit single, "SOS". She said, "it was embarrassing. It was a week after my album got put out. I would be in my room a lot of the time crying by myself." After leaving Def Jam, Milian released her first compilation album, The Best of Christina Milian (2006).

2007–2010: Canceled album and continued acting

In 2007, Milian worked with the Children Uniting Nations charity, in which she was a big sister to foster children. In May, it was reported that she was to be a leading character in The CW's show Eight Days a Week as Olivia, alongside Mario Lopez, but The CW decided not to pick up the series due to the Writers Guild of America strike. In December, Milian starred as the main character in the Christmas television movie for the ABC Family channel entitled Snowglobe, alongside Lorraine Bracco. That year, Milian began working on material for her fourth studio album, first announced to be titled Dream in Color in 2008 but retitled as Elope the following year. She collaborated with numerous producers, including Cool & Dre, J. R. Rotem, The Runners, Danja, Terry "MaddScientist" Thomas, T-Pain, Jim Jonsin and Toby Gad.

Milian signed with MySpace Records in 2008. Milian revealed that aside from "Us Against the World", The-Dream and Tricky Stewart would be producing all the songs on her album. In June 2009, The-Dream said that the album was finished. Upon completion of the album, Milian said it represented "independence, not having to answer to any type of 'authority', being a woman at her best and feeling very confident". In August 2009, Milian confirmed that she had signed a deal to release Elope through Interscope Records with a 2010 release date. Milian became romantically involved with The-Dream, and the pair eloped that September. The pair separated in late 2009, only three months after their wedding. That year, Milian had a minor role in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past alongside Matthew McConaughey, and starred as the lead role in the straight-to-DVD film Bring It On: Fight to the Finish.

In January 2010, Milian said that she was going back into the studio in the summer to record more material. Although the album had already been finished, she wanted to "go back and re-do some of the music and make some new songs and find my new inspiration". At the 2010 Los Angeles Fashion Week, Milian performed "Dip It Low" and the new song "Zipper". At the 2010 American Music Awards, she said the album would be ready in 2011. In September 2011, however, she confirmed that the material recorded for Elope would not be released, and the album was ultimately shelved.

2010–present: Return to music, The Voice and Dancing with the Stars Milian at the premiere of Iris by Cirque du Soleil in 2011In June 2011, her collaboration with The Jackie Boyz titled "Memory" was released in Japan. It appeared on their album Songs In My Blackberry. NBC announced on October 27 that Milian would serve as the official Social Media Correspondent for The Voice during its second season. The role saw Milian make regular appearances during the live broadcasts. Milian maintained the role through its fourth season.

On February 12, 2012, Christina Milian parted ways with Radio Killa Records and signed with Young Money. The next day, a song titled "Mr. Valentine" leaked onto the internet. In May 2013, she collaborated with the Stafford Brothers and Lil' Wayne on the single "Hello" which reached the Top 15 on the Billboard Dance charts. In September 2013, Milian became a contestant on Dancing with the Stars (season 17). She was partnered with professional dancer Mark Ballas. She was eliminated in the fifth week, finishing in ninth place. In November 2014, she collaborated with Lil' Wayne on his single, "Start a Fire", which they performed on the American Music Awards.

On January 18, 2015, Milian's reality show, Christina Milian Turned Up, premiered on E!. The series follows the day-to-day lives of Christina, her mother Carmen and her two sisters, Danielle and Liz Flores. It was renewed for a second season in April, which premiered in November 2015. In March, she released the singles "Rebel" and "We Ain't Worried"; the latter was used to promote her "We Are Pop Culture" clothing line. In July, she announced she was going to release a 5-track EP and video set, and was working with director Mike Ho. That month, she performed the National Anthem at the 2015 Americafest and premiered a new single "Like Me" featuring Snoop Dogg. A few months later, she released another single "Do It" with Lil' Wayne. Her EP 4U was released on December 4, 2015. The EP was released independently through her own label, Milianheiress Music, though she remained signed to Young Money.

In 2016, she collaborated with So Solid Crew's MC Harvey on the dance track "We Own the Night" which premiered on August 12, 2016. In June 2017, she appeared as a judge/panelist on the Fox television show, Superhuman.

In 2019, Milian starred in the Netflix romantic comedy Falling Inn Love (2019), costarring Adam Demos. Falling Inn Love was the first Netflix movie to be shot entirely in New Zealand. In 2023 she joined the Netflix romantic comedy, Meet Me Next Christmas, as executive producer and cast member. The film was released in November 2024 on the streaming plattform. In 2024, Milian was cast as María LaGuerta in Dexter-prequel television show Dexter: Original Sin.

Entrepreneurship Milian co-owns Viva Diva Wines with her mother and manager Carmen Milian, as well as her publicist Robyn Santiago.

Personal life

Heritage Milian has faced challenges regarding her Cuban-American identity and how she is perceived by others due to her Afro-Latina heritage, stating: I'm Cuban but [people] didn't get it because I was also brown-skinned... Latinos come in all colors, all shades... You should see my mom and her brothers and sisters... We just vary in color, shapes and sizes. But we're still Latinos — that doesn't change a damn thing.

Relationships and children Milian met actor Nick Cannon on the set of their film, Love Don't Cost a Thing, in 2003, and they began dating. After being together for two and a half years, Milian ended her relationship with Cannon in 2005 because of his infidelity.

After the production of So Amazin in 2006, Milian began dating Andre Lyon from the production group Cool & Dre. The pair dated until February 2009. In late May 2009, it was reported that Milian and The-Dream would marry; the couple celebrated their engagement in Las Vegas in June. On September 4, 2009, Milian and The-Dream eloped and were married at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. MTV reported that Milian and The-Dream would get married again in Rome, Italy, and then renew their vows in the US in front of family and friends. On September 11, 2009, it was announced that Milian and The-Dream were expecting their first child together. The pair separated in late 2009, after only three months. On February 26, 2010, Milian gave birth to a daughter. This was Milian's first child, and the fourth for The-Dream, who had three children with ex-wife Nivea. As a Catholic, she baptized her daughter into the faith. Two years after she and The-Dream separated, their divorce became finalized on October 23, 2011.

In September 2010, Milian began dating James "Jas" Prince Jr., son of impresario James Prince, the founder and CEO of Rap-A-Lot Records. In April 2013, Milian and Prince became engaged.

In July 2014, it was rumored she was dating rapper Lil Wayne, with whom she attended the ESPY Awards. They later confirmed their relationship in mid-2015. They split in August 2015 after collaborating on various singles, videos, and concert dates.

Milian has been in a relationship with French singer M. Pokora since 2017. In July 2019, the couple announced they were expecting a baby boy together, who was born in January 2020. In December 2020, the couple announced they were expecting their second child together, and they were also married that month. In April 2021, they welcomed their second son. Since 2023, Milian has been living in France. She and her family previously lived in Hollywood before relocating to Paris.

Artistry Milian possesses a soprano vocal range. Her vocal style has been compared to Paula Abdul and Aaliyah by critics. David Peisner of Maxim commented on her talent and described her voice as being "silky and sassy." Earlier in her career, Milian was mainly an urban pop and teen pop singer but as she matured and grew her sound later grew to branch out into a more hip hop soul and straight forward R&B sound on her later two releases It's About Time (2004) and So Amazin (2006).

Milian described the sound of the album as "hip hop under-toned with nice, pop melodies", and later said the genre of the album was "bubble-gum pop". She described lead single "AM to PM" as a "very pop" and "fun, party/club song". Milian described the genre of It's About Time as more R&B in comparison to her "bubble-gum pop" debut album.

Other ventures In 2010, Milian signed Australian singers, Kasey Osborne and Kelsey-Maree, as their manager. Milian said, "the girls have everything it takes to be the biggest international duo out there. The world is definitely ready for these beautiful girls to hit the stage and kill it on screen." She said that the duo were the "most exciting project" she had worked on.

Discography

Studio albums Christina Milian (2002) It's About Time (2004) So Amazin' (2006)

Filmography

Film Year Film Role Notes 1998 A Bug's Life Female Ants (voice) 1999 American Pie Band Member The Wood Girl at Dance Durango Kids Eleanor "Ellie" Bigelow 2003 Love Don't Cost a Thing Paris Morgan 2004 Torque Nina 2005 Man of the House Anne Be Cool Linda Moon 2006 Pulse Isabell Fuentes 2007 Snowglobe Angela Moreno Television film 2009 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Kalia Uncredited Bring It On: Fight to the Finish Catalina "Lina" Cruz Direct-to-video 2010 Christmas Cupid Sloane Television film 2013 Baggage Claim Taylor A Snow Globe Christmas Sal Television film 2016 The Rocky Horror Picture Show Magenta Television film 2018 Memories of Christmas Noelle Television film 2019 Falling Inn Love Gabriela 2021 Resort to Love Erica Wilson 2024 Body Language Mariana Meet Me Next Christmas Layla

Television Year Title Role Notes 1996 Sister, Sister Girl #3 Episode: "When a Man Loves Two Women" Sister, Sister Lana Episode: "Kid-Napped" Aaahh!!! Real Monsters Girl/Little Red Riding Hood (voice) Episode: "The Master Monster/Slumber Scare" 1997 Smart Guy Kiki Episode: "Don't Do That Thing You Do" 1998 The Wild Thornberrys Sipho (voice) Episode: "Naimina Enkiyio" 1998–99 Movie Surfers Tina Flores Main Cast 1999 The Steve Harvey Show Young Lady in Hallway Episode: "Working Homegirl" Smart Guy Pretty Girl Episode: "Can't Buy Me Love" Charmed Teri Lane Episode: "The Wendigo" The Wild Thornberrys Macqaque Wallah (voice) Episode: "Rumble in the Jungle" Clueless Megan Recurring Cast: Season 3 Get Real Tennisha Recurring Cast The Amanda Show Guest on "The Girls Room" sketch Season 1 Episode 3 2000 Cousin Skeeter Sweetie Episode: "The Feminine Ms. Skeet" 2001–04 Top of the Pops Herself Recurring Cast 2002 Becoming Presents: Wannabe Herself/Host Main Host All That Herself Episode: "Barry Watson/Christina Milian" 2004 Mad TV Herself Episode: "Flavor Flav/Christina Milian/Joe Budden" MTV Cribs Herself Episode: "November 21, 2004" 2005 Diary Herself Episode: "Christina Milian" Reel Comedy Herself Episode: "Be Cool" Wild 'N Out Herself/Team Captain Episode: "Christina Milian/Common" 2006 Making the Video Herself Episode: "A Public Affair" 2007 Smallville Rachel Davenport Episode: "Action" 2010 Running Russell Simmons Herself Episode: "You Only Live Once" Meet The Browns Claudia Episode: "Meet the Sugar Mama" 2010–20 Family Guy Esther (voice) Guest: Season 9 & 11-14 & 17 & 19, Recurring Cast: Season 15 2011 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Sydney Preston Episode: "All That Cremains" 2012 A Gifted Man Shawnee Baker Episode: "In Case of Co-Dependants" 2012–13 The Voice Herself/Correspondent Main Social Media Correspondent: Season 2–4 2013 Dancing with the Stars Herself/Contestant Contestant: Season 17 2014 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Herself Episode: "Catfight on the Catwalk" Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? Herself Episode: "Get the F... Out!" 2015 Steve Harvey Herself/Panelist Episode: "Episode #4.40" FABLife Herself/Guest Co-Host Episode: "Episode #1.58" Dora and Friends: Into the City! La Sirena Mala (voice) Episode: "Magical Mermaid Adventure" East Los High Liliana Recurring Cast: Season 3 2015–16 Christina Milian Turned Up Herself Main Cast Grandfathered Vanessa Main Cast 2016 Lip Sync Battle Herself/Competitor Episode: "Josh Peck vs. Christina Milian" The Talk Herself/Guest Co-Host Episode: "Episode #6.198" 2017 Big Star Little Star Herself/Contestant Episode: "Episode #1.5" Celebrity Family Feud Herself/Contestant Episode: "Episode #4.6" Superhuman Herself/Panelist Main Panelist Beat Shazam Herself Episode: "Episode #1.11" 90's House Herself/Host Main Host Ridiculousness Herself Episode: "Christina Milian" 2017–18 Hip Hop Squares Herself/Panelist Guest Panelist: Season 3–5 2018 The Real Herself/Guest Co-Host Episode: "Christina Milian/Jenifer Lewis/Hit Reply" 2019 Drop the Mic Herself Episode: "Episode #3.5" Botched Herself Episode: "Viva Las Vegas Boobs" Song Association Herself Episode: "Christina Milian" The Oath Officer Christine Parks Main Cast: Season 2 Claws Fake Virginia Episode: "What Is Happening to America" Soundtrack De'Andra Green Recurring Cast 2021 Step Up: High Water Collette Jones Main Cast: Season 3 2024–25 Dexter: Original Sin Maria LaGuerta Main Cast

Music videos Year Song Artist 2000 "The Best of Me" Mýa featuring Jadakiss 2006 "A Public Affair" Jessica Simpson 2008 "Elevator" Flo Rida featuring Timbaland 2013 "Tapout" Rich Gang featuring Future "Let There Be Love" Christina Aguilera 2014 "My Baby" Zendaya

Video games Year Title Role 2002 Kim Possible: Revenge of Monkey Fist - 2003 Def Jam Vendetta Angeline "Angel" Rodriguez (voice) 2008 Need for Speed: Undercover Carmen Mendez (voice)

Awards and nominations