Christina Aguilera feels "connected" to her LGBTQIA+ fans.
The 41-year-old pop star, who shot to fame in the late 1990s with hits such as “Come on Over” and “Genie in a Bottle”, penned an open letter to her lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender fans, noting they had endured struggles as they fought to be heard.
She said: "I'm all about people standing up for what they believe in, which is why I think the LGBTQ+ community feels connected to me. We've all come from the struggle; We've all had to fight to be heard."
The “Dirrty” hitmaker said that when she first started her career, she was encouraged to act a certain way for the pop scene but eventually broke out of the convention, with her 2002 album “Stripped”.
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In the letter, printed in this week's edition of PEOPLE,, she said: "When I came onto the scene with songs like 'Genie in a Bottle' and 'What a Girl Wants' in 1999, I had a hard time feeling like I had to look and act a certain way to fit into the pop star mold.
“But I did not want to be this safe, conventionally pretty, precious thing. So, for my 2002 album 'Stripped', I decided, 'I'm just going to be myself.' It was the first album where I told stories that I really believed in — stories about my own personal struggles and the domestic abuse I witnessed in my family growing up."
Back in 2002, Aguilera release the song “Beautiful” and the music video depicted a gay couple kissing and a transexual coming to terms with their identity, a move which she is "proud" of upon reflection because those things were once considered "taboo".
“I was also proud to put a spotlight on the LGBTQ+ community with my ‘Beautiful’ music video, which features a gay couple, as well as a trans woman.
“I wasn't thinking too much about it beyond wanting to show people owning who they are. It was somehow taboo at the time, but it represented something so true. "
The “Candyman” singer concluded her letter by reminding her gay fans that she would be performing for them at LA Pride on Saturday.
She said there was "nothing like" performing for the LGBTQ+ community because they are "her people".
"I'm going to be headlining L.A. Pride on June 11, and there's nothing like performing for my LGBTQ+ fans. I feel safe with them to express myself however I want, whether it be through a huge ballad or something super sensual because they appreciate it all.
“I get to be as colorful and loud as I want to be. They're my people. "