Reflection (song) facts for kids

"Reflection" is a famous song from Disney's 1998 animated movie, Mulan. It was written and produced by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel. In the movie, the song is sung by Lea Salonga, who is a talented singer and actress from the Philippines. She sings as the main character, Fa Mulan.

A special music video for "Reflection" was added as a bonus feature on the Disney Gold Classic Collection DVD of the movie in 2000. Later, a different version of the song was recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera. This song became her very first single, meaning it was the first song she released on her own. Christina Aguilera was 17 years old when her version came out. The success of this song helped her get enough money to make her first album with RCA Records.

The Song in Mulan

In the movie Mulan, the song "Reflection" is sung by Lea Salonga. She sings as Mulan, and the song lasts about two and a half minutes. It was written by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel.

The song is performed after Mulan tries to impress a matchmaker but fails in a funny and embarrassing way. The words of the song show how Mulan feels inside. She wants to be herself and show the world who she truly is, but she is worried about disappointing her family. This scene happens at Mulan's home, in her garden, and ends in her family's temple. There, she takes off her makeup, showing her true face.

Christina Aguilera's Version

"Reflection"
Single by Christina Aguilera
from the album Mulan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
Released	June 15, 1998
Recorded	February 1998
Genre	Pop R&B
Length	3:33
Label	Walt Disney RCA
Songwriter(s)	Matthew Wilder David Zippel
Producer(s)	Matthew Wilder
Christina Aguilera singles chronology
"Reflection" (1998) "Genie in a Bottle" (1999)

When Christina Aguilera wanted to record music, she reached out to RCA Records. They told her to contact Disney. After she got the chance to record "Reflection," she was also offered a record deal with RCA Records. To get the part, she had to sing a very high note. Christina practiced for hours, singing a song by Whitney Houston that had the high note she needed to hit. She called it "the note that changed my life." After she sang it perfectly, she got to record "Reflection."

Because her recording of "Reflection" was so good, RCA wanted Christina to release an album quickly. They started working on her first album right away, which came out in January 1999. "Reflection" was included on that album. Christina Aguilera's version of "Reflection" was released as her first single on June 15, 1998.

Live Performances

Christina Aguilera performed "Reflection" on TV four times. She sang it on CBS This Morning and the Donny & Marie show. When songwriter Diane Warren saw Christina perform on This Morning, she was very impressed by how talented such a young singer was. Diane Warren later said she saw great potential in Christina.

Christina also performed "Reflection" on MuchMusic's Intimate and Interactive in 2000. An ABC TV special in 2000, which showed her singing the song, was released on a DVD called My Reflection. The song was also part of the songs she sang during her concert series in Las Vegas, called The Xperience.

International Versions

Christina Aguilera's version of "Reflection" was also recorded in many other languages. These versions were included in the foreign soundtracks for the movie in 1998. In 2000, Christina herself recorded a Spanish-language version called "Mi Reflejo." This song was part of her album with the same name.

Other singers also recorded "Reflection" in different languages. For example, Lena Park, a Korean American singer, sang the Korean version. Coco Lee, a singer and actress from Hong Kong, sang the Mandarin Chinese version. She also voiced Mulan in the Mandarin version of the movie released in Taiwan.

2020 Live Action Version

"Reflection (2020)"
Single by Christina Aguilera
from the album Mulan (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Released	August 28, 2020
Length	3:38
Label	Walt Disney
Songwriter(s)	Matthew Wilder David Zippel
Producer(s)	Harry Gregson-Williams
Christina Aguilera singles chronology
"Loyal Brave True" (2020) "Reflection (2020)" (2020)

Even though the 2020 live-action movie Mulan was not a musical, Christina Aguilera announced in February 2020 that she had recorded a new version of "Reflection" for the movie's soundtrack. Film composer Harry Gregson-Williams created the orchestra music for this new version. The movie's director, Niki Caro, also directed the music video for the song.

Later that year, Coco Lee also re-recorded her Mandarin version of the song for the new movie. On March 8, 2020, actress Liu Yifei, who played Mulan in the live-action film, also covered Coco's Mandarin version for the soundtrack. New Japanese and Korean versions were recorded by singers Minami Kizuki and Lee Su-hyun. In September 2020, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu versions were released in India. Indian singer Nithayashree Venkataramanan sang the song in both Tamil and Telugu.

Track Listing

Here are some of the different versions of the "Reflection" single that were released:

• Australian CD single
• "Reflection" (performed by Christina Aguilera) – 3:34
• "Honor To Us All" (performed by Beth Fowler, Lea Salonga, Marnie Nixon) – 3:03

• Japan CD Mini single
• "Reflection" (performed by Christina Aguilera) – 3:34
• "Reflection" (performed by Lea Salonga) – 2:27

• Taiwan CD Mini single Promo
• "Reflection" (performed by Christina Aguilera) – 3:34
• "True To Your Heart" (performed by 98 Degrees & Stevie Wonder) – 4:17

Charts

The song "Reflection" appeared on music charts around the world.

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Other Versions

Many other artists have covered "Reflection." The group Mannheim Steamroller included the song on their 1999 album, Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse. Michael Crawford also covered this song on The Disney Album, changing the word "girl" to "man."

American Idol winner Jordin Sparks sang the song during the sixth season of the show, which helped her move forward in the competition. Jackie Evancho also covered the song on her album, Songs from the Silver Screen. In La Voz... Argentina (the Argentinian version of The Voice), Sofia Rangone sang the Spanish version of the song. During the Chinese competition show Singer 2018, British singer Jessie J performed a new version of the song and won first place in that episode.

See also

In Spanish: Reflection para niños