Tuesday 20 September 2011
History
Britney Spears is a popular American singer who became a cultural icon and a controversial role model for millions of teen-age girls in the 1990s and early 21st Century. After the release of her first hit album, she became a key element in a revival of "teen pop" music in the late 1990s.Britney Jean Spears was born in Kentwood, Louisiana on December 2, 1982. At an early age she displayed talent, appearing on the Star Search television show; later auditioning for the New Mickey Mouse club when she was 8 years old. While attending the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City, she worked in television commercials and acted in Off-Broadway plays. She then auditioned, and was chosen for, the New Mickey Mouse Club television show. She performed as a member of the cast during the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
In 1999, at the age of 17, Britney Spears' first album, ...Baby One More Time, was released and quickly reached the #1 spot on the pop charts. Her second album, Oops!...I Did It Again , (May 2002), and her third album, In the Zone (2003), also sold millions of copies.
Toward the beginning of her career, Spears cultivated the image of virginal wholesomeness. This eventually gave way to her current sexually suggestive, adult image, which caused many parents of teen and pre-teen female fans to lose the enthusiasm they had originally shown toward Britney's more virginal image.
Her sexually suggestive music videos received nearly constant coverage by MTV, and, combined with her concert tours containing raunchy dance numbers, caused Britney Spears to become a symbol of overcharged teen sex in the late 1990s and early 21st Century.
Controversy seemed to surround her; including her public admission of lost virginity, her on stage kiss with veteran pop singer Madonna, her 55-hour marriage and subsequent annulment with childhood friend Jason Alexander, and incessant rumors about possible breast augmentation surgery.
She married backup singer and stage dancer Kevin Federline in September, 2004 at a wedding chapel in Las Vegas. Several months after this wedding, tabloids began wondering about her alleged weight gain, sparking rumors of a pregnancy. The rumors were ended on April 13, 2005, with the announcement that Britney Spears was, indeed, pregnant with child. Several days later, it was announced that Britney and her husband would host a reality television show revolving around their lives. The show debuted on May 17.
Britney and Kevin's son, Sean Preston Federline, was born by caesarian section on September 14, 2005. On September 12, 2006, Spears gave birth to their second son, Jayden James Federline. On November 7, 2006, she filed for divorce from her husband.
Following her tossing out of Kevin Federline, Britney turned into something of a party girl, hanging out with Paris Hilton, and, like Paris, has taken to clubbing in public places without certain articles of underwear! In other words, the paparazzi are having a field day taking pictures of her without her panties. A partially nude Britney Spears! Quite a fall for a Mouseketeer girl who once claimed a wholesome, virginal appeal to teen girls. At least a picture of Britney Spears naked has not shown up yet...
Throughout January and February of 2007, the media enjoyed reporting on Britney's increasingly odd behavior, as she was spotted at many party locations on both coasts. In mid-February, she shaved her head and was seen at a tattoo parlor in the Los Angeles area getting a tattoo on her neck. Throughout 2007, Spears jolted from one scandal to another, as allegations of drug and alcohol abuse, instances of unstable behavior and a stint in rehab all led to a very public and messy custody battle with Kevin Federline.
Despite a controversial and, to some fans, sad performance at the MTV Awards show, Spears released a new album, Blackout, in October, 2007, to positive reviews.
Education:
--Professional Performing Arts School (New York City)
Britney Spears Biography
Singer, songwriter, actress. Born on December 2, 1981, in Kentwood, Louisiana. For more than a decade, Britney Spears has been one of the most successful—and sometimes controversial—solo acts in popular music. For a time, however, she was better known for her personal struggles. Spears launched her latest comeback in 2008, releasing a new album and setting out on a world tour.
The middle of the three children, Spears developed an interest in performing at a young age. "Ever since I was 7 or 8 years old, my mom would have company over, and I was always performing for everybody in front of the TV. . .Even when I went to school, I was always the weird child; I would go outside and instead of playing, I wanted to have 'Star Search' competitions," Spears told Hollywood Reporter.
When she was eight, she auditioned for a spot on the Disney Channel's The New Mickey Mouse Club. Spears did not get the part, but she did eventually achieve one childhood dream: showcasing her vocal talents on the popular entertainment competition Star Search in 1992. Spears tried again for The New Mickey Mouse Club when she was 11. This time, she was picked for the cast, which also featured other up-and-coming talents such as Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and actress Keri Russell. Spears appeared on the children's variety show for two seasons. "We had an amazing amazing time; we got to sing and dance and do everything," she later explained to Hollywood Reporter.
After its cancellation, Spears focused on developing her musical career. She eventually landed a contract with Jive Records. In December 1998, Spears released her first single, "...Baby One More Time." The catchy pop tune reached the top of the pop charts at the end of January 1999, propelled in part by its music video. In the video, the teenaged Spears wore a skimpier version of the traditional Catholic schoolgirl uniform, drawing sharp criticism from the parents of her young fans. Despite her racy outfit, Spears claimed to be a sweet, innocent Southern girl at heart.
The entire . . . Baby One More Time album hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts that same year, and went on to sell more than 22 million copies worldwide. At the 1999 Billboard Music Awards, Spears picked up three awards Female Album Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, and Best New Artist of the Year. She was part of a teenage pop music wave, which included fellow Mickey Mouse Club alumni Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson.
Building upon her meteoric rise, Spears released Oops! I Did It Again in 2000. The recording was an instant No. 1 hit on the album charts, selling more than 1 million copies in the first week. Her personal life was also receiving more media attention, as rumors circulated that she was dating Justin Timberlake, then part of the hit pop group 'N Sync.
With 2001's Britney, Spears made the first move toward shedding her virginal image, while also taking her sound in a different direction. The track, "I'm a Slave 4 U," sounded more like Prince than her bubble-gum pop of the past. "I'd get bored singing the same type of songs all the time. I still love my old stuff, but you have to extend yourself and grow," she explained to Entertainment Weekly. Performing "I'm a Slave 4 U" at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, Spears made heads turn by dancing with a seven-foot albino python around her neck and wearing a barely-there costume.
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album ...Baby One More Time in 1999. During her first decade within the music industry, she became a prominent figure in mainstream popular music and popular culture, followed by a much-publicized personal life. Her first two albums established her as a pop icon and broke sales records, while title tracks "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again" became international number-one hits. Spears was credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s.
In 2001, she released her third studio album Britney and expanded her brand, playing the starring role in the film Crossroads. She assumed creative control of her fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003), which yielded chart-topping singles "Me Against the Music", "Toxic" and "Everytime". After the release of two compilation albums, Spears experienced personal struggles and her career went under hiatus. Her fifth studio album, Blackout, was released in 2007 and despite receiving little promotion, it spawned hits "Gimme More" and "Piece of Me". In 2008, her erratic behavior and hospitalizations caused her to be placed in a conservatorship. The same year, her sixth studio album Circus was released, with the global chart-topping lead single "Womanizer". She embarked on her highest-grossing global concert tour, The Circus Starring Britney Spears, in 2009. Her seventh studio album Femme Fatale, released in 2011, has become the first of her albums to yield three top ten singles in the United States.
Spears has sold over 100 million records worldwide. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the eighth top-selling female artist in the United States, with 33 million certified albums. Spears is also recognized as the best-selling female artist of the first decade of the 21st century, as well as the fifth overall.She was ranked the 8th Artist of the 2000s by Billboard. In June 2010, Spears was ranked sixth on Forbes list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential celebrities in the world; she is also the third most mentioned musician on the internet, according to Forbes.
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