"The Voice Within" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her fourth studio album, Stripped (2002).

Upon its release, "The Voice Within" received mainly positive reviews from music critics, who called it an inspirational ballad and praised Aguilera's strong vocals on the track, comparing it to Mariah Carey's work.

Commercially, "The Voice Within" peaked within the top 10 of charts internationally including Australia, Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

[11] Aguilera wanted the Alicia Keys-penned ballad "Impossible" to be the last single from the album, but RCA opted for "The Voice Within".

Chuck Taylor of Billboard praised the "breathtaking and organically flowing" melody, noting that "Aguilera delivers what is perhaps her most assured vocal yet, punching through the clouds and taking her place as a fist-shaking member of the heavenly choir."

Taylor also highlighted that the track "is an inspired recording and a showcase for all that this artist can accomplish when she lets the voice precede that offputting image.

[14] Sal Cinquemani for Slant Magazine gave the song a very positive review, naming it an "inspirational" ballad and praised her powerful vocals.

[15] CD Universe also praised Aguilera's "rich, throaty style" vocals on the track and compared the song to works by Mariah Carey.

[16] Rachel McRady of Wetpaint complimented the song's inspiration melody, declaring that it "basically reduces us to tears every time we hear it".

She's trying to grow as an artist and along the way she's taking all kinds of risks and a lot of times people let those things overshadow her ability and her talent.

[33] The video begins with a close-up scene of Aguilera and zooms out to her wearing a slip and sitting in an abandoned prop room.

[33] In one continuous black and white shot, Aguilera walks through several rooms, exits the building, and finally lies on a light box.

[39] In July 2021, Aguilera performed the song for two nights at the Hollywood Bowl with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

[40][41] In March 2022, she sang "The Voice Within" during the Expo 2020 concert in Dubai,[42] and in January 2025 she performed it again, at the Joy Awards opening show.

[45] PopCrush writer Mike Nied noted that while the defining ballad on Stripped is often "Beautiful", "The Voice Within" "delivers the perfect personal pep talk and serves as a reminder to trust your gut".

[48] Simon Cowell compared McPhee's abilities to those of Aguilera, commenting that her performance was almost as good as the original singer.