You heard it here first folks! Even with all of the controversies, rumors, lawsuits and all, Britney Spears is still the reigning Princess of Pop! Lately, it seems the pop singer can’t catch a break, even if she is taking a hiatus from music and performing, which she rightly deserves after all the shit she has been through. If you haven’t heard, Britney is fighting a legal court battle with her management who have held her under a conservatorship since her mental breakdown in 2007. Back then, the conservatorship made sense, however, today it seems that she had shown signs of mental stability, especially after she gained legal access to her two sons. So the question is, why is she still under the control of other people after she has since released three albums, been on three world tours, and just finished a five year Las Vegas Residency? And if she is still “mentally unstable” like her management claims, why would you make someone with mental illness perform so much? This clearly sounds like some people are taking advantage of her conservatorship, while she goes out and slays onstage day in and day out while her management pockets all the cash that she makes for them. But while it seems that the entertainment industry has really sucked the life out of her, her loyal fanbase has definitely been behind her through it all. And this time, they’re helping her fight her battles. So while she has been eerily silent on social media and in the music industry due to the madness that she is fighting currently, I think we should all remember who she is and why she will always remain the Princess of Pop.
The Media is Obsessed With Her
Have you ever listened to her song called “Piece of Me”? It’s infamous for being one of the biggest diss tracks towards Hollywood, the Entertainment Industry and the paparazzi. It is also the very first song released that was specifically about them. While other artists have mentioned their frustrations towards media in their music, Britney co wrote and produced two songs that specifically addressed her issues with the paps and the true life of being a celebrity. (“Piece of Me” and “Kill The Lights”)
Some lines from “Piece of Me” that highlight her anger with the media:
“I’m Mrs. American Dream since I was seventeen. It don’t matter if I step on the scene or sneak away to the Phillipines. They are still going to take pictures of my derriere in the magazines. You want a piece of me?”
“I’m Mrs. Bad Media, Karma. Another day another drama. Guess I can’t see no harm in workin’ and bein’ a mama. And with a kid on my arm, I’m still an exceptional earner… You wanna piece of me?”
“I’m Mrs. You-Wanna-Piece-of-Me tryin’ and pissin’ me off. Well get in line with the paparazzi who is flickin’ me off. Hopin’ I’ll resort to some havoc and end up settlin’ it in court. Now, are you sure you wanna piece of me?”
“I’m Mrs. Most-Likely-To-Get-On-The-TV-For-Strippin’-On-The-Streets, when gettin’ the groceries. No for real, are you kiddin’ me? No wonder there is panic in this industry. I mean, please! Do you want a piece of me?”
“I’m Mrs. Lifestyles of the rich and famous!
I’m Mrs. Oh my God that Britney is shameless!
I’m Mrs. Extra! Extra! This just in!
I’m Mrs. She’s too big, now she’s too thin!”
In her song called “Kill The Lights”, Brit reveals her anger towards Hollywood and even further warns new stars of business of the industry. Here are some examples of lines from the song “Kill The Lights” that highlight her anger with Hollywood:
“You don’t like me, I don’t like you, it don’t matter. Only difference, you still listen and I don’t have to. In one ear and out the other, I don’t need you.Your words don’t stick, I ain’t perfect, but you ain’t either!”
“If you’re feeling froggy, leap! I ain’t even losin’ sleep. There is more to me than what you see. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”
“All of the flashin’ trying to cash in, hurts my eyes! All of the poses, out of focus, I despise! F me over, your exposure, not the best! If that was bad, watch how I release this stress!”
“You’re the star now, welcome to the big leagues! They all wanna pick, they all wanna see, see, see what you’re made of, what you’re gonna do. Is life gonna get the best of you?”
“Mr. Photographer, I think I’m ready for my close up tonight. Make sure you catch me from my good side, pick one. These other half just wanna be me. Mr. Money-In-Your-Pocket, are you happy to see me?”
Here are some lines from the song “Circus” that highlight her comparing her crazy life as a performer to that of an actual circus show:
“There are only two types of people in the world, the ones that entertain and the ones that observe. Well baby, I’m a put-on-a-show kind of girl. Don’t like the backseat, gotta be first.”
“I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins. Spotlight on me and I’m ready to break. I’m like a performer, the dance floor is my stage. Better be ready, I hope that you feel the same.”
“All eyes on me in the center of the ring, just like a circus! When I crack that whip, everybody gon’ trip, just like a circus! Don’t stand there watching me, follow me, show me what you can do! Everybody let’s go, we can make the dance floor just like a circus!”
“There is only two types of guys out there. Ones that can hang with me, and ones that are scared. So baby, I hope that you came prepared. I run a tight ship, so beware!”
“I’m like the ringleader, I call the shots! I’m like a firecracker, I make it hot, when I put on a show!”
She didn’t stop there though. She also showed her fans somewhat of her not-so-private-life through her music videos (“I Wanna Go”, “Piece of Me”, “Everytime” and “Lucky” just to name a few) and through her dance choreography in her concert tours (specifically during the “Piece of Me” performance of the Circus World Tour when she was locked in a cage to represent that she felt like a caged animal being used for entertainment purposes. No this isn’t speculation, she did actually confirm this symbolism.)
Her song “Gimme More” is a song that shows how the Entertainment Industry just can’t get enough of her so she’ll just give them what they want and her song “Circus” is a metaphoric song that symbolizes that her crazy celebrity life is “like a circus”. Yes, Britney will forever be known as the Queen of shading and exploiting Hollywood for who they really are. We get it. Britney is a celebrity and she knew that she would be sacrificing her private life. However, the media did not treat any other celebrity like they did to Britney. They were obsessed with everything about her from her personal sex life with Justin Timberlake, following her into bathrooms when she needed moments of privacy, and taking flash photos of her with her sons (who were also infants and terrified of the cameras!). She was completely dehumanized in 2007. During her mental breakdown, paparazzi even followed the ambulance vehicle while she was being rushed to the hospital. Her face was in every single magazine to the point where she was officially named “the most photographed woman in the world” from 2007–2009. Hollywood doesn’t even treat Beyonce or Kim Kardashian like that. The only other celebrities who the media went bananas over like this was Princess Diana, Michael Jackson and Madonna. That speaks volumes. When Britney was recently interviewed about her life and how it has changed so much, and she opened up about living a famous life.
“You know, it’s so funny. When you’re a kid, it all seems amazing. You feel like you’re on top of the world. That’s what the media does. They have the power to lift you up. But they also have the power to tear you down. And when they tear you down, they will tear you way down, and it will hurt you, bad. After experiencing all of it, I just learned to ignore the rumors and to not let them get to me because I chose to be a happy person. To be honest, sometimes I forget I’m famous. And being a celebrity now is way different than how I felt when I first rose to stardom. Now all I want is to be with my family, spend time with my sons and just lay low. I still love performing and I still have a passion for music. That will never leave. But fame in itself gets boring real fast, and eventually you’ll want nothing more than your regular life back.” — Britney Spears
Britney is the Queen of Subliminal Messages
This one may be a shocker to some, especially to those who haven’t listened to her music much. Britney is the one female artist that likes to keep people guessing. Sometimes her song lyrics may not make sense, but there is a reason for that. Her song “If U Seek Amy” sparked up a lot of controversy when it released in 2009 because many were confused by the meaning behind it. It got many fans asking “Who is Amy?”, “Is she Britney’s alter-ego?”, “Where did she go?” Well, for those who made up a conspiracy theory about a mysterious girl named Amy, you’re all wrong! The song is a hidden curse word spelled out to make it seem like an actual sentence. (If= F, U, Seek=C Amy= K ME. If you still can’t see the translation, she is spelling out “FUCK ME”)
Many people initially believed Amy was some doppelgänger of Britney, when really Britney was actually just bragging about how everyone wants to have sex with her. This song had many people fooled and she really finessed radio stations and parents all over the world. It took some people many years to finally figure out this hidden message. That was pretty clever on Britney’s end though. You have to give credit where credit is due, we wish more female artists such as Ariana and Taylor had clever lyrics like this.
In her song “Kill The Lights”, fans of Britney have stated that they saw the use of morse code within her music video and in the song itself. People today are still trying to crack the code, however this could be another conspiracy theory.
Her single “3” which topped the charts in 2009, was another song that many seemed to have had a hard time figuring out. However, I think if one were to actually listen to the song a few times, the message is quite clear. The song is about having a threesome.
Her single “Touch of my Hand” from her fourth studio album In The Zone is actually about masturbation even though others initially believed it to be about something else.
She is the Best Dancer of Our Time
The keywords to this is “our time” meaning the 90s kids and 90s babies generation, so this completely takes Michael and Janet Jackson out of the equation. 90s kids absolutely know that this girl has absolutely killed her dance moves ever since she was just 10 years old. When she starred in the Mickey Mouse Club, her dancing alone stole the show and people during that time even thought she might be a white child version of Janet Jackson. After her career officially kicked off, she began to perform for live shows such as the Video Music Awards (VMAS), American Music Awards (AMAS), Billboard Music Awards (BBMAS) and the Grammys. Almost all of her performances are marked as iconic gems in music history due to her amazing energy and stage presence. Her dance breakdowns always got the audience fired up during any performance whether it was a concert or a music award show. Oh! And let’s not forget that this girl is one of the only female artists to actually do a backflip onstage in her dance choreography! And even recently during her Las Vegas Residency, the woman was still capable of pulling off some incredible gymnastics skills at the age of 33. Yeah, you won’t ever see Ariana Grande, who is way younger by the way, do something like that…
She is the Inspiration to Multiple Pop Artists of Today
The big huge pop stars of today were once like us. They listened to pop music and fan-girled over their favorite celebrities. Celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift have all admitted to being Britney Spears fans before they themselves became famous.
Lady Gaga herself has called Britney “the Queen of Pop” and that she as an artist has taken lessons from her during her career. Gaga has further shown her support for Britney by appearing as an audience member at many of Britney’s concert tours and was even seen dancing at her Las Vegas Show.
Beyonce kicked off her music career almost around the same time as Spears, but wasn’t as well known as she is today. Beyonce collaborated with Britney along with Pink during a Pepsi Super Bowl Commercial where they all played as female gladiators and Queen Bey herself has admitted she loved working with Brit. Beyonce stated herself that she was a huge fan of Britney with her personal favorite album being “Blackout”. In 2015, Beyonce was spotted along with her husband Jay-Z attending Britney’s show in Las Vegas and the couple stated that they thoroughly enjoyed the show.
Miley Cyrus has also had many moments of showing how much she loves the latter. During her Bangerz World Tour, she held a sign of Britney’s face while performing Brit’s verse in the song Bangerz. And yes, before anyone else asks, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus did indeed collaborate together and Miley said it was “a dream come true” because she met her childhood idol. When asked about Britney’s 2007 meltdown, Miley told the media that shaming Britney’s mental health was disgusting and added that her breakdown was understandable since she knows what its like to be followed by paparazzi everyday. “They really suck the life out of you. Britney deserves more respect because she’s had to deal with this shit for so long.” Miley has also recently been very vocal regarding Britney’s conservatorship and has not only stood up and defended Britney, but also supports the #FreeBritney Campaign, showing that she is completely 100% on Britney’s side.
Selena Gomez is another huge pop star that turns into a fangirl when she is around miss Spears. Selena herself has admitted to feeling almost physically sick to the point of fainting every time she and Britney are in the same room. She also said multiple times in interviews that Britney Spears was the very first concert that she has ever been to, and that it held a very special place in her heart. Selena also stated the Britney Spears is the definition of a Pop Princess and that no one else, herself included, can take away her crown. On her first solo world tour, Selena performed a Britney Spears melody as a tribute to the pop princess. To this day, Selena is still waiting for her turn to collaborate with Britney as she stated that would “make her life complete.”
Ariana Grande once tweeted about her experience at a Britney Spears concert, complimenting the latter. Way before anyone knew who Ariana was, she attended The Circus Starring Britney Spears World Tour in Miami, Florida, her home state. Ariana had nothing but good things to say about the show.
In her Snapchat stories, Ariana shows her support by publicly covering many of Brit’s songs, and even once performed “Baby One More Time” live in her concert. Ariana has also been very vocal about how she adores Britney’s shows and loves how much energy she brings to the stage.
“Britney is a true professional and she’s been in this business for a long time, so yes, I am inspired by her. Singing and dancing is so hard to do together. It’s amazing that she can do that, and that is something I’ve gained inspiration from her. She’s also really creative with all of her shows! Britney is a true performer for sure. I’ve studied her shows, so I know how to engage my fans too.” — Ariana Grande
Taylor Swift has even shown some amounts of love for Britney. She played an acoustic version of “Lucky” while on her Red Tour in 2013. Taylor has also personally reached out to Britney on numerous occasions. And once in an interview, Taylor stated that she was always mainly a country music fan, but made an exception for Spears.
“I’ve always been a huge country music fan *laughs*, but I only had one poster of a pop artist and that was Britney. She was also the only Pop album I owned. Once I sat next to her during the VMAS in 2009 and literally began to cry, I was so overwhelmed, but she was super sweet, and she has a nice southern charm.” — Taylor Swift
Charlie Puth admitted countless of times that he had a massive crush on the pop singer since he was a young boy. While many boys won’t admit to liking Britney due to her bubble gum pop music, it can’t be denied that many boys stanned her for the gorgeous woman that she was. Most men from the ages of young teens to adults were fans of Britney for the same reason that many young girls fawned over Justin Bieber. Charlie was no exception here, and openly admitted to loving her since the day “Baby One More Time” aired on the radio.
Billie Eilish even stated that she looked up to the pop princess. On December 7, 2019, Billie paid tribute to Britney at a Jingle Ball concert by wearing a T-shirt with Britney’s face on the front and Britney’s name on the butt of her pants. When asked about it, she claimed that she did it because she never wanted to miss an opportunity to represent the pop icon. She stated that she loved Britney and was completely shocked when she saw Britney Spears dancing to one of her songs.
Even some famous YouTubers such as Tyler Oakley, Shane Dawson, Tana Mongeau, Lilly Singh, Jenna Marbles, Liza Koshy and PewDiePie have vocalized their love for the pop princess.
Tyler has even posted a YouTube video talking about his experience seeing Britney live in Las Vegas for the very first time. Ironically, Britney also picked him to go onstage with her during the “Freakshow” section of the show.
Britney is the Only Female Pop Artist to Share a Stage With Both Michael Jackson and Madonna
If this doesn’t scream Pop Royalty, I don’t know what does. Britney Spears was the only pop female artist to perform with Michael Jackson and Madonna all before she even turned 21 years old! The only other person who has shared a stage with the King and Queen of Pop is Britney’s ex beau, Justin Timberlake. However, JT shared the stage with MJ while he was still with N*Sync, so whether this actually counts is up for debate…
Regardless, it was extremely rare for MJ to perform with any other artist, so the fact that he extended an invite out to Miss Spears to sing with him during the 30th Anniversary Special in NYC was a huge opportunity. And Britney was only a young 19 year old girl who was still a fresh face to the music industry. It’s pretty obvious to us that Michael himself was a huge fan of Britney and loved the way she danced. The following year in 2002, Britney was chosen to hand out the Artist of the Millenium Award to Michael Jackson, which she happily did the honors. As a side note, Michael’s sister Janet also had nothing but great things to say about Britney stating
“She’s such a talented young performer. She has great stage presence, great energy and she just kills it in her choreography. I would love to dance with her!” — Janet Jackson
Madonna, the Queen of Pop has also shown herself to be a big fan of Britney and even shared a kiss with her at the 2004 VMAS (one of the most iconic moments in VMA history.) Madonna once stated that she felt like a mother figure to Britney and that when she first saw her burst on the scene she saw an image of her young self. Madonna is one of Britney’s biggest inspirations, so for Madonna to say something like that is unbelievable. If I were Brit Brit I would’ve been fangirl screaming. Britney and Madonna have an incredibly close bond together in the business. Brit has made guest appearances at many of Madonna’s concerts and performed with her numerous times. And Madonna was also featured on one of Britney’s songs called “Me Against The Music”. The song was one of the biggest and most iconic thing that happened in pop music in 2004 because the single featured both the Queen and Princess of Pop and the media couldn’t get enough of it. In 2016, Madonna performed a cover of Britney’s “Toxic” while images of Donald Trump were being displayed in the background.
She Made One of the Biggest Comebacks in Pop Music History
Let’s all face it, 2007 was not a good year for Britney at all. From going through a divorce, being addicted to drugs, partying late at night with Paris Hilton, being admitted into rehab countless of times, becoming a new mom, being hounded by paparazzi everywhere she went, (literally the girl couldn’t even order a Starbucks in peace…) and all the while fighting court battles for custody of her children was not ideal at all. As a matter of fact, many people believed her career was over at that point and she was even put on suicidal watch. The only positive thing that came out of it was the release her album “Blackout”, which in my opinion, is her best album because of how deep and personal it is to her life at the time, but sadly it was to her expense. Unfortunately, her album stood in the shadow of her personal life and it didn’t receive the attention that it deserved at the time. So the question is, how did Britney Spears go from shaving her head, attacking a paparazzi with an umbrella and nearly ending her own life to selling over 5 million album copies worldwide and being on one of the highest grossing world tours of the 2000s decade within just a year?
Side note: I can tell you one thing, it wasn’t because of Chris Crocker’s “Leave Britney Alone” video, although looking back at it, more people should’ve probably paid attention to what he was saying, because he was more woke in 2007 than anybody else was.
As if her accomplishments from 1998–2004 weren’t enough, Britney’s ability to make a comeback in the music industry after hitting rock bottom in her own life and in the eyes of the public, she pretty much set her Pop Princess title in stone, and that crown is not going anywhere. Even after all of that, she still had her fans supporting her. In 2008, her album “Circus” released and sold over 5 million copies worldwide! The lead single “Womanizer” reached №1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for about 5 weeks until it was beat by her second single “Circus”. This was the very first time that she had two singles go №1 since Toxic in 2003 and it was the first time her single skyrocketed from №30 to №1 since 1999 “Baby One More Time”. The week before the album released, she performed both songs on “Good Morning America”, which was the first time she performed since her 2007 VMA performance of “Gimme More” and returning from being held in rehabilitation. She then announced on GMA that she will be going on tour again called “The Circus Starring Britney Spears” and that the first leg of the tour will kick off in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 3, 2009.
“The Circus Starring Britney Spears World Tour” was the highest grossing tour of 2009 and is ranked in the top 10 high grossing world tours of the 2000s decade. It is essentially her biggest world tour to date. The tour promoted her last two albums “Blackout” and “Circus”. It had four different legs: the first North American leg, the European leg, the second North American leg, and the Australian leg. During the first American leg she performed in multiple American and Canadian cities such as Atlanta, Tampa, Miami, Boston, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Las Vegas, two back-to-back sold out shows in Los Angeles and many more. During her European leg she performed eight back-to-back sold out shows in London, England, Manchester, two sold out shows in Dublin, three sold out shows in Paris, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Berlin, and a sold out show in Copenhagen, Denmark which was the largest stadium with a total of 50,000 people in attendance. During the second North American leg, she performed in Miami, Orlando, three back-to-back sold out shows in New York City at Madison Square Garden, Philadelphia, Houston, and other Canadian cities such as Ottawa and Hamilton. During the final Australian leg, she performed in multiple Australian cities such as multiple back-to-back sold out shows in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane. The tour grossed a whopping $156,215,980 in total.
Many people were flabbergasted at Britney’s huge turnaround. Clearly her career was far from being down the toilet unlike what many initially thought. People even compared her big comeback to another big pop icon who was also previously under a lot of media and public scrutiny: Michael Jackson. Regardless of what some people think, the media hounded Britney Spears in the exact same way that they hounded Michael Jackson during his career. I am willing to guarantee that if any other celebrity today went through half of what Britney did, their career would’ve been dead. Only extremely relevant people would be able to survive something like that.
Following her comeback, Britney proceeded to release three more albums including “Femme Fetale” (2011), “Britney Jean” (2013) and “Glory” (2016) along with another world tour in 2011 called “The Femme Fatale World Tour” and a five year Las Vegas Residency from 2013–2018 called “Piece of Me” and another world tour following the residency’s end when she toured to cities who couldn’t experience the show during its runtime in Vegas. Eventually, the Piece of Me show became the highest grossing residency show in Vegas making over $1,000,000 per show and surpassing the Queen of Vegas herself, Celine Dion who made $700,000 per show.
In 2012, Britney became an X-Factor judge along with Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato, and L.A Reid. Britney also guest starred on multiple TV shows such as Glee’s “Britney/Brittany” episode which featured covers of many Spears’ biggest hits and was the first episode that centered around the character Brittany S. Pierce who performed most of the Britney songs. The character of Brittany is played by Heather Morrison, and Morrison stated that she loved filming this episode because singing and dancing to Britney Spears music was truly nostalgic to her. After the episode aired, it hit its highest views. Brittany’s character in the show also grew more in popularity among fans since she received more character depth in the episode and all the episodes that followed suit. Eventually Brittany Pierce made the top three favorite characters in Glee along with Finn Hudson and Rachel Barry.
Britney Spears also played on “Jane the Virgin” with Gina Rodriguez and guest starred on “How I Met Your Mother”.
She’s In The Guinness Book of World Records
Britney Spears made three entries in the Guinness Book of World Records. The pop star is credited for the best-selling album by a teenage solo artist with her debut album “Baby One More Time”, selling over 13 million copies in the U.S alone at just the young age of 16. She received a separate entry the following year as the fastest selling female artist in the world with her second album “Oops I Did It Again” which sold a record breaking 1.3 million copies in its first week. Both albums reached Diamond album statuses and this was all before iPods, Spotify streams and Apple Music existed. Her third entry was being the best selling female artist before being 20 years old, already selling over 37 million albums worldwide at the age of 18.
Some other accolades that I feel should be mentioned are as follows:
- Her album “Blackout” was inducted into the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” music library in 2012. The album was added because of its influence in the pop music industry as it was the first album to date to introduce dubstep combined with synth musical instrumentation.
- She has been given a star on the Walk of Fame when she was 20, the youngest artist to do so, with under 5 years of music release.
- She was the most searched celebrity on the internet throughout the 2000s decade (1998–2012).
- In 2007, she was the named “The Most Photographed Woman in the World” and is only second to Princess Diana, who died in a car crash while being pursued by paparazzi.
- She was ranked as the “World’s Most Powerful Celebrity” in 2002 by Forbes Magazine.
- Spears is the youngest artist ever to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show back in 2002 with American greatest rock & pop band, Aerosmith & NSYNC.
She Is Not Afraid of Being Original
There are many brand new artists in today’s music industry, and a lot of them are afraid to be different. Therefore, most, if not all of them nearly sound the same when they release pop music. At least, that’s what I have noticed about the music of 2019. It all sounds super monotonous and it has just gotten boring over the years. No one has any originality anymore, and when they try to be, it just looks…stupid. Let’s look at all of the mainstream pop artists of today just so everyone can see through this perspective:
Billie Eilish: Okay, I really hope that Billie’s fans don’t take this the wrong way, but it seems as though she tries too hard to be original. She literally whispers in her songs, dresses like a homeless person, can’t dance at all so she resorts to crawling on the floor and doing weird things to gain YouTube Views and the proceeds to call it “art”… *yawn* Yeah whatever… I don’t know… I personally don’t understand the hype and I’m not sure how long she will last as an artist trying to keep up that type of persona. The only thing I can say about Billie is that she is the first female artist that a lot of girls can relate to. When I say that, I mean that she looks very plain and average like most girls do. She isn’t the type of celebrity to doll herself up and look unrealistically beautiful like Ariana or Taylor. Other than this, her music doesn’t even sound that appealing and frankly it is way overhyped. Sorry Billie fans…
Ariana Grande: She is basically a carbon copy of Mariah Carey with music that is less the quality of Mariah’s. Sure, “Thank U, Next” was a good album, but it definitely lacked in its originality. Every song sounded the same and it just wasn’t dynamic. The only reason it topped the charts was because of her publicity stunt in 2018 with Pete Davidson, and the marriage that we all knew wasn’t going to happen. And then we should also add in the fact that the album literally had no competition whatsoever, which speaks volumes on how low quality pop music has become. Let’s also not forget that while Ariana has powerhouse vocals, she can’t dance for shit, so her energy severely lacks during concert performances and she has no stage presence whatsoever. However, if you’re a person who prefers vocal skills over energy and stage performance, then you might disagree with me. However, I like artists that bring energy to that stage. Unfortunately, Ari may have to either take a few dance classes or lose the 6 inch heels to make it easier for her to create some stage presence.
Taylor Swift: 1989 was probably the only album that was original by Taylor because her music videos were great. But her business tactic of dating and breaking up with men and then writing songs about it for media attention eventually got old to the public, and that’s why all the other albums after it just failed in comparison. She did much better when she was a country artist, and her older music had much more originality because she was sincere when she wrote it from her heart rather than writing music for publicity and album sales. That’s a shame. However, Taylor has come pretty close to matching Britney’s level of popularity but unfortunately the only thing she’ll be remembered for is being known as a snake…
Beyonce: Probably the only female artist that actually gives Britney some competition, since Beyonce fans love comparing her to Britney a lot more than anyone else. I would assume that this is because they were both in business for the same amount of time, they are both the most powerful women in the music industry and they were pretty much side by side with each other all throughout the 2000s. Beyonce’s dancing is great and she is very original in her choreography and performance. But the songs themselves… well I don’t think repeating the same lyric to a beat is anything to hype up. To me, the last really good Beyonce song was “Single Ladies”, which came out 10 years ago. It was dynamic, full of energy and was completely different than anything else during that time. Now Bey just seems to be going along with whatever is popular and hopes to make quick money off of it. And the thing is… because her name is literally its own brand, she pretty much can release shitty music and get away with it because her fans will hype up anything that she releases. I still love Bey though. She is a queen and she genuinely respects Britney as an artist. As far as I know, Britney and Beyonce seem to be great friends. It’s too bad that their fanbases can’t see that…
Lady Gaga: I’m going to start off by saying I like Lady Gaga. Her first album was absolute fire and she was probably the last female artist who was worthy enough to be compared to Britney. Gaga is a vocal powerhouse and a dancer, what more can you want? Her downfall came when she tried too much experimenting and pretty much had an identity crisis as an artist when Artpop released. Her outrageous alter egos weren’t appealing to the public anymore. In the music industry, it’s very important to keep a consistent identity. Now, this doesn’t mean you can’t change up your music styles. As an artist you can sing whatever you want, but if you’re going to try to appeal to the public by wearing a bunch of different ostentatious costumes, you’ll appeal to the public’s interest, but not for very long because it will eventually bore them. Britney was usually out on the red carpet as herself with a beautiful dress on and often saying quirky things that appeased people. Her identity as an artist stayed consistent. For example, ever since 1999 she was known to sing in a baby voice and to this day she still has to sing in that voice to keep her identity… it’s a weird industry.
Selena Gomez: This girl started out as an actress. She probably should’ve stuck with it because she was a way better actress compared to a musician. But hey… her management said “Let’s make you a pop artist because we’ll make more money off of it!” Anyways… Selena has no originality at all. Her music sounds bland at best, her vocals aren’t that great and her dancing is subpar. She’s just mainstream. People will only remember her as the girl who dated Justin Bieber but didn’t end up marrying him. Music and talent aside though, I love Selena as a person. She seems very humble and respectable. While I wouldn’t say she is on Britney Spears’ level, she is definitely a celebrity who is very down to earth, which is rare. I wish she would go back to acting though because I really do miss seeing her in films and acting roles. She had a knack for it!
Miley Cyrus: Her idea of being original was licking hammers, twerking and riding around naked on a wrecking ball. The music on that album was great, but… like… what the actual fuck was that all about?! I genuinely think Miley is a talented person, and I’ve loved her since the Hannah Montana days, so in my opinion, she really didn’t need to do that in order to demand attention from a mature audience. But I digress… And if there is any celebrity that kisses the ground that Britney walks on…it’s Miley. And she stated in an old interview that she wanted to be totally outrageous because that’s exactly what Britney did in order to shed the whole “Good Girl” image away. However, I don’t recall Britney ever doing something to that degree.
Okay now back to the point… when Britney first signed with Jive Records in 1998, her management had a completely different idea for the music video of “Baby One More Time”. Originally, they wanted her to be a superhero flying around in the sky while rescuing a cute handsome boy of her choosing. Unlike other artists, who would do whatever their management said because they’re new in the industry, a young 15 year old Britney Spears told her management that the idea “sucked”, and pitched to them something different. She said she wanted the music video to take place in a catholic school while she wore a skimpy school girl outfit. At first, Jive wasn’t sure what to say to the idea, but they later decided to go through with her view because she had more of an idea of what people her age wanted to see. Britney also wanted a lot of dancing in the video, and so her manager Larry Rudolf abided by what she wished for. Originally, Spears wasn’t supposed to show her stomach in the video, but Britney took the white shirt and tied it in the front. Little did she even realize that she created a huge fashion trend along with one of the most iconic music videos of the 2000s generation. Larry was worried that the video would spark up controversy however that was exactly what Britney wanted. After the video gained huge success, Larry and the rest of her management always asked Britney for her ideas when it came to music videos. Pretty much every Britney music video that you watch, she has pitched some type of idea into it. She was never one to follow what others said, she was always one to take charge of her career, and that’s the biggest difference between her and these 2019 newbies who no one will remember within 10 years.
As someone who has actively listened to pop music for a long time, I can honestly say that I do not think Britney’s music in itself is generic. All the music on every album sounds different and mixes noises together that were way beyond its years.
Her Iconic Performances
She wasn’t dubbed the “Queen of VMAS” for nothing. Britney is notorious for putting on some of the most iconic performances whether it is during her world tours or a special performance for one of the music award shows. Let me just name a few:
- 2001 “I’m A Slave 4 U” VMAS
No one will ever forget the day that Britney strut down the stage while dancing with a live boa constrictor in her arms and wearing it like an actual boa. Let’s not forget that she wore the sexiest outfit and danced like a gypsy.
- 2000 “Can’t Get No Satisfaction/Oops I Did It Again” VMAS
This was Britney’s big MJ moment! She began by walking down the stairs while singing a cover of a song by The Rolling Stones and then stripping off her black suit to reveal a nude crop top and flannel pants costume before transitioning into Oops I Did It Again! It was a major surprise to everyone and the media couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks.
- 2002 “Baby One More Time” A Dream Within A Dream World Tour
What pop artist can you name today that uses water holographic projections/water screen? Not a clue. But Britney did it back in 2002 during the big finale of her Dream Within A Dream World Tour. In all fairness, this tour was probably her best during her golden years for obvious reasons. The concert in itself was amazing. The theme was based off of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Dream Within A Dream” poem, and therefore it had a slight edginess right from the beginning. The costumes and dance choreography were eccentric and the overall production was phenomenal. But what really made it memorable was the big finale which featured a hologram of Spears made from water. The water screen poured nearly two tons of water pumped at 360 gallons a minute onto the stage, while Spears entered through the water and got drenched in the process. She then proceeded to sing her hit song “Baby One More Time”.
- 2007 “Gimme More” VMAS
This performance was initially received with a negative response from the audience and the media. It was so bad, that it was the only performance that people remembered from the 2007 VMAS, making it one of Britney’s most negative iconic performances. If we look at the performance today, it doesn’t seem so bad. As a matter of fact, it had a more sensual vibe to it. However, people were so used to seeing more dancing from Britney and unfortunately, this performance didn’t have as much choreography as usual. There was also the fact that during the time of this performance Britney was not mentally stable and was heavily medicated. She just got out of rehab and shaved her head just a couple months before the performance, yet her management still forced her to perform. One can absolutely tell that she did not want to be there. And she was so pissed about it, she went on the stage looking like a huge slut, strutting slowly as if she was drunk, and lip synced the whole thing as a middle finger to everybody. It was a way of saying that she gave no fucks that night. She knew that the performance was going to be bad, she didn’t give a shit, and she still managed to get everyone to talk about her the next day. Imagine if your worst performance was more iconic than half the performances of today.
- 2004 “Like A Virgin” with Madonna & Christina Aguilera
Remember when I mentioned that Britney and Madonna kissed? Well, this was that performance. Need I say more? This was the Princess and the Queen of Pop showing some lesbian action onstage! Of course it was going to be iconic. The media and people couldn’t stop talking about it for ages! The best part was the look of Justin Timberlake’s face when the camera’s caught him shocked at his new ex girlfriend being smooched by the Queen of Pop.
- 2004 “Touch of My Hand/Breathe On Me” The Onyx Hotel Tour
Probably the most erotic performance of the 2000s decade, and we’ve seen a lot of raunchy performances. Britney began this performance with a scene of three security guards spying on her through a hidden camera lens in a hotel. As the song begins, Britney is stripping off a robe and revealing a nude looking costume full of beautiful sparkles. Since the song is about masturbating, she steps into a glass bathtub and acts as if she is touching herself while three men watch and pleasure themselves. The song then ends and transitions into “Breathe On Me” which features Britney in nothing but her lingerie and a male dancer in tighty whities grinding on a bed and pretty much nearly having sex onstage. The duo even went to the extent of completely making out onstage while Britney’s fans went wild. The performance was so erotic that people have made statements that her male dancer had a huge boner after the portion of the show was done. The song in itself is highly sexual, but this performance was just icing on the cake.
- 2009 “Break The Ice Interlude/Womanizer Encore” The Circus Starring Britney Spears World Tour
Britney knows how to engage her audience during concerts whether she is on or off the stage. During the finale of her Circus World Tour, she kept her audience engaged the entire time. There was not one boring moment. If she was off changing, there would be clowns, gymnasts, or other circus performers putting on a show. However, during the finale, a mashup of Break The Ice played while a montage of Britney’s past music videos and performances were displayed on the big screen. This got the audience riled up with excitement. After the interluded ended, it transitioned into “Womanizer” with the curtain slowly rising and revealing Britney in a sexy police uniform trying to arrest all of the fuck boys. It was a great way to end the show!
Her Pepsi Superbowl Commercials
Pepsi used to have some of the best commercials during the Super Bowl and almost all of them involved Britney, well at least the ones in the early 2000s anyway. However, Pepsi is notorious for having some of the world’s biggest stars be their special spokespeople. This included Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Pink, Madonna and many more. Before her 2007 meltdown, Britney was one of Pepsi’s biggest celebrity endorsements as she was seen in multiple Pepsi advertisements in magazines and was always in a Pepsi commercial on television. These commercials in themselves were iconic, and people would always talk about them. Her biggest ones were usually aired during the Super Bowl.
Ah… the 2001 Super Bowl… when the Baltimore Ravens won and the commercials were actually enjoyable, whether they were funny or just memorable. This commercial would be one of the most memorable of that year. With the dancing, the music and the hilarity of all the people watching her on television, including the Coca-Cola workers, the commercial became extremely iconic.
If you thought the first commercial was phenomenal, Pepsi upped its game even harder in 2004. This time, they brought in Beyonce, Pink, Enrique Iglesias, and Queen along with, of course Britney Spears. This commercial is so full of music legends, it might even be marked as one of the greatest Super Bowl Commercials of all time. The commercial features three powerful women who were dominant in the music industry at the time, Brian May and Roger Taylor from Queen who made a cameo, and Enrique who was a worldwide famous name during that time. Britney, Beyonce and Pink are all playing as female gladiators during the Roman times who are waiting to partake in a fight to the death. They soon start creating the beat of “We Will Rock You” by Queen as a means to try and knock down the bucket of Pepsi Cola that the king (Enrique) is drinking. While it seems that they are about to begin to engage in a battle, the girls drop their weapons and begin to sing a cover of the famous song while Queen members Brian and Roger bang the drums in the audience.
Her Blackout Album
Yes, I am going to revisit this topic because “Blackout” was an album that changed the course of pop music in 2007. For those who have not listened to this album in full, I encourage you to have an open mind and listen to it, even if you are not a Britney fan or pop music fan. What made this album so much different compared to other albums released during that time was that it combined multiple different sounds and synced them together creating different sounding beats and instrumentation. The music was (at the time) described as a distorted, dark and weird sound for Spears, but at the same time it all coincided with everything that she was going through, and so it all made sense. There is a reason that this album in particular was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame even though it isn’t even a rock album. So for all the people that wrote this album off as a joke back in 2007 for her strange behaviors, I’m afraid Britney got the last laugh…
So why is this album now being recognized as one of her greatest albums when it initially was criticized as her worst back in 2007? Probably because of all the negative exposure the woman received by the media therefore giving people an immediate bad taste in their mouth, although people never actually gave it much of a chance since they just assumed it would be a flop due to her erratic behavior. People in 2007 were pretty stupid to say the least… they mocked a girl who was clearly having a mental breakdown and shamed her for it. I know that if that happened today, people would be more sympathetic towards it. But I think if they never did that… Blackout wouldn’t be Blackout. Because this album is the only album in which Britney actually opens up about her life during that time. She used the album as a way to vent out her anger. And while a lot of the songs are personal, they are simultaneously club bangers and were played all over the clubs of Los Angeles and still are today! Every song on the album will make you want to dance, even if you’re not a pop fan.
As I said previously, the album was recognized for introducing dubstep to pop music and introducing new unheard sounds by combining synth with electro/techno instrumentation. Songs on the album used multiple different instrumentation patterns that often transitioned into another direction, making it unique. The song that was most famous for introducing dubstep was “Freakshow”, however other songs such as “Get Naked (I Got A Plan)”, “Gimme More”, “Break The Ice”, “Piece of Me” and “Toy Soldier” are also known for containing different sounds and patterns of instrumentation during that time. “Get Naked (I Got A Plan)” was not one of the main singles, however it is one of the most popular songs on the album due to its wonderful mixture of different sound patterns combined into one.
Just listen to the instrumental version of the song:
The lyrics in the song illustrate Britney’s more daring wild side and that she really doesn’t give a f*ck about what others think. She also shows that she has complete confidence in her body, that she is not afraid to show it off to whoever she is singing to and she also sings about how she is horny and really wants to “get it on” with this mystery man. No doubt about it, this song has a whole lot of mystery that makes is sinister and sexual all at once.
- “Baby, I’m a freak and I don’t really give a damn. I’m as crazy as a motherfucker, bet that on your man!”
- “If you like what you see, end your curiosity. Let your mind roam free, won’t you pay attention please? What do I gotta do to get you to want my body? It’s quarter past 3 and we’re ready to leave the party.”
- “I’m not ashamed of my beauty, you can see what I got. Shit might I freak ya out, ‘magine if I work ya out. If I get on top, you’re gonna lose your mind.
The way I put it down on you, you know it should be a crime.
And here it is with vocals:
One of the most famous songs off this album, “Gimme More” is another song that combines different instrumental patterns together creating one of the sickest beats of the 2000s generation. The song was a hit in the clubs back then, and even today people still can’t stop dancing to it. It is one of those songs that just takes the inner stripper out of everyone. The song is also notorious for introducing the famous line “It’s Britney Bitch”. The instrumental version of the song combines multiple synth and techno sounds with various patterns to create a song that is absolutely fire with or without vocals.
The lyrics in the song reveal a little bit about Britney’s personal life. While not being completely straightforward, she subtly hints at the fact no matter what she does, people are going to make a big deal about it. So as a response Britney will “give them more” of what they want to see. Britney’s attitude in the song is what a lot of people like about the single. Her speaking lines, the way she laughs sinisterly, and the sensual tones in her voice really make this song pop. No other pop singer would’ve been able to pull this off like Brit did.
“We can get down like there is no one around, they keep on rocking, keep on rocking. Cameras are flashin’ while we’re dirty dancing, and they keep on watching, keep on watching. It feels like the crowd is saying… Gimme More.”
“I just can’t control myself. They want more? Well, I’ll give them more!”
Another huge song that topped the charts on this album is “Break The Ice”. If you thought “Gimme More” had a sick beat, “Break The Ice” has a beat that is just as good, (if not better) than the latter. This song is a total eargasm, no matter if you’re listening to the instrumental version or with vocals. This was definitely a top club banger from 2007 to 2008, no matter what Britney’s personal life was like during the time. Unlike the others, “Break The Ice” has a consistent musical pattern that sticks throughout the song, however it is the sounds and the deep 808 beats that really brings it out. The song combines synth with a mixture of different sounds here and there to make it stand out on its own.
“Break The Ice” is not one that gets too personal with the audience, but it is the opening line in the beginning that really draws people in immediately. Britney expresses to her loyal fans that she understands that they haven’t heard a single from her since 2004 and tells them not to worry, because she is “here now”.
“It’s been awhile. I know I shouldn’t have kept you waiting, but I’m here now.”
From that point on, the song heats up into something highly sexual as Britney sings about wanting desperately to turn on the man she wants to sleep with. Also fun fact, the “Break The Ice” music video was made in an anime-influenced animation style in South Korea, and the idea to make it an anime was entirely Britney’s idea. She asked Jive Records to come up with an animated music video based on the super heroine character of the “Toxic” music video. The video is an animated version of her breaking into a highly secured laboratory and walks through aisles of clones held in liquid cocoons. She sees that one is a clone of her, kisses her and plants a bomb on the tank. After this, Spears infiltrates the base of the apparent villain, kissing him, and then destroying him, revealing him to be a robot also. From there, she dodges a bullet and sets off a panic among the newly arrived henchmen, meanwhile the bomb’s timer runs lower and lower. Next, there is a wide shot of the building exploding, while Spears is jumping and “Victory” is depicted on the side of the structure. The video ends with the phrase “To be continued…”.
“Ooh, looks like we’re alone now, you ain’t gotta be scared, we’re grown now
I’ma hit defrost on ya, let’s get it blazing. We can turn the heat up if ya wanna
Turn the lights down low if ya wanna. Just wanna move ya, but you froze up
That’s what I’m saying”
“Let me break the ice, allow me to get you right. Let you warm up to me. Baby, I can make you feel… hot.”
“So are you warming up yet? It feels kinda good.”
Toy Soldier is another underrated song off of the album that introduces completely different sounds and mixes them into different patterns to create something of a masterpiece. Ellen Degeneres has stated that this track in particular was her favorite off the album and it wasn’t even released as a single. While the song uses synth and techno sounds, it combines it with an army march cadence beat. This makes the song stick out from the rest and it really becomes a catchy tune after listening to it for the first time.
The song itself actually hints at some of Britney’s personal life with the men in her life. She uses the phrase “Toy Soldier” to reference a fake “plastic” man. This is most likely due to the men that have dated her for their own benefits rather than for who she is as a person (Justin Timberlake, Kevin Federline just to name a few). She views a man as someone who should resemble a soldier to a woman. Men should be protective, caring and strong to their ladies, and Britney sings about how she is tired of all the fake soldiers and that this time she needs a “bad ass soldier” to take care of her.
“I’m out the door, it’s automatic, simple, babe. I’m like a fire bottle bursting in your face
So tired of you being up in my space. How much more could I take?
I’m tired of privates driving, I need a general that ain’t weak.”
“This time I need a soldier, a really bad ass soldier.
That know how to take, take care of me, I’m so damn glad that’s over!
This time I need a soldier, I’m sick of toy soldiers.
A boy that knows how to take care of me, and won’t be just coming over.”
“I want it more than ever now, I realized that they ain’t listening
Like a princess is supposed to get it, that’s why I’m dusting off my fitted
Coming back looking delicious, Yes, I know they wanna kiss me
Now I hold them at attention, ’cause new Britney’s on a mission”
Piece of Me was another strong track on the record and was noted for being the song where Spears was the most personal. What I like about this song is the distorted sounds and the bridge. I discussed “Piece of Me” previously, however if you just skimmed through this article nonchalantly, Britney single handedly exposes Hollywood and the Entertainment Industry through this iconic diss track. Who can blame her though? The media did nothing but spew constant gossip and lies about her personal life in order to make money off of her. I frankly believe it was her own way of defending herself since no one really took her seriously during the time, and she used this track as a way to vent. Hence why she probably still has respect among her fans and other celebrities who have felt the same way, but were too afraid to talk about it due to the image that they all are pressured to uphold. However, since Brit was under fire for everything, she just stopped caring, and figured she had nothing to lose.
Freakshow is the last single that I want to highlight off of the album because, as I said before, it is the single that was credited for introducing dubstep to the pop music industry. While slight uses of dubstep instruments are used on other tracks on the album, Freakshow uses it the most and it incorporates a mixture of techno sounds combined with it.
The song is noted to be Spears’ personal favorite track off of the album because of how “sassy” it is. The track also slightly mocks her own mishaps in her personal life and calls out the media’s fascination with her. Along with that, the song is also about sex and partying.
“If they wanna look, we can give ‘em a encore and make it a freakshow.”
“Make em clap when we perform. Wanna see crazy? We can show em. Dancing table top freaky freaky, it’s so outside the norm. On some super star shit, pushing hot Bugatti whips. Rocking new designer fits, we can do it if you wish.”
Everyone will have their own personal opinions about Britney’s discography and which album was the best, however Blackout will always stand out to me above the rest for these reasons.
She’s The First Female Pop Artist To Have a Broadway Show Themed After Her
That’s right! Much like Abba’s Mamma Mia, Britney Spears will be getting her very own Broadway Musical. The musical is called “Once Upon A One More Time” and it is set to debut in April 2020. The musical is said to be about all of the Disney princesses living in the world of feminism. Cinderella is having an existential crisis, and she has a posse of famous princesses, and her stepmother is the main antagonist, and there’s also Prince Charming and a dwarf we’ve never met — the eighth dwarf — and a narrator who is unhappy his system is being dismantled before his eyes. These women have been in this hermetically sealed world, and then they start to get deeper into modern ideas — second and third-wave feminism — and also explore how stories are passed down to us, and where we get our norms from. But it’s also super fun and funny. All while this is happening the princesses sing songs made famous by Spears. All the songs in the musical are by Britney Spears and the show will feature a total of 22 of Britney’s best songs.
She Has Her Own Museum
Britney: The Zone just opened in Los Angeles in February 2020 for all of her dedicated fans to experience. It features nine interactive rooms all paying tribute to the star’s videos, from the classroom in Hit Me Baby One More Time to the plane where she played the role of a flight attendant in Toxic. Other highlights include a Mars-inspired room, with an astronaut ready to propose to you with Titanic’s Heart of the Ocean necklace just like in the Oops I Did It Again video. There will also be heaps of pieces which have been donated by Britney herself, from costumes to memorabilia.
Keep in mind, Britney Spears’ music career began in 1998 and she has been in the Entertainment Industry since 1992 during the Mickey Mouse Club days. She has thoroughly experienced everything from being the most talked about celebrity (in both positive and negative lights) and has been psychologically effected by the media’s constant obsession about her. K-Fed didn’t help her at all during this situation and took complete advantage of her and the amount of money that she was worth. It is now 2020, and to this very day, Britney is still talked about among other celebrities and the media. Sure, it’s not to the degree that it once was, but the point is that she is still talked about. To this day, people still bring up the day she shaved her head, they still talk about her iconic performances, young children who didn’t even grow up with her know who she is and her music, and made Las Vegas Residencies cool.
It’s 2020… she has been in the industry for over 20 years. She may not be the Queen of Pop (…I see you Madonna) but she definitely still holds her official title as the Princess of Pop. She no longer needs the album sales to boost her name, she no longer needs any Grammy nominations, nor does she need any top Spotify streams to solidify who she is. She is Britney fucking Spears. She was capable of selling albums before Spotify even existed. Heck, she even sold tapes! Ariana Grande might be today’s trending pop star, but what really makes someone a music legend/icon is their ability to be remembered. With all of the new artists, will artists like Taylor, Ariana and Selena be able to keep people talking about them without them even releasing any material like Brit Brit? Honestly, I don’t see that happening with Selena or Ariana. Taylor however does have the star power to be able to somewhat maintain her relevancy into the new decade. But there is absolutely no one else who can match Britney’s performances, dance moves and iconic music videos. I can confidently say that there will never be another Britney Spears.
While some of her haters may disagree with me, I know that people can’t deny Britney’s accomplishments. There is a reason she is still talked about today.
