Childhood and discovery

Spears was born and raised Southern Baptist in Kentwood, Louisiana. Her parents are James Parnell Spears, a building contractor, and Lynne Irene Bridges (born 1956), a former grade school teacher. Spears' brother, Bryan (born 1977), is one of her managers, and her sister, Jamie-Lynn (born 1991), is an actress and singer. Her maternal grandmother, Lillian Woolmoore (1924–1993), was an English war-bride, who met Spears's maternal grandfather, Barnett O'Field Bridges (1919–1978), in England during WWII, and subsequently moved with him to the U.S. Her paternal grandparents were June Austin Spears (born 1930) and Emma Jean Forbes (1934–1966); Spears claims to have some Native American heritage. ^[2]

1998–2000: Early commercial success

Towards the end of 1998, Spears' debut single "...Baby One More Time" began to appear on radio stations and music television networks. Led by a music video that featured the 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) brown-eyed bottle blonde in a schoolgirl outfit, the song became an international success, earning platinum sales and going to number one in both the U.S. and UK, among several other countries. Released in early 1999, her debut album ...Baby One More Time topped the charts in several countries, including the U.S. (where it is certified 14x Platinum ^[3]).

2001–2003: Career development

In early 2001, Spears struck a USD$7–8 million promotional deal with the soft drink giant Pepsi. In September of the same year, she performed at the MTV Video Music Awards, and in addition to criticism for being scantily clad, she angered animal rights organization PETA for the use of animals, including an albino python, in her performance.

2004–present: Career hiatus and family

During the latter half of 2004, Spears announced she would be taking another career break in order to start a family. Immediately after her marriage to Federline, she had told People, "I want to be a young mom. Next year, at 23, I'm so there." Although she made few public appearances, the 'Britney Spears industry' continued to run itself.

Acting career

In February 2002, Spears starred in a film, Crossroads, which reached number two on the box-office charts in its first weekend, but quickly dropped out of the top ten. Songs from the album Britney appeared in the film. The movie, along with Spears' performance in it, was poorly received by critics ^[28] and she netted herself a Razzie Award for Worst Actress. The film won the Razzie for the Worst Original Song "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman".

Public image

Britney Spears' personal life has attracted considerable media attention. Some people feel that she has courted it by cultivating, in her early years at least, a chaste, God-fearing and "wholesome" image. It was somewhat at odds, not only with the traditional pressures, temptations and opportunities of "pop 'n' roll," but with the increasingly sexualized content of her own image and songs. Spears' kiss with Madonna at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards received much media attention, as have her romantic relationships.

In pop culture

Britney is the highest selling female artist of the 2000s, with over 85 million records sold worldwide. In 2002, she was ranked as the most powerful celebrity in the world by Forbes Magazine. Spears was ranked number 20 out of the 200 top pop culture icons of all time by VH1 and People. She topped FHM magazine's 2004 "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2004" and "FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2004" polls for sexiest woman. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Spears was a notable trend-setter within the U.S. and the world, inspiring several fashion crazes and fads, such as the use of low-rise jeans^[43][44] lower back tattoos, navel piercings,^[45] and the whale tail ^[46] among young women. She has also topped Yahoo!'s annual list of the most-searched names three times in the past four years.^[47]

Filmography

Products

Main article: Britney Spears products

Britney Spears has had four books published including A Mother's Gift. She has also had seven DVDs including her 2005 reality series Britney and Kevin: Chaotic, a Doll, one video game, and participated in seven tours including The Onyx Hotel Tour in 2004. She has grossed over $145 million USD from tour ticket sales and over $30 million USD in merchandise from her tours.

Notes