Christina Aguilera overcame the childhood pain she suffered at the hands of an abusive father by channelling her emotions into music.

The Beautiful hitmaker has opened up about her violent father Fausto in a new TV documentary, admitting that the U.S. army sergeant made life hell for her, her mother and sister Rachel.

She tells E!, "I witnessed a lot of unpleasant things - a lot of pushing and shoving and fighting and quarrelling. Growing up I did not feel safe. Feeling powerless is the worst feeling in the world. I turned to singing as an outlet. The pain at home is where my love for music came from."

Aguilera's mother, Shelly, describes the extent of the abuse in the documentary, recalling one horrific incident when she found a four-year-old Aguilera with blood dripping from her chin.

The singer's mother says, "I scooped her up and said, 'Oh my God. What's wrong?' She told me, 'Daddy wanted to take a nap and I made too much noise.'"

Aguilera's mother eventually fled from her violent husband, taking her daughters to live with their grandmother.

Her father has since begged forgiveness but the pop star has no desire to have a relationship with him, adding, "I let him back into my life briefly but I soon realized that he is not necessary in my life."