Britney Jean Spears was born on 2 December 1981 in McComb, Mississippi and grew up in Kentwood, Louisiana.
Britney Spears scored her first big hit in 1998 at the age of 16 with 'Baby One More Time'. Britney's success peaked when she received a Grammy in 2003. Musically, we heard less and less from Britney afterwards. However, the singer's private life became increasingly public and caused Britney to be frequently in the news.
Mickey Mouse Club
At the age of 8, Britney auditioned for the popular American children's programme 'Mickey Mouse Club'. The producers saw the talent in the girl but thought she was too young. Three years later, they did accept her. Alongside Britney, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera also appeared on the show.
Record contract
Record company Jive also saw potential in Britney. When 'Baby One More Time' was released as a single in 1998, Britney was only 16. The song exploded worldwide and earned many gold and platinum singles. The album of the same name contained more hits: '(You Drive Me) Crazy' and the ballad 'Sometimes'.
Kiss with Madonna
In 2003, Britney Spears performed together with Christina Aguilera, Madonna and Missy Elliott at the MTV Video Music Awards. Both Britney and Christina kissed Madonna during the performance of the song 'Like A Virgin'. Britney's kiss was especially widely reported in the press.
Married twice
The year 2004 started badly for Britney Spears. On 3 January, she married her childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander in Las Vegas. However, the marriage was annulled after only 55 hours. Britney quickly found a new love. In the summer of 2004, she got engaged to dancer Kevin Federline, whom she had met three months earlier in a nightclub. The couple married in October 2004.
Children
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline have two children together. Sean Preston Federline was born on 14 September 2005. A year later, on 12 September 2006, Britney gave birth to her second son Jayden James Federline.
Turbulent period
The period after the birth of Britney's second child was anything but calm. Britney filed for divorce in November 2006. According to Britney, there were irreconcilable differences between her and Kevin Federline. For Kevin, the divorce came as a complete surprise.
Clinic
In the last weeks of 2006 and early 2007, Britney was photographed mostly drunk, without underwear and partying wildly. Eventually, she was admitted to a clinic on 16 February 2007. However, she left after less than 24 hours and decided to shave her head and get a tattoo on her wrist. At that time, she released her album Blackout. Early 2008 things went completely wrong when Britney, after days without sleep, refused to return her sons to Kevin. The two had been fighting over the children for some time. The police had to intervene and Britney was admitted for a few days.
MTV Awards
Britney went through a deep low but seemed to recover by mid-2008. She reached an agreement with Kevin about custody of the children and was back in the gym and studio. After the fiasco at the MTV Awards the previous year, the tide turned. She won two awards, one for 'Album of the Year' (for Blackout) and the other for 'Act of the Year'.
Circus
After Blackout, she released the album Circus at the end of 2008, with two hit singles 'Womanizer' and 'Circus'.
3FM Serious Request anthem
In 2012, Britney scored a 3FM Megahit with rapper Will.i.am with the song 'Scream & Shout'. The song became the anthem of Serious Request 2012 in Enschede.
X-Factor and Las Vegas
In 2012, Britney Spears joined the jury for the second season of X-Factor. A year later, in 2013, it was announced that Britney would go to Las Vegas for concert residencies for a period of two years.
Back on top
More than 20 years since she became "Miss American Dreams", Britney Spears is back on top. She was finally freed from her father's conservatorship, married a man who seems to love her, and released her first new song in six years - a duet with none other than Sir Elton John.
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000, Britney has only one entry:
Sunday Morning Classic
On 25 June 2023, it was finally Britney's turn as Sunday Morning Classic. I must admit that I used to not listen to Britney's albums - only to the songs I liked. For us, the album Blackout from 2007 is her best work to date.
We can say so much about Blackout that I don't know where to start. Let's begin by saying that 2007 was not a good time for Britney Spears. Even today, some people say "if Britney survived 2007, you can survive today". That was the year she shaved her head and attacked paparazzi with an umbrella. All things that led to her conservatorship and the #FreeBritney movement.
It was that time Britney returned to the VMA stage and people said she looked bad when she presented Gimme More. Now we all see that this song is a perfect dance-pop masterpiece. The opening line became iconic: It's Britney, bitch! But because one iconic song is not enough, Blackout follows with Piece of Me. Britney has produced many songs about fame and its downsides, but this is the best.
Break the Ice is a subdued pop classic - maybe it shouldn't have been released as a single, but it's still very good. Heaven on Earth is a 5-minute pure disco bliss - more than 10 years before the genre made its comeback in the charts. Get Naked (I Got a Plan) is a sexy and fun song.
Freakshow and Toy Soldier have a futuristic pop sound and are ahead of their time. The album ends on a high note with the sexy Perfect Lover and the sincere Why Should I Be Sad, about her divorce from her father's children.
This pop masterpiece even found its way onto the prestigious "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.
Source: NPO, Wikipedia and Discographies Photo: Flickr and Public Domain
