Milian was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, to Cuban parents Don and Carmen. She has two younger sisters, Dannielle and Elizabeth. Her family moved to Waldorf, Maryland soon after her birth and she set her heart on an entertainment career at the age of four. Milian shot commercials for (Wendy's, Honeycomb) and played the lead role in the musical Annie before moving to Los Angeles at thirteen to pursue an acting career. Soon after the family's move, her father divorced her mother. Milian graduated from Westlake High School in Waldorf, Maryland; and also attended Matthew Henson Middle School in Indian Head, Maryland.
In 2000, Milian made her first official musical appearance on Ja Rule's second studio album Rule 3:36, performing guest vocals on his song "Between Me and You". Released as the album's lead single in 2001, the track managed to peak at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and in the top 30 of the UK singles chart, building Milian's reputation as a singer. Milian also appeared in MΓ½a's video for "Best of Me" playing a friend. In the meantime Milian co-wrote and provided extensive backing vocals for the track "Play" for Jennifer Lopez's 2001 album J. Lo which became another success. Milian would later pass down the song to Lopez because of already having a club song with "AM to PM" as promotion. She also went on to co-write "Same Ol' Same Ol", the first single from girl group PYT's debut album Down With Me.
In 2001, Milian eventually released her first solo single, "AM to PM", off her self-titled debut album. The song became a worldwide hit reaching the top 5 in the UK and Denmark, top 10 in the Netherlands, and top 30 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and in Australia. The success of "AM to PM" sparked the international release of the Christina Milian album which she co-wrote and produced, although not in the United States. The second single "When You Look At Me" was another international hit reaching the top 5 in the UK, Netherlands, and Ireland and making the top 40 in Denmark, Germany, Australia, and France. Although a music video for the album's third single "Get Away" (another collaboration with Ja Rule) was filmed in Paris, the single was not released officially.
Afterwards Milian also was featured on the track "It's All Gravy", a duet with British Rapper Romeo of the UK garage group So Solid Crew. While the song was another UK top ten hit single in 2002, Milian provided the theme song for the hit Disney series Kim Possible, "Call Me, Beep Me" later that year. In 2002, she also collaborated with Hilary Duff on her Christmas album Santa Claus Lane, on the song "I Heard Santa on the Radio."
In 2003, Milian started recording songs with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Bloodshy & Avant and Cory Rooney for her first U.S. release, It's About Time (whose title is a direct reference to how long it had taken for one of her albums to be released domestically). The album was released to positive reviews on July 13, 2004, but failed to receive immense commercial success when it debuted at #21 in the UK and #14 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling over 36,000 copies in the first week only. While It's about Time ended up with lackluster sales of 394,000 copies in the United States, it gained prominence when it received a Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary R&B Album" in 2005.
The album's first single, "Dip It Low" (written by singer Teedra Moses and Black Eyed Peas producer Poli Paul) however, became Milian's biggest hit to date, when it peaked at #1 on a world composite dance chart (compiled on data from the U.S., UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Australia), simultaneously reaching #2 in the UK, #5 in the U.S., #7 in New Zealand and the top 20 in Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Norway and the Netherlands. The single was also certified Gold by the RIAA for digital sales. The album's second and final single, "Whatever U Want" (featuring Joe Budden) failed to reprise the success of the lead single, but again reached the top 10 in the UK as well as charting on the Billboard Hot 100.
Milian's third studio album So Amazin' was released on May 16, 2006. Milian worked with Cool & Dre on the majority of the production of the album, and the project was finished with additional help from Rich Harrison and executive producers Jay-Z and LA Reid. Christina mentions working with Cool & Dre for the entire album "made a more consistent, very real and personal album" compared to her other works. The record's first single "Say I" featured rapper Young Jeezy and was released in March 2006 as a single and video. The song made it to number 1 on iTunes UK Music Store and was number 1 on AOL music, but altogether saw moderate success only with peak positions on #21 in the United States, #4 in the UK and #45 in Australia.
While So Amazin' failed to reach the top 10 when it debuted at #11 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the album saw minor international success only, peaking at #67 in the UK inter alia. With "Gonna Tell Everybody" a second single from the album was chosen, but Island Def Jam neither agreed to film a music video nor booked promotional appearances for Milian to promote the song. In June 2006, instead, Milian's representative confirmed that she had left the Island Def Jam record label due to "creative differences" - though disappointing album sales were believed to be the main factor, since the album sold less than 500,000 worldwide (over 130,000 in United States).
Due to the low sales of So Amazin', Milian released her first compilation album, titled The Best of Christina Milian on November 22, 2006. The album was released under the Universal International label. The album includes her hit singles and songs that she hand picked herself from her first three studio albums, Christina Milian, It's About Time, and So Amazin', though, only one track, Say I, was chosen from So Amazin', possibly due to the fact that it is her lowest selling album. The album was only released in Japan and some other Asian countries; but was not released in the U.S. or Europe. The album peaked at a disappointing #29 on the Japanese ORICON Albums Chart, and has sold only 38,078 copies to date.
Following her departure from Island Def Jam Music Group, Milian signed with MySpace Records in 2008. She began writing songs and recording in the studio with numerous different producers, including Cool & Dre, J. R. Rotem, The Runners, Danja, Madd Scientist, T-Pain, Jim Jonsin and Toby Gad. Milian was featured on the cover of Rap-Up's 2008 Winter issue, in which she announced that the album's title was Dream in Color. A single was released in October 2008, ballad "Us Against the World". It was written by Milian and produced by Madd Scientist. The single, described by Milian as a "cinematic power ballad", premiered via MySpace on October 6, 2008, and was made available by digital download the next day. Milian felt that Madd Scientist "brought the best out of me" while producing "Us Against the World", and "was really able to do some amazing things with my vocals".
After recording songs with the aforementioned producers, Milian took a break from music and started filming Bring It On: Fight to the Finish. When Milian returned to music, she concentrated on promoting her single "Us Against the World", and shot its music video. Since then, Milian said that she became "a little bit more meticulous with what I feel deserved to be on the album", and resumed recording. Songs recorded for the album included the 90's Madonna-styled ballad "Stay", Euro-club record "Tug of War" and the feel-good song "Diamonds", which featured Kanye West. Other features included Rick Ross on the Cool & Dre produced track "Blissful", and Pitbull.
In early 2009, Milian began working with The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, and L.O.S. Da Maestro, which led to her signing a deal with Radio Killa Records. Milian revealed that aside from "Us Against the World", The-Dream and Tricky Stewart would be producing all the songs on her album. In March 2009, Milian changed the album's title to Elope. Regarding the album's title change, Milian explained, "the definition of elope is to run away secretly with one's beloved. This next album is about taking responsibility for yourself and making your own decisions." 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". She said that fans could expect an "edgy sound with lots of strong powerful anthems. Big up tempos, R&B and Pop at it's [sic] best and two big ballads".
In August 2009, Milian confirmed that she had signed a deal to release Elope through Interscope Records, with a 2010 release date. Originally scheduled to be released in 2009, Tricky Stewart explained the delay, saying "we just got our label deals done, so the reason why some of these projects got delayed had to do with technicalities and things of that nature". The album has been furthered delayed because of Milian's marriage to The-Dream and her pregnancy. 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 when Milian took a break for her pregnancy, she wanted to "go back and re-do some of the music and make some new songs and find my new inspiration". In October 2009, Tricky Stewart said that another single had yet to be chosen, and that it would be the first single off Elope. Reported choices for the first single include "Zipper", "I'm a Cheat", and "Supersonic".
On February 26, 2010, Milian gave birth to their daughter Violet, although in July 2010, The-Dream announced that he and Milian had separated. Milian was scheduled to resume recording in July 2010 to complete the album; however, after her separation from The-Dream, Milian opted to focus on her acting career. Despite the separation, Milian and The-Dream continued to "work together and write together". At the 2010 Los Angeles Fashion Week, Milian performed "Zipper" and "Dip It Low". At the 2010 American Music Awards, Milian announced that her untitled fourth studio album will be released in 2011.
When You Look At Me
Christina Milian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're standing in your corner looking out on me
You think I'm so predictable
Tell me who do you think I am
Looks can be deceiving
Better guess again
Tell me what you see
When you look at me
You're probably thinking that I want those things
Cash, cars, diamond rings
Thinkin' on my side the grass is green
But you don't know where I have been
I could be a wolf in disguise
I could be an angel in your eyes
Never judge a book by its cover
I could be a crook or your lover
I could be the one or the other
If you'd look beneath you'd discover
You just don't know me
Tell me who do you think you see
You're standing in your corner looking out on me
You think I'm so predictable
Tell me who do you think I am
Looks can be deceiving
Better guess again
Tell me what you see
When you look at me
You look at your neighbor thinking, "what a guy"
'Cause he's got a nine to five
And I bet that you don't realize
He stalks you while you sleep at night
Yet you're scared of the homeless guy
Think he's gonna wanna start a fight
Never judge a book by its cover
I could be a crook or your lover
I could be the one or the other
If you'd look beneath you'd discover
You just don't know me
Tell me who do you think you see
You're standing in your corner looking out on me
You think I'm so predictable
Tell me who do you think I am
Looks can be deceiving
Better guess again (be deceiving)
Tell me what you see
When you look at me
Tell me who do you think you see
You're standing in your corner looking out on me
You think I'm so predictable
Tell me who do you think I am
Looks can be deceiving
Better guess again
Tell me what you see
When you look at me
Now tell me, who do you think I am? Huh?
You don't even know me
Well did you think about this?
I could be a crook or your lover
I could be the one or the other
If you'd look beneath you'd discover
You just don't know me
Tell me who do you think you see
You're standing in your corner looking out on me
You think I'm so predictable
Tell me who do you think I am
Looks can be deceiving
Better guess again
Tell me what you see
When you look at me
Tell me who do you think you see
You're standing in your corner looking out on me
You think I'm so predictable
Tell me who do you think I am
Looks can be deceiving
Better guess again
Tell me what you see
When you look at me
In Christina Milian's song When You Look at Me, she challenges the listener's assumptions about her based on her appearance. She asks, "Tell me who do you think you see? You're standing in your corner looking out on me. You think I'm so predictable. Tell me who do you think I am." She implies that people tend to stereotype others based on their outer appearance and that they make assumptions about what they want or who they are without knowing them.
The second verse of the song continues this message, with Milian singing, "You're probably thinking that I want those things. Cash, cars, diamond rings. Thinkin' on my side the grass is green. But you don't know where I have been." She suggests that people assume she wants material things and envy her lifestyle without knowing the sacrifices and hard work that go into achieving her success. She also reminds the listener that things are not always as they seem, stating that she "could be a wolf in disguise" or "an angel in [their] eyes."
Overall, the song is about how we should not judge others based on their appearance or our assumptions about them. We should take the time to get to know someone before making judgments or assumptions about who they are, what they want, or what they have been through.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me who do you think you see
Who do you believe is in front of you right now?
You're standing in your corner looking out on me
You are viewing me from afar, without taking the time to get to know me.
You think I'm so predictable
You believe that you can anticipate my actions and behaviors.
Tell me who do you think I am
Who do you think I am as a person?
Looks can be deceiving
Appearances can be misleading or false.
Better guess again
You should rethink your assumptions about me.
Tell me what you see
What do you perceive when you look at me?
You're probably thinking that I want those things
You assume that I desire material possessions like money, cars, and jewelry.
Cash, cars, diamond rings
These are material possessions that are often associated with success and wealth.
Thinkin' on my side the grass is green
You believe that I have a better life or better things than you do.
But you don't know where I have been
You are not aware of the experiences, struggles, and challenges that I have faced in my life.
I could be a wolf in disguise
I could be dangerous or deceptive, pretending to be something else.
I could be an angel in your eyes
I could be someone who inspires hope or positivity for you.
Never judge a book by its cover
Do not make assumptions about someone based solely on their appearance or first impression.
I could be a crook or your lover
I could be someone who commits crimes or someone who loves and cares for you.
I could be the one or the other
I could be different things to different people, depending on their perceptions and experiences with me.
If you'd look beneath you'd discover
If you took the time to truly get to know me, you would find out who I really am.
You just don't know me
You do not have a deep enough understanding of my personality, beliefs, and values to make accurate assumptions about me.
You look at your neighbor thinking, "what a guy"
You assume your neighbor is a good person just based on his occupation or appearance.
'Cause he's got a nine to five
You believe he has a stable job and income.
And I bet that you don't realize
You are unaware or ignorant of a certain fact or truth about him.
He stalks you while you sleep at night
He may have a dark or problematic side that you do not see.
Yet you're scared of the homeless guy
You fear or stereotype the homeless person as dangerous or undesirable.
Think he's gonna wanna start a fight
You believe he may be violent or aggressive towards you.
Now tell me, who do you think I am? Huh?
I challenge your assumptions about me and ask for your true opinions.
You don't even know me
You lack the knowledge and familiarity to make accurate judgments about me.
Well did you think about this?
Have you considered this possibility or thought before?
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Nina Woodford, Christian Karlsson, Henrik Jonback, Fredrik Oedesjoe, Christina Milian
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@123KandieGirl
Amerie, Mya, Ashanti, and Christina Milian are terribly underrated.
@missbrauchbar
Exactly!
@becky7924
they just didnt sell their souls
@thekennidishow2833
QuietRiot123
@amanietingle6379
I know right! good comment.
@alexandruene4247
Ciara..cough cough...
@daniellybrunapr
Her beauty is just incredible.
@T-Jin
So pure !!
@TekkenOnlineFights
πΊ
@maevamarescot4437
I agree