TENSION CONTINUES BETWEEN XTINA AND GAGA says Akon

-- Akon hopes Christina Aguileraand Lady Gaga go their separate ways - musically speaking.

"Christina shouldn't have anything to prove or anyone to compete with. I miss the old Christina Aguilera. I like the old one better than the new one," the musician told Vibemagazine of the comparisons between Christina's electro-tinged new "Bionic" sound and Lady Gaga. "Honestly, Gaga and Christina could probably get together and do something that's amazing. But that's impossible if they are both trying to do the same exact thing musically."

The two women have been compared since Gaga first rose up in the scene in 2008 and the singers sported similar looks -- both had blonde hair and blunt bangs.

At the time, Christina told the LA Times that she was "not quite sure who this person is."

However, Akon, who signed Gaga to his Kon Live Distribution imprint through Interscope before the release of her debut album, "The Fame," said his artist had changed the game for Christina.

"Aw man, that's not even any competition," he said. "You are actually giving Christina too much credit. She always had her cool little look and way about how she went about things. But soon as Gaga came out, everything switched up. Christina stepped out of her own shell to become something different. And the crazy thing is Christina is really talented. She has unlimited range when it comes to singing. Her voice is out of here."

Akon added that Christina - despite her decade-long career of hits - "just needs to believe in herself more."

"I think sometimes she gets insecure because of all of the success Gaga has had, not realizing that she was already successful before Gaga came out," he said.