Briteny Spears Biography

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, which became the best-selling album by a teenage solo artist.^[2] During her first decade in 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, and became the 'best-selling teen aged artist of all time' before she turned 20,^[3] garnering her the honorific title of "Princess of Pop".^[4]
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 into 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", and hits such as "Circus" and "If U Seek Amy". She embarked on her highest-grossing global concert tour,^[5] The Circus Starring Britney Spears, in 2009. In October of the same year, she released a chart-topping single, "3", which became her third single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. 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, "Hold It Against Me", "Till the World Ends" and "I Wanna Go". The same year, she also gained her fifth number one single when she featured on the remix of "S&M" alongside Rihanna.
Spears work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award, 6 MTV Video Music Awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award, 9 Billboard Music Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2009, Billboard ranked her as the 8th overall Artist of the Decade,^[6] and also recognized her as the best-selling female artist of the first decade of the 21st century, as well as the fifth overall.^[7] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) also recognized Spears as the eighth top-selling female artist in the United States, with 33 million certified albums.^[8] Nielsen SoundScan ranked Spears the tenth best-selling digital artist of the country, with more than 28.6 million digital singles as of January 2012.^[9] She has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.^[10] Rolling Stone recognized her instant success as one of the Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments of all time,^[11] while VH1 ranked her eleventh on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012.^[12] Forbes also revealed that Spears was the sixth most powerful celebrity, and the third best paid musician of 2011-12, having topped the list back in 2002.^[13] In Fall 2012, Spears will serve as a judge in the second season of the American version of The X Factor.^[14]

Contents

• 1 Biography
• 1.1 1981–97: Early life, and career beginnings
• 1.2 1998–2000: ...Baby One More Time, and Oops!... I Did It Again
• 1.3 2001–03: Britney, Crossroads, and In the Zone
• 1.4 2004–07: Compilation albums, motherhood, personal struggles, and Blackout
• 1.5 2008–10: Conservatorship, and Circus
• 1.6 2011–present: Femme Fatale and The X Factor
• 2 Artistry
• 2.1 Musical style, and performance
• 2.2 Influences
• 3 Legacy
• 4 Other ventures
• 5 Philanthropy
• 6 Discography
• 7 Filmography
• 8 Tours
• 9 See also
• 10 Notes
• 11 References
• 12 Further reading
• 13 External links

Biography

1981–97: Early life, and career beginnings

1998–2000: ...Baby One More Time, and Oops!... I Did It Again

2001–03: Britney, Crossroads, and In the Zone

2004–07: Compilation albums, motherhood, personal struggles, and Blackout

2008–10: Conservatorship, and Circus

2011–present: Femme Fatale and The X Factor

Artistry

Musical style, and performance

Following her debut, Spears was credited with leading the revival of teen pop in the late 1990s. The Daily Yomiuri reported that "[m]usic critics have hailed her as the most gifted teenage pop idol for many years, but Spears has set her sights a little higher-she is aiming for the level of superstardom that has been achieved by Madonna and Janet Jackson."^[188] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone wrote: "Britney Spears carries on the classic archetype of the rock & roll teen queen, the dungaree doll, the angel baby who just has to make a scene."^[189] Rami Yacoub who co-produced Spears's debut album with lyricist Max Martin, commented, "I know from Denniz Pop and Max's previous productions, when we do songs, there's kind of a nasal thing. With N' Sync and the Backstreet Boys, we had to push for that mid-nasal voice. When Britney did that, she got this kind of raspy, sexy voice."^[190] Following the release of her debut album, Chuck Taylor of Billboard observed, "Spears has become a consummate performer, with snappy dance moves, a clearly real-albeit young-and funkdified voice ... "(You Drive Me) Crazy", her third single ... demonstrates Spears's own development, proving that the 17-year-old is finding her own vocal personality after so many months of steadfast practice."^[191] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic referred to her music as a "blend of infectious, rap-inflected dance-pop and smooth balladry."^[192] Spears later commented, "With ...Baby One More Time, I didn't get to show my voice off. The songs were great, but they weren't very challenging".^[193]

Influences

Throughout her career, Spears has drawn frequent comparisons to Madonna and Janet Jackson, in terms of vocals, choreography and stage presence, citing both as influences in her work. She has also named Michael Jackson as a source of inspiration.^[214] According to Spears: "I know when I was younger, I looked up to people... like, you know, Janet Jackson and Madonna. And they were major inspirations for me. But I also had my own identity and I knew who I was, you know."^[215] In the 2002 book Madonnastyle by Carol Clerk, she is quoted saying: "I have been a huge fan of Madonna since I was a little girl. She's the person that I've really looked up to. I would really, really like to be a legend like Madonna."^[216]

Discography

Main articles: Britney Spears discography and Britney Spears videography

• ...Baby One More Time (1999)
• Oops!... I Did It Again (2000)
• Britney (2001)
• In the Zone (2003)
• Blackout (2007)
• Circus (2008)
• Femme Fatale (2011)

Filmography

Main article: Britney Spears filmography

Films
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Longshot	Flight attendant	Cameo appearance
2002	Austin Powers in Goldmember	Herself	Cameo appearance
2002	Crossroads	Lucy Wagner	Teen Choice Award for Best Actress Drama/Action Adventure Teen Choice Award for Best Chemistry (with Anson Mount) Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress Nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Couple Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Dressed
2004	Fahrenheit 9/11	Herself	Cameo appearance Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress

Television
Year	Title	Character
1993–1994	The Mickey Mouse Club	Various Roles (Series regular)
1999	The Famous Jett Jackson	Herself
1999	Sabrina the Teenage Witch	Herself
1999	The Famous Jett Jackson	Herself
1999	Kenan & Kel	Herself
1999	Médico de familia	Herself
1999	Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree	Herself
2000	The Simpsons	Herself
2000	Saturday Night Live	Herself
2002	Stages: Three Days in Mexico	Herself
2002	Robbie the Reindeer in Legend of the Lost Tribe	Donner (voice)
2002	Saturday Night Live	Herself (host)
2003	Punk'd	Herself
2004	Britney & Kevin: Chaotic	Herself
2006	Will & Grace	Amber-Louise (1 episode)
2008	How I Met Your Mother	Abby (2 episodes)
2008	Britney: For the Record	Herself
2010	Glee	Herself
2012	The X Factor	Judge

Tours

Main article: List of Britney Spears concert tours

• ...Baby One More Time Tour (1999–2000)
• Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour (2000–01)
• Dream Within a Dream Tour (2001–02)
• The Onyx Hotel Tour (2004)
• The M+M's Tour (2007)
• The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009)
• Femme Fatale Tour (2011)

Lady Gaga cancels concert after 'passing out

Singer Lady Gaga has apologised to fans after being forced to cancel a concert in Indiana due to ill health.

"Can't apologise enough for how sorry I am," she said, via micro-blogging site Twitter, revealing she had collapsed due to exhaustion and dehydration.

"An hour before the show I was feeling dizzy and having trouble breathing," posted the 23-year-old, renowned for her flamboyant stage performances.

The show at Purdue University will now take place on 26 January.

Lady Gaga - real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta - is scheduled to return to the stage on Saturday in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

I hope you can forgive me. I love my little monsters more than anything Lady Gaga

Last year she failed to appear as a support act at two Take That concerts in Manchester, citing ill health.

The singer tweeted that she had been "crying for hours" as a result of Thursday's cancellation.

"My stage has complicated mechanical elements," she said. "Everyone was concerned I'd be in danger during the 2hr show, since I had passed out earlier.

"I have performed with the flu, a cold [and] strep throat," she went on. "I would never cancel a show just based on discomfort.

"I hope you can forgive me. I love my little monsters more than anything, you are everything to me."

Lady Gaga - who recently topped the UK singles chart with Bad Romance - had the best-selling UK single of 2009 with Poker Face.

Her tour is due to hit the UK in Manchester on 18 February.

Singer Van Morrison denies 'unfounded' baby story

Veteran singer Van Morrison has denied reports that he had become a father again, adding they were "completely and utterly without foundation".

The Belfast-born 64-year-old said he had been the victim of an internet hacking attack that had placed "falsehoods" on his official website.

BBC News was one of several outlets to report the hoax as fact.

"The comments which appeared on my website did not come from me," he said, in a statement issued to the media.

The singer said he had asked his management team to carry out an immediate investigation, adding it was the second time his website had been hacked in the last three months.

He went on to say, "for the avoidance of all doubt and in the interests of clarity", that he was "very happily married to Michelle Morrison, with whom I have two wonderful children".

'Alarm bells'

A statement posted on the singer's website on Tuesday said he had had a son named George Ivan Morrison III with a woman named Gigi Lee.

A friend of Morrison's has since told the BBC News website that the singer had never heard of Ms Lee.

"One of the things that triggered alarm bells was the language used in the 'statement'," said John Saunders.

"It was so unlike him to make an announcement like this."

Mr Saunders, founder of Dublin-based public relations company Fleishman-Hillard, said it was he who informed Morrison of the original reports.

"I hesitated before making contact, but my wife said you had better do something," he said.

Morrison, whose hits include Brown Eyed Girl and Moondance, celebrated his 40th year in the music industry in 2008.

He first found fame in the 1960s as a member of the band Them, before embarking on a solo career.

Britney Spears recalls top 75 'absurd' stories of 2009

Singer Britney Spears has hit back at the gossip columns, listing the top 75 "most ridiculous" or "patently absurd" stories written about her in 2009.

Published on her website, The Year in BS said there were more than 13,000 stories written about the 28-year-old.

The list includes various reports of new boyfriends, emotional breakdowns and one claiming her family was once so poor they ate squirrels.

At number one was a story about Spears dating choreographer Sandip Soparrkar.

In January, the Daily Mirror reported Spears was dating Soparrkar and that she had hosted a private New Year's Eve party to introduce him to her friends and parents.

'Factually inaccurate'

The Daily Star later reported in October that sales of squirrel meat soared after a new Spears biography included claims the star's family would eat whatever father Jamie could hunt.

"We ranked the ones we believe were the most ridiculous," the post on the website said.

"Either because they were factually inaccurate, because they reported the patently absurd, or because we believe they are simply offensive to the sensibilities."

The list culled mostly from US and British websites, celebrity magazines and tabloid newspapers, also included allegations she was being drugged by her father and supposed demands for stripper poles in her room at London's Dorchester Hotel to help her keep in shape.

The star quashed rumours that she was pregnant with a third child, was addicted to gardening and under orders from her father to read the Bible every day to keep her "on the straight and narrow".

Several of the stories also related to Spears's recent troubled tour of Australia, where it was reported fans had walked out of a concert in Perth because of her lip-synching.

Michael Jackson: FBI releases classified files on star

The FBI has released more than 300 pages of formerly classified documents relating to pop icon Michael Jackson.

They include information regarding the singer's 1993 and 2004 child molestation cases, as well as an extortion case where he was a victim.

Despite an application under the US Freedom of Information Act, just over half of the file will stay secret.

The pages do not provide any new information on Jackson's sudden death in June, aged 50.

One document reveals that in 2004, local police in Santa Maria requested FBI involvement believing the court proceedings against the pop star were a "soft target for terrorism" due to the global media coverage.

"No intelligence indicating a terrorist threat" existed, the FBI said, although the bureau did provide other technical and investigative assistance into the case.

In June 2005, Jackson was found not guilty of all charges at the end of the four-month trial.

Video analysed

The documents were released through a Freedom of Information Act request from The Associated Press news agency and other media.

They show that the FBI assisted local authorities on several occasions from 1993 to 2005.

The FBI's legal office in London assisted local authorities with the child molestation probe in 1993 and in 1995 US customs officials asked the FBI to analyse a VHS videotape as part of a child pornography investigation.

The tape - "a multi-generation copy of poor quality" - was marked in part "Michael Jackson's Neverland Favourites, An All Boy Anthology", the FBI documents say.

In 1993 police in Los Angeles began investigating allegations of child abuse against Michael Jackson made by the father of 13-year old Jordie Chandler.

Jackson vehemently denied the claims and he was never charged. A civil case was settled out of court in early 1994 when he paid Jordie Chandler a reported $20m (£14m).