Britney Spears

Britney Spears

Early Life

Lauded as one of the greatest pop singers Hollywood has ever had, Britney Spears embarked on her music career early at her very young age. She performed in local dance revues and sang in her local Baptist church choir. Eager for more, she auditioned for the Disney Channel series "The New Mickey Mouse Club" but failed as she was considered too young to join in the series at that time. 

Nonetheless, one of the show's producers introduced her to a New York City agent who brought her to perform in a number of off-Broadway productions, including 1991's "Ruthless!". Trying for another spot on "The New Mickey Mouse Club" in Lakeland, Florida in 1992, the little girl finally made it and so became a musketeer along with future stars, like Christina Aguilera, JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake. Featured on the show from 1993 to 1994, she then headed back to her birth place Kentwood and attended high school for a year after the show ended. 

Born on December 2, 1982 in Kentwood, Louisiana, Britney was born Britney Jean Spears. Her parents are Lynne Irene, a former elementary school teacher, and James Parnell Spears, a building contractor. Her brother, Bryan Spears, works as a manager for the Spears family interests, whereas her sister Jamie Lynn Spears is an actress and singer. 

Having the freedom to explore her singing talent, Britney briefly joined the all-female pop group Innosense in 1997 before later that same year recording a demo solo. She was signed by Jive Records and worked on her raw music career under the major record label. She was first of all being asked to begin a U.S. concert tour sponsored by American teen magazines before eventually becoming an opening act for NSYNC and Backstreet Boys. 

Career

Kicking off her singing career with the release of a debut single titled "... Baby One More Time" in the end of 1998, Britney quickly became a pop phenomenon with the song's immediate break out success, selling nine million copies worldwide and peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Following the achievement, the song also ranked at No. 25 on Rolling Stone & MTV's 100 Greatest Pop Songs of all time. 

An album of the same title "...Baby One More Time" was released in January the following year, only to experience a massive success as well. It debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 and led the set to be certified Diamond in the US alone. Not only was the LP sold over 25 million worldwide, but also it earned Britney an instant popularity in addition to numerous prestigious awards, including Teen Choice Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, and Billboard Awards. 

A follow-up "Oops!...I Did It Again"t sold extremely well worldwide, debuting at number one in the U.S., selling more than a million units only a week after it was released on May 16, 2000, and breaking the SoundScan record for the highest album sales in its debut week by any solo artist. Also gaining a Diamond certification from the RIAA just like her previous one, the second album in fact fared better with critics. 

With its lead single of the same title, it quickly became a top ten hit in the U.S. and other countries. Her first world tour for "Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour" was held in the same year, and Britney continued to add more awards into her collection, naming some were the 2000 AMA, Billboard, People's Choice, and Teen Choice Awards, not to mention two Grammy nominations in 2001 for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. 

Early Life

Already becoming a world's phenomenon, Britney brought forth her eponymous third album, "Britney", at ease on November 6, 2001. Failing to receive the same success as her two previous albums, the set still debuted at number one in the U.S. It sold 745,744 units during its first week and made Britney the only female artist in SoundScan history to have her first three albums debuting at #1. She was again nominated for the 2003 Grammys; Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Overprotected" and Best Pop Vocal Album, but she lost both. 

Young at her age, Britney bravely exposed her sexual appeal, as if to mark her transition from teen tart to sexually powerful woman. She provoked controversies when she, during her third consecutive MTV Video Music Awards performance, used caged animals and danced erotically with a large albino python draped over her shoulders. The following year, she again became the object of another controversy when at a performance at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, she locked lips with Madonna. 

Previously announcing a six-month break from the industry, Britney brought in hand her fourth studio album "In the Zone," which was released in November 2003, with her co-writing eight of the album's thirteen songs. Also including a Madonna-featuring on song "Me Against the Music", the album rose straight to the top of the album charts in its debut week. 

It made Britney the only female in music history to have her first four albums debuting at No. 1. Notwithstanding with critics' mild reception of it, "In the Zone" did successfully earn Britney her first ever Grammy win in the category of Best Dance Recording, thanks to its hit single "Toxic". Another tour, dubbed "The Onyx Hotel Tour", was kicked off in March 2004 but had to be canceled after the second leg because Britney suffered a knee injury while she was filming a video for her single "Outrageous." 

source:aceshowbiz.com