Britney Spears

Her Early Years

Britney was born and raised in Louisiana as a Southern Baptist. Britney enjoyed singing from a young age, often performing in her church choir, as well as at local dance revues. Her first attempt at stardom was when she auditioned for the Mickey Mouse Club at 8-years-old. Although she was deemed too young for the series, her talent caught the eye of one of the show’s producers, who connected her to a New York agent. Britney then spent three summers at NYC’s Professional Performing Arts School. During this time, she also starred in several off-Broadway productions. In 1992, she landed a spot on Star Search, but unfortunately, lost in the second round. Britney’s first big break came at age 11, when she re-auditioned for the Mickey Mouse Club and was accepted. She remained with the show until she was 13.

A few years later, Britney recorded her first demo, which got her signed by Jive Records. Not long after, she was travelling the country for a series of concerts and eventually hooked up with boy band N’Sync and became their opening act.

Britney on stage

Her Career

Britney's debut single "...Baby One More Time" began playing on radio stations in 1998. Shortly after, it exploded onto the pop scene, going platinum and shooting up to number one in several countries. Before long, she released the album ...Baby One More Time and it quickly rose to the top, becoming the best-selling album by a teenager in history.

In April 1999, Britney Spears appeared in a racy photo shoot in Rolling Stone magazine, which fueled her already controversial status as a sex symbol. The shoot also kicked off speculation that she had received breast implants, an allegation she denied. That summer, she kicked off her first headlining tour, and by the end of the year had become one of music’s biggest stars. Shortly after, she released her new single "Oops! I did it again!" The subsequent album went on to become the fastest selling album by a female artist.

In the summer of 2000, Spears kicked off her first worldwide tour with the Oops! I did it again! World tour. She also co-wrote the book Britney Spears’ Heart to Heart with her mother. During a performance at the MTV video music awards, she tore off her black suit to reveal a skin colored suit underneath, which generated a lot of controversy.

In 2001, Spears released her second book, A Mother’s Gift, also co-written by her mother. She again performed at the MTV video music awards. She was again attacked for her wardrobe, as well as by PETA, the animal rights organization, for using animals during her act.

In November of that year, she released her third album, simply titled Britney. Although the album was a commercial success, it did not meet the sales reached by her first two albums. In February 2002, Spears starred in the motion picture Crossroads, which also featured her music. The film debuted at number two in the box office, but quickly plummeted. The film was also received very poorly by critics. In June of that year, Spears hopped on the restaurant bandwagon by opening NYLA, a New York restaurant that served New York and Louisiana cuisine. The restaurant failed and closed the following year.

Britney Spears released her fourth album, In the Zone, in November 2003. Once again, Spears found herself with a winner and In The Zone made her the only female music artist in history to have her first four albums debut at number one. Soon after, Spears kicked off The Onyx Hotel Tour, which was abruptly cancelled when Spears injured her knee while shooting a music video.

In late 2004, while Spears was on a self-imposed hiatus, her first hits collection was released. Titled Greatest Hits: My Prerogative, it featured several of her biggest hits as well as a few new songs. It debuted at number four in the US. In the UK, however, it earned the title of having the highest first week sales of any female solo artist’s greatist hits album in UK history.

Her Personal Life

Britney Spears pregnant

By 1998, Spears had begun a high-profile relationship with N'Sync member Justin Timberlake. In early 2002, Spears and Timberlake's relationship came to an abrupt and much talked-about end. Rumors began circulating that Spears had cheated on Timberlake, which was also hinted at in Timberlake's song "Cry Me a River". Spears responded, "I'm not technically saying he's wrong, but I'm not technically saying he's right, either." Spears also claimed to have remained a virgin during their four-year relationship, but Timberlake denied this. Spears later admitted to thinking that Timberlake was "the one" and having slept with him.

In 2004, Spears married her childhood friend Jason Alexander in Las Vegas, Nevada. An annulment was granted a few days later, ending their 55-hour marriage. When questioned about it, Spears explained that she just wanted to see what it was like to be married.

In July 2004, Britney Spears announced her engagement to dancer Kevin Federline. In September 2004, Spears married Federline at a residence in Studio City, California. In April 2005, she announced that she was pregnant. In September of that year, Sean Preston Federline was born via c-section. In May 2006, Spears announced on the Late Show with David Letterman that she was pregnant again, and on September 11, she gave birth to a son.

Britney Spears Trivia

• As a child, she competed in state-level gymnastics tournaments.
• Madonna and Mariah Carey are her idols.
• Was offered a role in Scary Movie, but had to turn it down due to concert scheduling.
• Made a deal with Pepsi that will earn her upwards of $10,000,000.
• Britney's brother, Bryan, is one of her managers.