Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is a very commercially successful and globally famous American dance-pop singer and actress. Born in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears first came to fame as a member of the Disney Channel's New Mickey Mouse Club in the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
In the New Mickey Mouse Club, castmates included Justin Timberlake, and Joshua Chasez, who later became members of the pop band NSYNC, Keri Russell (star of the TV show Felicity) and Christina Aguilera, also a pop singer. Spears dated Timberlake for about five years.
Her first album on Jive Records, Baby One More Time, debuted in the number 1 spot on the Billboard Charts in early 1999, and also topped the charts in the UK. The single of the same title was also a number 1 hit in many countries, and featured a music video with Spears wearing a school-girl outfit and dancing through a high-school corridor. Her followup album, Oops I Did It Again, also debuting at number 1, was a similarly huge success.
From that album her career skyrocketed into a multimillion-dollar music, advertisement, concert and TV-special mania. Spears' most memorable advertisements were with Pepsi commercials, singing and dancing. Tabloids and the media in 2003 claimed that Spears was replaced by Destiny's Child front woman, Beyoncé Knowles to sponser Pepsi's products; however, that was not completely true. Spears had not renewed her contract with Pepsi, and the company's spokespeople were looking forward in working with her again. Now, she is back with Pepsi to show off the new soda, Pepsi Vanilla.
Her next album, Britney, was released on November 6, 2001. The album debuted at number 1 on the charts. The first single "I'm A Slave 4 U" is an R&B-influenced, more mature-sounding tune indicating Spears's attempts to grow with her audience, young or old. Britney sold over 4 million records in the United States alone, yet selling 12-14 million wordwide. The figures are not bad, yet they are low in comparison to the sales of her other albums. Music industry critics are waiting to see if her career is in decline. In September 2002, she took a break from the spotlight. Britney Spears, in total of the three albums, has sold 54 million copies approximately.
She claimed at age 17 to be a virgin, an issue that for some reason became a topic of considerable discussion in various tabloids. Spears regrets saying that and wonders why the media bothers her about that certain issue, when she has only said that once or twice. In 2003, her ex-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, admitted that he had oral sex with Spears, to get his songs played frequently on the radio station Hot 97. Later, Timberlake spoke about their sex life in various interviews. Recently in several magazines, Spears confirmed that she was no longer a virgin. She said she was disappointed in how Timberlake was so open in talking about their sex life. Quote, "Is nothing sacred anymore?" She thought he "was the one," and claims she has only slept with one person in her life - Timberlake. Currently, Spears is single.
As of late 2002, Spears has been working on her fourth album, due out in November 2003. Spears says that her new album will be very different, calling it her "baby." She has reportedly worked with producers such as Daft Punk, The Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins, Cathy Dennis, William Orbit, P. Diddy, Moby, and others.
Her sister, Jamie Lynn or simply Jamie Spears, is currently starting a career as an entertainer, too, in the Nickelodeon show, All That. Her brother, Bryan Spears, is now co-managing her. Britney's parents, Lynne and Jamie, have divorced. One of her best friends, Jenny, was in the unsuccessful girl-group Innosence. Britney was a former member of the group, but she left and debuted as a solo-artist before the band ever debuted. One of her many friends is Felicia, her assistant.
Albums
- 1999 : ...Baby One
More Time
- 2000 : Oops!...
I Did It Again
- 2001 : Britney
- 2003 : To Be Announced,
Release in November
Music Videos
- ...Baby One More Time
- ...Baby One More Time
- Sometimes
- Crazy
- Born To Make You Happy (Unreleased in U.S.)
- From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart
- Oops!... I Did It Again
- Oops!... I Did It Again
- Stronger
- Lucky
- Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know
- Britney
- I'm A Slave 4 U
- I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman
- Overprotected (Unreleased in U.S.)
- Overprotected (Darkchild Remix)
- Boys (Co-ed Remix, ft. P. Williams)
- I Love Rock 'N Roll (Unreleased in U.S.)
- Anticipating (France Special Release)
- That's Where You Take Me (Phillipines Special Release)
Acting
- 1990s : Ruthless
(Broadway)
- 1993/1994 : Mickey Mouse Club
(Television)
- 1999 : Longshot (Movie/Cameo)
- 2002 : Crossroads (Movie/Lead Actress)
- 2002 : Austin Powers in Goldmember
(Movie/Cameo)
External Links
- Official sites
- Fan Web Sites
- Message Boards
