Of Course Christina Aguilera Showed Up in a Splashy Way for Pride This Weekend

At the Los Angeles Pride celebrations over the weekend, plenty of celebrities showed up to be a part of the festivities. But pop icon and powerhouse singer Christina Aguilera made a particularly splashy appearance, performing onstage at the L.A. Pride Music Festival and Parade in West Hollywood — and getting an assist from the drag queens participating in a drag contest.

Aguilera, who’s in the midst of an album rollout, sang a new, dance version of her first single “Accelerate.” (The hip-hop-influenced track first dropped in early May, marking her official return to releasing new music since 2012 after years spent as a coach on The Voice reality show.)

“It’s a new remix just for you guys,” she told the crowd of tens of thousands at the show on Sunday night. “For Pride.” For her surprise appearance at Pride, she decided to bring it in a big way, dressing up in a dramatic leopard-print outfit, black lipstick and bustier for her moment in the spotlight. She had crashed the stage during the drag contest portion of the evening, featuring some of the stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race reality show and local performers, who all danced alongside her and fanned her as the song played.

She has followed “Accelerate” with Demi Lovato collaboration “Fall in Line” and last week’s “Like I Do” with GoldLink, with album Liberation — her eighth — planned for a release on June 15.

Aguilera has advocated for LGBTQ rights before; her early hit single “Beautiful” from 2002 was proudly inclusive, and she contributed to recovery after the Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016.