Singer Christina Aguilera has channeled the spirit of another American pop figure, Andy Warhol, and melded it with one of the hippest influences in the contemporary world — Tokyo — to produce Inspire, her first women’s scent aimed at the U.S.

During a recent trip to New York, Aguilera said the development of the fragrance was in synch with the production of a new album she hopes to put out around the end of year. The last record, “Back to Basics,” was a high-glam, red-lipped retro look at Old Hollywood. The new effort is meant to provide “a modern take on the Pop Art era,” the influence that Warhol had on the period combined with the image of Tokyo, particularly “the energy and excitement and how the whole city feels and comes alive at night,” she said.

The outer packaging is red because “it’s fun, it pops.” A touch of pink is meant to add playfulness, she said, the teardrop shape of the bottle is the classic statement and the silver-colored, saucer-shaped top “brings in the modern appeal.”

Her licensee, P&G Prestige Products, is entering the celebrity sweepstakes with Aguilera and has studied the category with the kind of thoroughness that the Cincinnati-based consumer products behemoth hopes will propel it to the head of the class. … read more »