Titled after her Spanish surname, Aguilera created the album as a means to pay tribute to and connect herself and her children to their Latin American heritage.

The album features collaborations with Becky G, Nicki Nicole, Nathy Peluso, Ozuna, Tini and Christian Nodal.

[1][2] After its release, Aguilera would continue release several collaborations in Spanish such as "Hoy Tengo Ganas de Ti" with Alejandro Fernández in 2013,[3] as well as incorporating Latin themes and Spanish lyrics throughout her English-language albums including the songs "Infatuation" from Stripped (2002),[4][5] and "Desnudate" from Bionic (2010).

[6] While working on her eighth studio album, Liberation (2018),[7] Aguilera took a trip to Ecuador in September 2015 as an ambassador for the World Food Programme.

[13] In early 2021, Aguilera relocated to Miami, Florida to continue working on the album in a writing camp held by Sony Music Latin.

[14] Sessions were held at Criteria and Art House recording studios starting in February 2021, and continued into April 2021.

[15][16][17][18][19] Aguilera enlisted producers Federico Vindver, Rafa Arcaute, and DallasK to work on the album.

[22][23] Among the songs recorded for Aguilera but not included on its final tracklist are "Lloras Por Na'" (featuring C. Tangana),[24] "Segura",[25] "Dolores",[26] and "Teatro".

[32] It also showcases heavy influences and elements of cumbia,[33] dance-pop,[33] Latin pop, reggaeton,[33] and tropical music.

La Luz is centered on forgiveness and closure,[36] taking inspiration from Aguilera's own experience with domestic violence.

"Saint") is a collaboration with Puerto Rican singer Ozuna and is a perreo song which "later transitions to a hip-shaking cumbia".

[30] The song is a "seducing, catchy mix of soft reggaetón and trap" with hints of bossa nova,[34] written in F Minor at 138 beats-per-minute.

[51] A duet version of the song featuring Mexican singer Christian Nodal was also released as the closing track on the second disc of the album.

Nina Hernandez, writer for the Houston Chronicle, noted comparisons between the album artwork for Aguilera and the Mother Guadalupe.

[66][67] In an interview with the Los Angeles Times following the release of the lead single, Aguilera revealed that the first part of the album would be titled La Fuerza (transl.

[76][77] On September 30, La Luz was released as a dual single, consisting of a spoken word intro, and "No Es Que Te Extrañe".

Music videos for both "Somos Nada" and "Pa Mis Muchachas" were filmed simultaneously in Los Angeles and were released with their respective singles.

[87] They were directed by Alexandre Moors and tell a continuous story, with "Somos Nada" serving as a sequel to "Pa Mis Muchachas".

[90] The music video for the song was directed by Nuno Gomez and is a continuation of the storyline in "Pa Mis Muchachas" and "Somos Nada".

[71] The murder mystery themed music video was first shown during Aguilera's performance of the song at the Mallorca Live Festival and was eventually released on July 22, 2022.

[98][99] Aguilera attended the 22nd Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on November 18, 2021, where she performed the album's first two singles, "Pa Mis Muchachas" and "Somos Nada" for the first time.

[100] Starting the performance with "Somos Nada", she was joined by piano player Julio Reyes Copello, before singin "Pa Mis Muchachas" alongside Becky G, Nicki Nicole and Nathy Peluso.

The festivals were part of her first promotional tour in support of Aguilera, titled EU / UK Summer Series.

[103] The tour also featured three arena concerts in Scarborough, Liverpool, and London, where Union J served as the opening act.

Lucas Villa of Latina, praised Aguilera for giving it "her all on this album that pays homage to her Latina roots", and particularly applauded her "mighty voice" on the song "Cuando Me Dé la Gana",[110] while BroadwayWorld writer Michael Major said that Aguilera "honoured her Latin roots in the best possible way", and complimented the album's ability to pay tribute to Latin music "without losing that essence that has made her one of the most important and respected artists of her generation".

[109] A review from Pollstar called the album a "triumphant comeback to the Latin market", also adding that Aguilera had "proved her powerful vocal prowess is not limited to one language".

[112] In the official write-up for the Grammy Awards website, Bianca Gracie praised Aguilera's vocal performance in the album as "more confident than ever before as she celebrated her rich heritage".

[114] Villa later stated that "LatinXtina was a bicultural force to behold this year" in a year-end review for Uproxx, considering Aguilera as one of the ten best Latin albums of 2022.

[c][118] Moises Mendez II of Time called the album "a project that shows just how well [Aguilera] understands the Latin music space", and praised her "gorgeous, bombastic vocals" on the "clear standout" song from the album, "La Reina", naming it one of the best Latin songs of the year.

[121] The duet version of "Cuando Me Dé la Gana" with Christian Nodal was nominated in the Best Regional Mexican Song category.