With her newly released and long-awaited Spanish-language album La Fuerza, Chistina Aguilera is reclaiming her throne in the music industry. The project, her second album in Spanish in over 20 years, revisit and honor her Ecuadorian roots while pushing for empowerment and self-sufficiency.

The proud Latina superstar released the first of three extended play records with six songs, including “La Reina,” an answer back to Vicente Fernandez’s iconic classic “El Rey.” Christina belts a stunning ranchera poised to become the next empowered female anthem.

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During a Zoom press conference with HOLA! USA and more Latinx media outlets, Aguilera said she loves classic music and highlighted some of the greatest Latin American artists of all time. “I love the greats. Chavela [Vargas] was a key illustrator in ‘La Fuerza’ because I really wanted to touch on classic Latin music, and I always pay tribute to the greats who have come before us. The legends,” she told us.

“I did my whole ‘Back to Basics’ record in honor of soul, jazz and blues musicians who have truly been an inspiration to me, and in that regard, in the Latin world, Chavela has been one of them, Vicente Fernández has been another,” she continued.

Speaking of Fernández, Christina reveals that she decided to honor “El Rey de las Rancheras” by releasing a song celebrating his legacy and a respectful “answer back” of the single that says he is the king.

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“On this record, I have an answer back to that classic legendary song called ‘La Reina,’ which is basically saying today, ‘it’s amazing that you’re the king, you will always be the king, but you are nothing without your queen,’” she explains. “So is really fun to tap as a grown woman making music that I feel empowered by and that I can share not only with my kids, but ultimately the fans will have been waiting for me to come back to Spanish-language music and do what I love to do for me now.”

Aguilera also remembered the heartwarming moments in which she had the opportunity to sing in Mexico next to one of Vicente Fernández’s sons, Alejandro Fernández. “I love collaborating, and he’s an incredible artist and a legend in his own right,” she said. “It was very special to me. I got to sing that song whenever I went to his hometown in Guadalajara. He was so sweet. And he came and joined me on stage whenever I went to Mexico for my last concert before everything shut down and was so kind.”

Christina described being in Guadalajara as an experience she will cherish forever. “In his hometown…there was so much love for him, and it was such a beautiful experience,” she said. “It was definitely one of the highlights of being on stage, so it was beautiful to share that experience with him and, I have so much respect for him.”