On September 30th we celebrated the 16th anniversary of the release of the song of the millennium, Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time.” The song quickly became the number one selling single of the year, launching the pop princess into the spotlight. To this day, “…Baby One More Time” is still Brit’s biggest Hot 100 hit. To commemorate this important anniversary, we decided to have a look back at the evolution of Britney Spears.
1998 – 1999
It was the birth of a pop princess! Former Mickey Mouse Club member Britney Spears proved she was all grown up with the release of her hit single “…Baby One More Time” in 1998. In her now iconic music video for the song Britney raised lots of eyebrows with her provocative schoolgirl look. “The outfits looked kind of dorky, so I was like, ‘Let’s tie up our shirts and be cute,'” she told People magazine about her costume for the shoot.
After her debut album in 1999, …Baby One More Time, Britney also landed her first magazine cover- on the front of Rolling Stone!
2000-2001
These seemed to be the golden years for Britney. In 2000, Brit’s second album Oops! …I Did It Again sold more than 1 million copies in its first week. This was also the year that pop culture’s most memorable couple debuted. That’s right, in 2001 Brit and Justin rocked that matching denim ensemble at the American Music Awards.
In 2001 Britney not only performed with a 7-foot albino python at the VMA’s, but also with the King of Pop at his 30th Anniversary Concert in New York. With her self titled album Britney, the pop princess became the first female artist to have three albums debut at number one.
2002-2003
Britney debuted on the silver screen in her first movie titled Crossroads. After the premiere it was leaked that Brit and Justin’s true love had come to an end, but Britney didn’t let the breakup get her down. In 2003, Britney received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and released her fourth album In the Zone. At the VMA’s that same year Britney shocked the world with her onstage kiss with fellow performer Madonna.
2004-2006
2004 was a whirlwind year for Brit. In January she walked down the isle with childhood friend Jason Alexander in an impromptu Vegas wedding. Sadly, the couple filed for an annulment only 55 hours after the wedding. Later that same year, Brit married back-up dancer Kevin Federline in a surprise wedding. In 2005 the couple welcomed their first child Sean Preston. A year after her first child, Britney gave birth to her second son Jayden James. She filed for divorce from K-Fed just weeks later.
2007
2007 was a turbulent year for the pop princess. Rumors of drug abuse swirled during Britney and Kevin’s custody battle. Britney entered several different rehab facilities in a matter of months before things came to a head (or should I say shaved head) on February 17th. In the fall of 2007, Britney began her comeback with a sloppy VMA performance of her single “Gimme More”. Brit released her fifth studio album Blackout in October, which would later be added to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame archives.
2008-2011
Britney was back on track in 2008 with the release of her sixth album Circus and her world tour. Her tour, titled Circus after her album, grossed more than $130 million, making it the fifth most lucrative tour that year. In 2010, Britney became engaged to her manager Jason Trawick and began working on her seventh album Femme Fatale. Brit stunned at the 2011 VMAs when she won best pop video for “Till the World Ends” and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award.
2012-Present
In 2012, Brit signed a $15-million-dollar deal to appear on Simon Cowell’s The X Factor as a judge. Britney told People magazine about the gig, “I was really nervous. You have all these people behind you, and you know they’re rooting you on. It’s a really exciting, electric thing to do.” In 2013, Brit decided to leave the show after only one season. That same year she also announced that her and fiancé Jason Trawick were no more. In September it was announced that Britney had signed a deal with Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas for a show titled Britney: Piece of Me. In November Britney released her eighth studio album, Britney Jean.
Today, Britney continues her residency in Vegas with her two sons. She recently ended her relationship with David Lucado before heading off to Europe for the launch of her new lingerie line. What’s next for the pop-princess-turned-lingerie-designer? Only time will tell!
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