Christina Milian ( , Flores; born September 26, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Following a number of minor television and film roles in the late 1990s, Milian made her recording debut on American rapper Ja Rule's 2000 single "Between Me and You", which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Under Island Records, she released her 2001 debut single "AM to PM", which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. In 2002, she performed the theme song ("Call Me, Beep Me!") for the Disney Channel animated series Kim Possible. Following a series of delays, her debut studio album, Christina Milian (2002), was released to moderate commercial reception. Her second album, It's About Time (2004), spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top-five hit "Dip It Low" (featuring Fabolous). Her third album, So Amazin (2006), yielded the US top-40 single, "Say I" (featuring Jeezy). Milian experienced particular success in the United Kingdom, where each of her songs released under Island peaked within the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart. She parted ways with Island following the release of the last album, and self-released her first extended play, 4U, in 2015.
As an actress, her first lead film role was in Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003). She subsequently had lead roles in the films Be Cool (2005) and Pulse (2006), and in the direct-to-DVD film Bring It On: Fight to the Finish (2009). Milian also starred in the ABC Family Original Movie Christmas Cupid (2010). From 2015 to 2016, she starred in the sitcom Grandfathered. She played María LaGuerta in the series Dexter: Original Sin (2024–2025). Milian also co-founded and co-owns Beignet Box, a dessert shop in the Los Angeles area.
Early life
Christina Flores was born on September 26, 1981, Jersey City, New Jersey, and is of Cuban descent.
Flores changed her name and adopted her mother's maiden name (Milian) in the hopes of landing a wider range of acting roles. 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 convincing them took some time. She began writing songs at the age of 17 because she needed a demonstration recording (demo) to help her obtain a recording contract. According to Milian, every time she recorded a song, the producer would refuse to give her the demo or would write lyrics with which she did not agree. She felt that she had to write a song, record a demo, and send it out on her own. During this time, she had minor roles in film and television, including Sister, Sister, Smart Guy, The Steve Harvey Show, Get Real, The Wood and American Pie. Milian made her first professional musical appearance on rapper Ja Rule's second studio album Rule 3:36 (2000), performing vocals on the song "Between Me and You". and on the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart in the United Kingdom. Milian co-wrote and performed vocals for the track "Play" for Jennifer Lopez's album J. Lo (2001), and co-wrote "Same Ol' Same Ol'", the second single from girl group PYT's debut album PYT (Down with Me) (2001).
Milian's collaboration with Ja Rule led to a record deal with Def Soul Records, prompted by his affiliation with Murder Inc. Records, an imprint that was distributed through Def Jam, the parent label of Def Soul Records. She travelled to Sweden and recorded her self-titled debut album. The album was released outside North America on January 23, 2002, peaking at number 23 on the UK Albums Chart in the United Kingdom. The album's domestic release was canceled, primarily due to the September 11 attacks. Two singles were taken from the album, "AM to PM" and "When You Look at Me", both of which charted worldwide. A music video for the track "Get Away" was filmed in Paris, although it was not officially released as a single. Critical response to the album was generally mixed to positive. In the following years, she was featured on the track "It's All Gravy", a duet with British rapper Romeo, which peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Milian's third top ten song in Britain as a credited artist, and fourth overall; and collaborated with Hilary Duff on the song "I Heard Santa on the Radio" for Duff's debut album Santa Claus Lane (2002).