Christine Marié Flores (born September 26, 1981), better known by her stage name Christina Milian, is an American recording artist, actress, dancer and model.
Milian has released three studio albums. Her self-titled debut album was released in 2001, and features the singles "AM to PM" and "When You Look at Me"; both peaked in the top three on the UK Singles Chart. The singer's second studio album, It's About Time (2004), provided her first major US hit "Dip It Low". Milian's third studio album, So Amazin' (2006), produced only one single, "Say I". A month after the release of So Amazin', Milian's representative confirmed that she had left Island Records due to creative differences. Milian signed with Interscope Records in 2009, through which she will release her album, Elope. A single, ballad "Us Against the World", was released in October 2008. She has worked on a fourth studio album due for release in 2011.
Although Milian is best known for her singing career, she originally wanted to be an actress. Her first lead role was in the 2003 film Love Don't Cost a Thing, and subsequently had main roles in Be Cool and the horror film Pulse. Milian had a minor role in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and starred as the lead role in the straight-to-DVD film Bring It On: Fight to the Finish. On September 4, 2009, Milian and R&B singer/songwriter The-Dream eloped in Las Vegas, and she gave birth to their daughter, Violet, on February 26, 2010. Milian and The-Dream announced their separation on July 12, 2010. Milian has since been cast in the ABC Family Original Movie Christmas Cupid, alongside Ashley Benson and Chad Michael Murray.
Milian was born in Jersey City, New Jersey to Cuban parents Carmen (née Milian) and Don Flores. Named Christine Marié Flores at birth, Milian changed her name and adopted her mother's maiden name in the hopes of landing a wider range of acting roles. The oldest of three sisters, including Danielle and Elizabeth, she moved with her family to Waldorf, Maryland soon after her birth. Milian was only four years old when she showed an interest in show business, and when her family realized that she was a talented actress, she became determined to pursue an entertainment career. 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 it took some time to convince them. By the time she was nine years old, Milian had begun auditioning with local talent agencies, shot commercials for Wendy's and Honeycomb, and played the lead role in the musical Annie. Milian's mother noticed her daughter's potential and moved to Los Angeles with her three daughters when Milian was 13 years old. Milian's father stayed in Maryland and divorced her mother soon after the move.
