Oops! She Did it Again
Back in the days, before the Justin Biebers and the Miley Cyruses of the world dominated adolescent audiences, there was only one true Pop Princess. She was the epitome of stardom, a true teen idol slated to be remembered forever.
Britney Spears.
Okay, I know that a lot of people have criticized her for her . . . er, eccentric ways. She may not be the best role model, and she may not be the best dancer and/or singer. But who can deny the star quality, the stage presence, the sex appeal that Miss Britney Jean Spears possess?
While she is not, has never been, and would never be, a strong vocalist, her love and dedication to performing totally makes up for it. Even at a young age, small-town girl Brit (born on December 2, 1981) dreamt of becoming a famous performer, like her idols Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Madonna. Her love of singing could be traced back to her childhood years and, after numerous talent shows, dance and vocal lessons, Britney auditioned for “The All New Mickey Mouse Club” –– and was subsequently rejected due to her tender age of eight.
Her love for dancing and singing could not be deterred, and two years later, she auditioned again and won herself a spot on the show, where she met future fellow pop princess Christina Aguilera and future boyfriend Justin Timberlake.
Two years later, the show was cancelled, but this didn’t stop Britney from achieving her goals. After living her life as an ordinary teenager girl (which also earned her the Homecoming Queen tiara), her yearning to be a star grew until, finally, she went off to New York and sent demo tapes to various recording industries until she finally signed a contract with Jive Records.
In 1998, her debut singled “(Hit Me) Baby One More Time” was released, with the music video featuring her as an innocent Catholic schoolgirl with pigtails and a wicked glint in her eye, and the rest was history.
Britney Spears definitely redefined the term ‘Pop Culture.’ After cementing her status as a bona fide celebrity by selling over 10 million copies of her first album and then releasing a new album –– “Oops! I Did it Again” –– which also shot to number 1 in the charts, she was subjected to extensive public scrutiny. To those who question her massive media appeal: this was the girl who was supposedly embroiled in a feud with Christina Aguilera, which Britney denied (“Christina and I are friends, no matter what the media makes up.”); shot wearing revealing clothes on the April 1999 issue of “Rolling Stone,” which was described by the American Family Association as “a disturbing mix of childhood innocence and adult sexuality,” and encouraged Americans to boycott her album; she publicly vowed to keep her virginity until she got married; she and fellow Mouseketeer/*NSYNC star Justin Timberlake were in a much-publicized relationship, and their break-up sent Brit into a tailspin; kissed then-Hollywood bad boy Colin Farrell on the red carpet; French-kissed idol Madonna while performing “Like A Virgin” with Christina Aguilera in the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards (Aguilera also French-kissed Madonna, but nobody cared about that); she married childhood friend Jason Alexander in Las Vegas, only to have the marriage annulled 55 hours later; Britney married Timberlake’s former back-up dancer Kevin Federline, who was involved and had two children with actress Shar Jackson; Britney shaved her head, entered rehab, and stated in her website, “I truly hit rock bottom. Till this day I don’t think it was alcohol or depression. […] was like a kid running around with ADD.”
What I truly love about Britney Spears is the fact that she always rises up whenever she hits rock bottom. In 2004, after the start of Britney’s Meltdown Era, most critics talked nonstop about how Britney no longer had what it takes to make a comeback. She proved them wrong with the release of her worldwide hit single “Toxic.” After a lackluster “comeback” performance at the 2007 Video Music Awards, people started to give up hope that Britney would fix her act and go back to the stylish, energized pop vixen she used to be. But, oops! She did it again. She proved critics and disillusioned fans once more with the release of her 2008 single “Womanizer,” which hit the number one spot on music charts. Her next single, “3,” also shot to the top spot. No matter what blows she might deal, Britney Spears isn’t disappearing from the limelight. Not for a long time.
References:
· Britney Spears: Biography from Answers.com. 2011. Britney Spears: Biography from Answers.com. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.answers.com/topic/britney-spears. [Accessed 28 May 2011]
· Britney Spears – Biography. 2011. Britney Spears – Biography. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005453/bio. [Accessed 28 May 2011]
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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