Reflection (song)

"Reflection" is a song written and produced by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel for the soundtrack of Disney's 1998 animated film Mulan.

In the film, the song is performed by Tony Award winner, Filipina singer and actress Lea Salonga as Fa Mulan.

An accompanying music video for "Reflection" was included as a bonus to the Disney Gold Classic Collection DVD release of the film in February 2000.

The single's commercial success funded Aguilera's debut album from RCA, in addition to gaining her credibility amongst established writers and producers.

The lyrical content expresses the way Mulan feels about wanting to show the world who she really is instead of pretending to be who she is not, but is afraid to disappoint her family by doing so.

This scene takes place at Mulan's home in its surrounding gardens and ends in her family temple, where she removes her makeup to reveal her true appearance.

In 2015, Salonga revealed that she was asked to re-record the song back in 1996 in its shortened form as the producers saw that the first version is not moving the story along.

[7] Remembering how the accompaniment for the ballad was recorded, Aguilera told Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "It's enough to bring tears to your eyes, hearing a 90-piece orchestra playing your song.

[9] "Reflection" was Aguilera's second official studio track ever recorded, after the single "All I Wanna Do", a duet with Japanese singer-songwriter Keizo Nakanishi.

Aguilera spent hours recording a cover of Whitney Houston's "Run to You", which included the note she was asked to hit.

[17][18] In a 2024 interview for Spotify, Aguilera opined that "Reflection" has "stood the test of time", and added: "[...] People love that song so much because it's about not being seen and that's been a part of my career.

[24] Billboard later placed "Reflection" at number twenty-three on its list of the 100 Greatest Disneyverse Songs of All Time, commenting: "Largely thanks to Christina Aguilera’s breakthrough rendition of the hit, 'Reflection' has become an anthem for young people — especially women — who are working towards being unapologetically themselves.

[29] Whilst watching the show on This Morning, Aguilera gained the attention of songwriter Diane Warren, who was astonished by such a young performer being as "polished" as she was.

[44] In December 2020, PopSugar UK's Kelsie Gibson named the release of "Reflection" as one of the top 15 nostalgic moments of the year.

[51][52][53] On November 20, 2020, another English version of the song was recorded by Indonesian singers Yura Yunita, Sivia Azizah, Agatha Pricilla, and Nadin Amizah, with the music video released on the DisneyMusicAsiaVEVO channel.