Britney
Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American pop
singer. Her career encompasses chart-topping records,
high-profile advertising, and a foray into acting. She
is now considered an American cultural icon recognized
throughout the world, but has also been the subject
of controversy surrounding the sexuality of her music
and image.
Biography
Born in McComb, Mississippi and raised 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.
Her castmates on the show included
Justin Timberlake and Joshua Chasez (who later became
members of the pop band NSYNC), Keri Russell (star
of the TV show Felicity), Christina Aguilera, also
a pop singer, and actor Ryan Gosling. Spears dated
Timberlake for about five years.
...Baby One More Time
Her
first album on Jive Records, ...Baby One More Time,
debuted in the number one spot on the U.S. Billboard
Charts in early 1999, and also topped the charts in
the UK. The single of the same name was also a number
one hit in many countries, and was accompanied by
a music video in which Spears wore a schoolgirl outfit
and danced down a high-school corridor.
Spears broke the record for the youngest
artist, at age 17, to have his or her first single
debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Spears
also broke the record for the youngest artist, at
age 17, to have his or her first single and first
album debut simultaneously at #1 on the Billboard
charts. Spears still holds this record. The album
...Baby One More Time is to date the best-selling
album by a teenager, with 14 million copies sold in
the United States and over 25 million worldwide, plus
3 million with the five released singles.
Spears took home several awards for
her work on ...Baby One More Time throughout 1999,
including Choice Single ("...Baby One More Time")
at that Summer's Teen Choice Awards, as well as four
MTV Europe Music Awards, including Best Song ("...Baby
One More Time"), Best Pop Act, Best Female Act
and Breakthrough Act. In addition, she also won four
Billboard Music Awards including Female Artist of
the Year, New Female Artist of the Year, Hot 100 Female
Artist of the Year and Album Artist of the Year (...Baby
One More Time).
In 2000, Spears was nominated for
two Grammy awards: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
for the single "...Baby One More Time",
and Best New Artist. She did not receive either award.
Oops!... I Did It Again
Her
followup album, Oops!... I Did It Again, released
on May 16, 2000, also debuted at number one, and was
a similarly huge hit. It sold over 1.3 million units
its first week in the U.S., making it the fastest-selling
album by a female artist. The album sold 10 million
units in the U.S. and 20 million worldwide.
Following the success of her first
two albums, Spears' career skyrocketed, and a multimillion-dollar
music, film, advertisement, concert and TV-special
"industry" sprang up around her. Her most
popular ads were for Pepsi, for which she earned a
reported $7-$8 million. In 2003, there was media speculation
that the soft drink behemoth were planning to replace
Spears with Destiny's Child frontwoman Beyoncé
Knowles. This speculation turned out to be false,
and Spears has gone on to sponsor other Pepsi products
since.
During 2000, Spears extended her wins
at awards shows beginning with an American Music Award
for Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist and the Favorite
Female Singer prize at that Spring's Nickelodeon Kids'
Choice Awards. Throughout the year, she won for Choice
Female Artist and Choice Hottie Female at the Teen
Choice Awards, Best-Selling Album (...Baby One More
Time) at the Juno Awards and Best-Selling Female Pop
Artist at the World Music Awards. At the end of the
year, Spears took home two Billboard Music Awards
for Album Artist of the Year (Oops!... I Did It Again)
and a special award for Highest One-Week Female Artist
Album Sales in History (Oops!... I Did It Again).
In 2001, Spears was again nominated
for two Grammy awards: Best Pop Vocal Album for Oops!...
I Did It Again, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
for the single of the same name. She did not receive
either award.
Britney
Her
next album, Britney, was released on November 6, 2001,
and debuted at number one in the charts, selling over
740,000 units its first week. This made her the only
female artist in SoundScan history to have her first
three albums debut at #1. The first single "I'm
A Slave 4 U" was produced by The Neptunes, and
its R'n'B stylings heralded the starlet's attempt
to grow with her audience, young and old. Over 4 million
copies of Britney were sold in the United States alone,
and the album went on to sell over 12 million copies
worldwide. While the album was very much a hit by
anyone else's standards, these figures are low in
comparison to the sales of her other albums.
Throughout 2001 and 2002, Spears took
home such awards as Best-Selling Female Pop Artist
and Best-Selling Female Dance Artist at the World
Music Awards, Favorite Female Singer at the Nickelodeon
Kids' Choice Awards, Choice Female Artist (in both
2001 and 2002), as well as Choice Hottie Female at
the Teen Choice Awards and Best Female Artist at the
MTV Asia Awards.
In 2002, Spears starred in a movie,
Crossroads, which reached number two in the box office
charts. Songs from the album Britney appeared in the
film. Spears' performance was poorly received by critics,
and she netted herself a Razzie Award for Worst Actress
of 2002, tied with Madonna. One of the tracks off
of Britney, "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman,"
also 'won' for Worst Original Song. This wouldn't
be her last encounter with the awards show, however;
in 2005, she was proclaimed Worst Supporting Actress
for her cameo role in the documentary Farenheit 9/11.
In June 2002, Spears branched out as a restaurateur
with the opening of a New York City eatery, NYLA;
but the venture was not a success and the restaurant
closed in 2003.
In September 2002, she took a break
from the spotlight, and in 2003 many music industry
critics speculated that her career was in decline.
Over the course of her first three albums, Britney
Spears had sold approximately 57 million copies worldwide.
In 2003, Spears was nominated for
two Grammy awards yet again: Best Female Pop Vocal
Performance for "Overprotected", and Best
Pop Vocal Album for Britney. She did not win either
award.
In the Zone
Her fourth album, In the Zone, was released on November
18, 2003.
Jettisoning the Max Martin produced synth pop of her
earlier releases, the album took in lesser-known producers
such as RedZone as well as such big names as Moby
and R. Kelly. Spears co-wrote eight of the album's
thirteen songs. In the Zone rose straight to the top
of the album charts in its debut week. Spears is the
only female in music history to have her first four
albums debut at No. 1. After an opening performance
in which she kissed Madonna at the 2003 MTV Video
Music Awards in August, Madonna was also featured
on the album's first single, "Me Against the
Music". The single only reached No. 35 on the
Hot 100, but was a No. 1 hit in other countries. In
the Zone, however, has sold close to 3 million copies
in the United States alone and over 9 million copies
worldwide, totalling over 10.4 million with singles.
On January 3, 2004, Spears married
her childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander at The
Little White Wedding Chapel on the Las Vegas Strip
in Las Vegas, Nevada. The couple promptly arranged
for an annulment, which was granted on January 5,
ending their 55-hour marriage. Following the wedding,
Spears released the second single from In the Zone,
"Toxic", which became a worldwide hit and
a No. 1 hit in over twenty different countries. The
single occupied the No. 1 slot in the US for four
consecutive weeks, though it only peaked at number
9 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.
In March, Spears embarked on her fourth
world tour, "The Onyx Hotel Tour", which
grossed over $34 million dollars and was seen by over
600,000 fans in North America and Europe. Meanwhile,
the album's third single, "Everytime", was
starting to receive radio play. While the song only
reached No. 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart,
it was a No. 1 hit overseas in such countries as the
UK and Australia. In June, she cancelled the remaining
dates of her tour after injuring her knee during the
filming of a video for her fourth single, "Outrageous".
Shortly after returning from hospital, Spears, 22,
announced her engagement to dancer Kevin Federline,
26. Federline was formerly linked with actress Shar
Jackson, with whom he has two children.
In September 2004, Forbes estimated
Spears' net worth at $123 million.
On the night of September 18, 2004,
Spears married Federline before 20-30 guests in a
private non-denominational ceremony at a residence
in Studio City, California. Spears wore an off-white
dress and Federline wore an off-white tuxedo. The
men and women attending the ceremony wore light blue
and pink sweatsuits respectively. The legitimacy of
the marriage was initially questioned, but on November
18, 2004 a representative of the Los Angeles County
registrar's office confirmed that Spears and Federline
had successfully filed their marriage license with
the county within ten days of their ceremony and were
therefore legally married.
During 2004, Spears won for Choice
Single ("Toxic") at the Teen Choice Awards,
Best Female Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards and
received the award for Hot Dance Sales Single of the
Year ("Me Against the Music" featuring Madonna)
at the Billboard Music Awards; Spears' public appearance
at the ceremony on December 8, 2004 was her first
since marriage to Federline.
In 2005, Spears received her first
Grammy award for "Toxic" in the category
of Best Dance Recording
Curious fragrance line
Spears
released her first fragrance, "Curious",
in September 2004. It is a floral scent with vanilla
and musk. "Curious" is currently ranked
the #1 fragrance in department stores. The fragrance
had the biggest debut in sales in history from Elizabeth
Arden. Spears is expected to earn anywhere from $10
million to $28 million from the fragrance. The fragrance
ended up the #1 fragrance of 2004 in department stores.
Greatest Hits: My Prerogative
Spears
released her first greatest hits collection, Greatest
Hits: My Prerogative, on November 9, 2004. The album
debuted at #4 in the US charts, selling 255,000 copies
in its first week. Spears also notched up the biggest
selling first week for a greatest hits compilation
by a female artist in UK chart history (115,341 copies),
smashing the first week sales of previous high profile
collections from Whitney Houston, Madonna, Kylie Minogue,
Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, and Shania
Twain. The collection includes "...Baby One More
Time", "Oops...I Did It Again" and
"Toxic", as well as two new songs and a
cover of Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative".
As of January 2005, the set has sold over 4.5 million
copies worldwide.
Original Doll
On December 29, 2004, Spears did a live interview
on KIIS FM in America and stated that her new album
was already half done and that it would be named Original
Doll, appropriately enough for her changing image.
Additionally, after the interview, the first single
from the new album, called "Mona Lisa",
was played. She announced that the album would probably
be out in the late spring or early summer. However,
Jive Records later released a statement saying the
album would not be released until at least next year
(2006). Spears also called into TRL U.S. in early
2005 and mentioned that there would probably be no
new album for this year, though she did say that she
was working on a song for an upcoming show of some
sort.
Controversy
Spears' success has rested on a mixed fanbase. Millions
of girls became enthusiasts for her work, adopting
her as an idol. It also appears that many young adult
males are also fans. Spears also has a significant
gay male fanbase. Writers on popular music for the
mainstream press, however, have generally been dismissive
of Spears' music, considering it to be commercial
and shallow.
Some parents of young daughters have
ambivalent or even negative feelings towards Britney
Spears. To many critics, the singer has combined a
very raunchy public image with a major marketing "play"
for the hearts, minds and pockets of prepubescent
girls, often as young as seven or eight. The sexualization
of such girls is arguably a trend that is visible
elsewhere in popular culture, for example in the film
and fashion industries.
Some parents take the view that their
daughters deserve a chance to participate fully and
happily in the pleasures of childhood before being
led into an early emotional adolescence. There is
also an open question as to whether young children
are ready for the often complicated feelings that
come with sexual maturity. Some parents may worry
that Britney Spears provides an unrealistic role model
for their daughters' life and career plans.
In October 2003, Maryland First Lady
Kendel Ehrlich, the wife of Governor Robert Ehrlich,
was criticized for saying that she would like to "shoot
Britney Spears" in an address to a domestic violence
conference. After her comments made national headlines,
she was forced to apologize.
The sexual iconography of Britney
Spears once again became a topic of debate as a result
of her 2003 semi-nude photo spread for the men's magazine,
Esquire. Prompted by this, Playboy reportedly offered
the star over a million dollars to pose nude for their
magazine. Spears has publicly declined the offer.
(http://extratv.warnerbros.com/dailynews/extra/0404/04_19e.html)
The 2004 "Onyx Hotel" tour
brought new criticism. Spears and her on-stage dancers,
while nearly nude, performed explicit routines simulating
gay sex, orgies, and masturbation. Given that many
underage fans were in the audience there was some
outrage at the raunchiness of the performances, and
there were reports of adult chaperones angrily storming
out with children they brought to the concert. It
has been said that the tickets should have orginally
come with a warning on them to caution parents.
While young girls seldom address this
debate in the same terms as their parents, many are
divided on whether they consider Britney Spears appealing,
especially in the light of more recent developments
in her career.
For her part, Spears has responded
to their concerns by stating that she is "not
their babysitter. It's the parents' responsibility.
If you don't like it, turn the T.V. off. The only
person I want to be a role model is to my sister,
Jamie Lynn." (From ABC's Primetime interview
with Diane Sawyer).
The criticisms leveled against Spears
are similar to those Madonna received at the start
of her career. Indeed, Madonna's early fans belonged
to a similar demographic to Spears' current fanbase.
Spears' show-stealing kiss with Madonna received much
media attention, as have her recent marriages. Her
provocative image and seemingly down-to-earth personality
have contributed greatly to her success.
In common with a number of other popular
female figures in show business, Britney Spears' private
life has attracted considerable media attention. Indeed,
some people feel that she has courted it by cultivating,
in her early years at least, a chaste, God-fearing
and "wholesome" image somewhat at odds not
only with the traditional pressures, temptations and
opportunities of "pop 'n' roll" but with
the increasingly sexualized content of her own songs.
Regardless of where the responsibility for the gossip
industry surrounding the pop star lies, Spears' public
response has been to repeatedly express regret and
resentment at the intrusive media coverage.
Trivia
Britney Spears' sister, Jamie Lynn, is currently starting
a career as an entertainer in the Nickelodeon show
All That and her new show Zoey 101. Zoey 101 drew
record numbers with the premiere of the show which
gave the kids channel 1.6 million viewers age 9-14
— its biggest viewership in that demographic
for a premiere in eight years. Her brother, Bryan
Spears, is one of her co-managers. Britney's parents,
Lynne and Jamie, have divorced.
One of Spears' best friends, Jenny, was in the unsuccessful
girl-group Innosense. Spears was also a member of
the group, but she left and debuted as a solo artist
before the band released their first record. One of
Britney's closest friends is Felicia Culotta, her
assistant.
In May 2004 Spears had a Hebrew tattoo (???) inked
into the nape of her neck. She was under the impression
that it meant "new era", while a more scholarly
reading would be "protection". A source
said, "She's taken Kabbalah pretty seriously
and this was a big deal for her." Ironically,
in getting a tattoo, Spears has committed one of the
worst Jewish taboos. This echoes a similar incident
in 2003 when Spears was informed by her friend, actress
Taryn Manning, that her hip tattoo (the Japanese Kanji
character ?) read "strange" rather than
"mysterious".
Spears publicly declared that she was a virgin early
in her career, but after her split from Justin Timberlake
he revealed that this was no longer true. Spears has
been quoted as saying, "I thought he was the
one".
"...Baby One More Time" is the 24th best
selling single of all time in the UK.
Her favorite colors are baby blue and pink.
Discography
Studio albums
1999: ...Baby One More Time #1 US, #4 UK, US Sales:
14 million (WW: 25)
2000: Oops!...I Did It Again #1 US, #2 UK, US Sales:
10 million (WW: 20)
2001: Britney #1 US, #4 UK, US Sales: 4 million (WW:
16)
2003: In the Zone #1 US, #13 UK, US Sales: 3 million
(WW: 9)
2006: The Original Doll (due for release in 2006)
Compilations
2004: Greatest Hits: My Prerogative #4 US, #2 UK,
US Sales: 1 Million (WW: 6)
WW Record Sales (100 million+)
Singles
...Baby One More Time
"... Baby One More Time" — December
1998; #1 US, #1 UK, #1 NL PLATINUM
"Sometimes" — June 1999; #21 US, #3
UK, #1 NL
"(You Drive Me) Crazy" (The Stop Remix)
— September 1999; #10 US, #5 UK, #2 NL
"Born To Make You Happy" — January
2000; #1 UK, #4 NL
"From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart" —
January 2000 (U.S. only); #14 US PLATINUM
Oops!...I Did It Again
"Oops!...I Did It Again" — April 2000;
#9 US, #1 UK, #1 NL
"Lucky" — August 2000; #23 US, #5
UK, #4 NL
"Stronger" — November 2000; #11 US,
#7 UK, #14 NL GOLD
"Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know" —
March 2001; #112 US, #12 UK, #16 NL
Britney
"I'm A Slave 4 U" — September 2001;
#27 US, #4 UK, #6 NL
"I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" —
December 2001; #102 US, #2 UK, #14 NL
"Overprotected" (Album Version) —
December 2001; #4 UK, #15 NL
"Overprotected" (U.S. — Darkchild
Remix) — March 2002; #86 US
"Boys" (Co-Ed Remix featuring Pharrell Williams)
— July 2002; #122 US, #7 UK, #14 NL
"I Love Rock 'N Roll" — November 2002;
#13 UK, #17 NL
In the Zone
"Me Against The Music" (featuring Madonna)
— October 2003; #35 US, #2 UK, #6 NL
"Toxic" — January 2004; #9 US, #1
UK, #4 NL PLATINUM
"Everytime" — April 2004; #15 US,
#1 UK, #3 NL GOLD
"Outrageous" — June 2004; #79 US
Greatest Hits: My Prerogative
"My Prerogative" — September 2004;
#101 US, #3 UK, #13 NL
"Do Somethin'" — February 2005; #119
US, #6 UK
The Original Doll
"Mona Lisa" (tentative) — 2006
Misc
"We Will Rock You" (featuring Beyonce and
Pink) — January 2004
Note: this single does not appear on any of her albums,
but was released outside the US by Pepsi as a promotional
CD.
Acting
1990s: Ruthless! (Off-Broadway)
1993/1994: The New Mickey Mouse Club (Television)
1999: Longshot (Movie/Cameo)
2000: The Simpsons "The Mansion Family"
(Television) (Herself)
2002: Crossroads (Movie/Lead Actress)
2002: Austin Powers in Goldmember (Movie/Cameo)
Computer game
Britney's Dance Beat is a dance game featuring five
of her songs, for the PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance.
source from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
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