&Fighter& is a song recorded by American recording artist Christina Aguilera, taken from her fourth studio album, Stripped (2002). The song was written by Aguilera and Scott Storch, with production handled by the latter. It was released to US contemporary hit radio on March 13, 2003 as the third single from the album by RCA Records. &Fighter& is a pop song which incorporates elements from R&B, rock, arena rock and rock n roll. Lyrically, the song talks about a man who has done something wrong to the protagonist, and was inspired by the singer's unhappy childhood.
&Fighter& received mostly favorable reviews from music critics, who praised the song's strong melody, its empowering lyrics and Aguilera's powerful vocals. Commercially, the single was a success. It peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and achieved gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also reached the top ten of several regions, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands. On her 2012 album Lotus, Aguilera created the song &Army of Me&, which she labelled as &Fighter 2.0&, a sequel to &Fighter&.
An accompanying music video for &Fighter& was directed by Floria Sigismondi. It shows the metamorphosis of Aguilera's slow, yet steady progression of her inner-strength, from being heartbroken, to becoming unbreakable. Aguilera performed the track on several shows, notably on her Justified & Stripped Tour (2002–03), Stripped Live... on Tour (2003), Back to Basics Tour (2006–07) and at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. Recognized as one of the most empowering songs by Aguilera, &Fighter& has been covered on numerous occasions, notably by American Idol winner Jordin Sparks and American actor Darren Criss.