Britney Spears

Britney Jean Spears

(born December 2, 1981) is an American pop music singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and author. Spears is one of the world's most famous celebrities. Her debut album ...Baby One More Time, released in January 1999, propelled her to international stardom.^[1] It spawned five singles, including "...Baby One More Time", which topped the Billboard Hot 100.^[2] She released her second studio album Oops!... I Did It Again in May of 2000 with similar success.^[3][1] Her third album Britney was released in November 2001, followed by the release of her fourth album In The Zone in November 2003. The album's breakout single "Toxic" was an international success and has won Spears her first Grammy Award.^[4] The collection Greatest Hits: My Prerogative was released in November 2004 followed by a remix album B in the Mix: The Remixes a year later and a brief career break. Her fifth album Blackout was released worldwide in October 2007,^[5] with the lead single "Gimme More" earning success on worldwide charts.^[6]

Spears has sold over 83 million records worldwide according to Zomba Label Group.^[7] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) ranks her as the eighth best-selling female artist in American music history, having sold 31 million albums in the U.S.^[8] Spears's fame in the music industry has led her to experiment with other forms of media, including film and television. As an actress, she is most noted for her starring role in the 2002 movie Crossroads.^[9] Spears has also made guest appearances in various movie and television programs. Her success as a singer led her to several high-profile advertising deals and endorsements, including her own perfume line.

Spears's personal life has gained much attention from the media as a result of her stardom. In particular, her marriage to Kevin Federline in 2004 was a favorite media topic, and the couple appeared in their own reality TV show, Britney & Kevin: Chaotic. She gave birth to her first child, Sean Preston, in 2005 and to her second child, Jayden James, in 2006.^[10][11] Her divorce of Federline in November of the same year was highly publicized, as has been the ongoing legal battle for the custody of their two sons.^[12][13] Throughout 2007, Spears has been the subject of intense media scrutiny due to her controversial behavior in public.

Childhood and discovery

Britney Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi.^[15][16] She was raised in Kentwood, Louisiana as a Southern Baptist by parents James Parnell Spears, a building contractor, and Lynne Irene Bridges, a former grade school teacher. Spears's brother Bryan works as a manager for the Spears family interests^[17] and her sister Jamie Lynn is an actress and singer. Her maternal grandmother Lillian Woolmore was an English war-bride^[18], born in Tottenham, London^[19] who met Spears's grandfather Barnett O'Field Bridges in England during World War II. Her paternal grandparents were June Austin Spears and Emma Jean Forbes.^[20][18]

Spears was an accomplished gymnast, attending gymnastics classes until age nine and competing in state-level competitions.^[21] She performed in local dance revues and her local Baptist church choir. At age eight she auditioned for the Disney Channel series The New Mickey Mouse Club. Although she was considered too young to join the series at the time, a producer on the show introduced her to a New York City agent.^[21] Spears subsequently spent three summers at NYC's Professional Performing Arts School and also appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions, including 1991's Ruthless!. In 1992, she landed a spot on the popular television show Star Search. Though she won her first round in the competition, she ultimately lost. At age eleven, Spears returned to the Disney Channel for a spot on the New Mickey Mouse Club in Lakeland, Florida.^[21] She was featured on the show from 1993 to 1994, until she was 13. Other future celebrities on the show included fellow pop singer Christina Aguilera, 'N Sync members Justin Timberlake and Joshua Chasez, Felicity actress Keri Russell, and The Notebook star Ryan Gosling.^[22] After the show ended, Spears returned to Kentwood and entered high school for a year.^[23]

In 1997, Spears briefly joined the all-female pop group Innosense.^[24] Later that same year, she decided to go solo. After recording a demo, she was signed by Jive Records.^[21] She began touring American venues for a series of concerts sponsored by American teen magazines, and eventually became an opening act for 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.^[25]