Milian was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Cuban parents Don and Carmen Flores.[5] Named Christine Flores, Milian changed her name and adopted her mother's maiden name in the hopes of landing a wider range of acting roles.[4] The oldest of three sisters, she moved with her family to Waldorf, Maryland soon after her birth.[5] Milian was only four years old when she showed an interest in show business,[6] and when her family realized that she was a talented actress, she became determined to pursue an entertainment career.[5] As a child, Milian was "very imaginative and very creative", and watching television and listening to the radio became her life. They inspired her to have fun, and she convinced her parents that she "wanted to be inside the TV", although it took some time to convince them.[4] By the time she was nine-years-old, Milian had begun auditioning with local talent agencies,[4] shot commercials for Wendy's and Honeycomb, and played the lead role in the musical Annie. Milian's mother noticed her daughter's potential and moved to Los Angeles with her three daughters when Milian was 13 years old. Milian's father stayed in Maryland and divorced her mother soon after the move.[5]
Milian describes her family as her "everything", and says that although she got along with everyone as a child, she did not have many friends. Acting at a young age, Milian says that "people knew about it. It was the talk. Even the teachers were talking about it."[7] When Milian moved to Los Angeles, her only desire was to be an actress. She always wanted to be in the record business, but did not know how to obtain a recording contract. After living in Los Angeles for six months, Milian moved into the same apartment complex as songwriter and producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Jerkins heard about Milian from a boy band he was working with and once he heard her sing, they began working together. For a year and a half, Milian went into a studio everyday and worked with Jerkins, which is where she started meeting people in the record business.[8] She began writing songs at the age of 17 because she needed a demo to help her obtain a recording contract. According to Milian, every time she recorded a song, the producer would refuse to give her the demo, or would write lyrics that she did not agree with. She felt that she had to write a song, record a demo, and send it out on her own.[9]
; "christina milian")
button beside categories below to add/edit content
![Say I [CD Single] [Single]](http://i.pgcdn.com/muze_images/music/720/725113_69x69.jpg "Say I [CD Single] [Single]")
![Song "La Musica Tremenda [La Tormenta Mix]" from album "Skills"](http://www.weblo.com/music/images/albums/full/Skills_48ff89e0c5654.jpg "Song \"La Musica Tremenda [La Tormenta Mix]\" from album \"Skills\"")
