Britney Spears

Britney Spears Till The World Ends

2011-09-01T16:35:00.000-07:00

Britney Spears dropped the sexy, sweaty, Ray Kay-directed video for "Till the World Ends," and to follow up the sheer spectacle of her previous effort, the "Hold It Against Me" video, the singer decided to give the fans what they want: a dance party. And a number of A-list celebrities are fans of the latest clip.

MTV News was at Logo's NewNowNext Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday night, where Spears was getting lots of kudos for going all Femme Fatale in the video. "I think it's great," singer Christina Perri said. "I think she took the bad reviews from her last one and was like, 'Screw you! I'm going to dance like a crazy person.' They're so mean to her, man, they just need to stop. She's a legend and, of course, she can dance. I love the new video."

Aubrey O'Day, who is currently staging her own next career phase as a solo artist, said she thinks people just need to realize that Spears is evolving. "I think that Britney, she's in a new stage of her life and she's giving you the new Britney," O'Day explained. "So you can't really compare it with the old, 'cause her life experiences that she's gone through have given her a new definition in her life."

Like O'Day, gossip blogger Perez Hilton thinks fans should embrace the new and not keep looking to the old Britney. "If people stop expecting or hoping that Britney can dance like she used to, then I think this new incarnation of Britney can be very enjoyable," he said. "So I really like the new video. I still love Britney. I'm a fan."

Britney Spears Reveals Next Single At VMAs

2011-08-31T19:00:00.000-07:00

Britney Spears may have been looking back on her impressive career during a Jo Calderone-helmed tribute at Sunday night's VMAs, but there's still so much for fans to look forward to. The singer has a lot up her sleeve after taking home the Moonman for Best Pop Video for her "Till the World Ends" clip and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award -- and she revealed all to MTV News.

There's been some hot debate about what the singer's next Femme Fatale single is going to be, and finally her loyal fans are getting the confirmation they've been waiting for.

"I don't if I'm at liberty to tell," she teased MTV News backstage at the VMAs. "But I will anyways: It's 'Criminal.' "

The slow jam should make for some interesting visual fodder, and Spears told us she knows what the video will look like, but she's going to keep everyone waiting a little longer. "Actually the song, when I first heard it, it's really different and it's not anything I've heard like this before. So I really wanted to deliver this song. I was thinking of a really cool concept for the video just to make it interesting," she said, teasing, "You'll have to see."

She's also set to hit the road again when the Femme Fatale Tour heads to Europe. She'll be joined by Joe Jonas for select dates.

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards have wrapped, but the real action is just getting started! Stick with MTV News for winners, fashion pics, video and behind-the-scenes stories about everything that went down. Visit VMA.MTV.com for the latest.

Britney Spears - Circus

2009-05-07T03:09:00.000-07:00

In February 2009, Spears achieved further success in solidifying her comeback by having the second single of off her comeback album, "Circus" rise to number one on the Top 40 Radio Chart, making it the first time Spears has achieved back-to-back number one hits on the Top 40 Chart along with her comeback single, "Womanizer".

This makes her fifth number one song on the chart, putting her in a tie for second place for most number one Top 40 songs in the Mainstream Top 40's sixteen year history. Mariah Carey is in first place with six number one songs.

Britney Spears - MTV Europe Music Awards 2008

2009-05-07T02:55:00.000-07:00

On November 6, 2008, Spears won two awards at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008, "Album of The Year" for Blackout and "Act of 2008", and despite not being present, two acceptance videos were taped and shown at the show.

Circus debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 selling 505,000 copies in its first week. This became Spears's fifth number one album, making her the only act in Nielsen SoundScan history to have four albums debuted with 500,000 copies or more. It is also Spears's second album, the first being ...Baby One More Time, to have charted two top-ten singles as "Circus", the follow up single to the number-one hit "Womanizer", debuted at number three on the Hot 100, making it her highest debut on the chart as well as her seventh top ten hit.

Britney Spears - Womanizer

2009-05-07T02:42:00.000-07:00

On September 7, 2008, Spears opened the MTV Video Music Awards for the third time. Although having not performed, a skit with Jonah Hill was pre-taped, as well as an introduction speech to the official opening of the show. Spears won Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Video Of The Year for "Piece of Me". On September 15, Jive released a statement announcing the title of her sixth studio album, Circus as well as the first single, "Womanizer".

The single was released to radio stations on September 26, and the release date for the album is December 2, Spears's 27th birthday. On October 15, the song made a record-breaking jump to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record set by T.I.'s Live Your Life. It also garnered first-week download sales of 286,000, the biggest opening-week tally by a female artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital downloads in 2003. It marked Spears's first number one single on the Hot 100 since her debut, "...Baby One More Time".

Britney Spears - Blackout

2009-05-06T03:08:00.000-07:00

The release of Spears's fifth album, Blackout, was rescheduled to October 30, 2007 rather than November 13, 2007 due to online leaks. Blackout debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200., making Spears the only female music artist to have her first five albums go to number one and two. It was fairly well received by critics.

As of June 2008, there have been 3.1 million digital downloads of the songs and remixes from the album in the United States. Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars. Allmusic also rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling Blackout "coherent and entertaining" and stating that "it holds together better than any of her other records". Blackout's lead single, "Gimme More" leaked on the internet on August 30. The song, which was Spears's first produced by Danja, peaked at number three on Billboard Hot 100 on October 3, making it her most successful single in the U.S. since her debut, "...Baby One More Time". Spears's highly anticipated performance of "Gimme More" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards was panned. The BBC stated that "her performance would go down in the history books as being one of the worst to grace the MTV Awards", and The Times noted that "Spears was out of synch as she lip-synched and at times just stopped singing altogether". Despite the criticism on her performance, the single has achieved worldwide success. The second single, "Piece of Me", was certified platinum in the U.S.

Britney Spears - B in the Mix: The Remixes

2009-05-06T02:47:00.000-07:00

In November 2005, Spears released her first remix album, B In The Mix: The Remixes. The album ranged from "...Baby One More Time" to "Toxic". Her single "Someday (I Will Understand)" was also remixed.

Another single, "And Then We Kiss", was only released in Asia, where it charted in many countries. The song peaked at number 15 on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart, despite it not being officially released in the U.S.

Britney Spears - From the Bottom of My Broken Heart

2009-05-06T02:24:00.000-07:00

November 2004 saw the release of her first greatest hits collection, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative, which features all of Spears's singles with the exception of "From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart".

It also featured three previously unreleased songs: a cover version of American R&B singer Bobby Brown's 1988 hit "My Prerogative", "Do Somethin'", produced by Bloodshy and Avant, with whom she had worked on In The Zone, and "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)", which was a song originally recorded for Spears's fourth album, In The Zone, but did not make the final cut. By the end of that year, Spears had become one of the best-selling artists in the world.

Britney Spears - In the Zone

2009-05-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

Spears released her fourth studio album In the Zone in November 2003, jettisoning the Max Martin-produced synthpop of her earlier releases. The album took in lesser-known producers such as RedZone and big names including Moby and R. Kelly. Spears co-wrote eight of the album's thirteen songs and co-produced several pieces of her material for the first time.

In the Zone reached number one in the U.S. charts during its debut week, selling over 609,000 copies. This made Spears the first female in the Nielsen SoundScan era to have her first four studio albums to debut at number one. The album had a mixed reception from critics. Stylus Magazine gave the album a D and blamed Spears's career choices by stating, "Ultimately, In the Zone suffers greatly from Britney's uneasy transition from teen tart to sexually powerful woman. Had Britney been in charge of her career direction instead of mercilessly prostituted by her management, she might have been able to produce something with some semblance of musical vision." The Guardian praised the album's melodies and her effort, giving it 4 out of 5 stars: "Unlike previous Britney albums, In the Zone has no filler and no shoddy cover versions, just 57 varieties of blue-chip hit-factory pop. There is southern hip-hop, deep house, Neptunes-style R&B, the ubiquitous Diwali beat and, most importantly, oodles of Madonna." The album spawned the hit single "Toxic", winning Spears her first ever Grammy in the category of Best Dance Recording.

Britney Spears - MTV Video Music Awards

2009-05-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

Spears made her third consecutive MTV Video Music Awards performance. While performing "I'm a Slave 4 U", she used caged animals as props and danced with a large albino python draped over her shoulders.

Animal-rights organization PETA claimed that the animals featured in the performance were mistreated and cancelled plans for an anti-fur billboard that was to feature Spears. Her career success was highlighted by Forbes magazine in 2002 as Spears was ranked the world's most powerful celebrity. At a performance at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, she appeared with Christina Aguilera performing the song "Like a Virgin", and was later joined by American pop singer Madonna, with whom Spears and Aguilera both locked lips; the incident was highly publicized.

Britney Spears - Crossroads

2009-05-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

Spears had her first starring role in the 2002 film Crossroads, in which she portrayed a high school graduate who travels to find her long-lost mother. The movie was poorly received, as was her performance; Spears received Razzie Awards for Worst Actress and for Worst Original Song.

Nonetheless, the film grossed over $60 million worldwide. Spears also made cameo appearances in Austin Powers in Goldmember and Longshot. Footage of Spears appeared in the 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, which samples a 2003 CNN interview about the Iraq War in which Spears stated that she thought "we should just trust our president in every decision he makes and should just support that".

Britney Spears - Britney (album)

2009-05-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

Spears released her third studio album Britney in November 2001. In the album, she assumed some creative control by co-writing five tracks. Although not as successful as her previous albums, Britney debuted at number one in the U.S. by selling 745,744 units during its first week. The album's success made her the only female artist in music history to have her first three albums debut at number one.

The album fared well with critics such as Allmusic who gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, describing the album's title tracks as being "pivotal moments on Britney Spears's third album, the record where she strives to deepen her persona, making it more adult while still recognizably Britney." In contrast, Rolling Stone said of the album Britney "belabors the obvious: Spears is one month away from entering her twenties and clearly needs to grow up if she's going to bring her fans along." Britney's lead single "I'm a Slave 4 U" peaked at 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it the album's biggest hit. To help promote the album, Spears embarked on the Dream Within a Dream Tour in November 2001. The tour was forced to cut short in Mexico City due to bad weather. With the end to her tour, Spears announced she would take a six month break from her career.

Britney Spears - Oops!... I Did It Again

2009-05-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

Following the success of her previous album, Spears released the album Oops!... I Did It Again in May 2000. It debuted at number one in the U.S. by selling 1,319,193 units during its first week of sales, breaking the SoundScan record for the highest album sales in its debut week by any solo artist. The RIAA awarded the album with a diamond certification with over 10 million copies sold in the U.S. Allmusic gave it awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, saying that the album "has the same combination of sweetly sentimental ballads and endearingly gaudy dance-pop that made "...Baby One More Time."

Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5 by noting the album as "fantastic pop cheese" and "Britney's demand for satisfaction is complex, fierce and downright scary." The album's lead single "Oops!... I Did It Again" broke the record for most radio station additions in a single day, and quickly became a top ten hit in the U.S. and other countries. The same year, Spears launched her first world tour, the "Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour". During the tour, she made a stop in New York for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. As part of her performance, she ripped off a black suit to reveal a provocative nude-colored and crystal-adorned outfit that generated much controversy. Spears earned two Billboard Music Awards for Oops!... I Did It Again.

Britney Spears - You Drive Me Crazy

2009-05-03T17:10:00.000-07:00

Spears posed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in April 1999, shot by photographer David LaChapelle. Geoff Boucher of The Los Angeles Times reported, "there was no mistaking the titillation factor in the recent Spears cover story and accompanying photos in the April 15 issue of Rolling Stone, which sent eyebrows arching throughout the music industry, where several executives half-jokingly called it "child pornography". Gillian G. Gaar reported, "The American Family Association charged that the pictures, which showed Spears in push-up bras and a minuscule pair of shorts with 'Baby' in rhinestones on the bottom, presented a 'disturbing mix of childhood innocence and adult sexuality' and asked that all 'God-loving Americans' boycott stores carrying her albums". More controversy arose when Spears declared that she would "remain a virgin until marriage". This pledge has been questioned due to her apparently sexual relationship with fellow pop singer Justin Timberlake.

In late 1999, Spears appeared on the sitcom Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and performed the song "(You Drive Me) Crazy"; this cameo was a cross-promotion for the film Drive Me Crazy, which starred Sabrina's Melissa Joan Hart and was named after the song. In December 1999, she won four Billboard Music Awards, including Female Artist of the Year. A month later, she received the Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist award at the American Music Awards.

Britney Spears - Baby one more Time

2009-05-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

Spears released her debut single, "...Baby One More Time", in October 1998 which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1999 and topped the chart for two weeks. Gillian G. Gaar, author of She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll (2002), documented that "eyebrows were raised over the schoolgirl-in-heat persona Spears projected in her [music video for ...Baby One More Time], along with an increasingly revealing series of stage outfits". Spears's debut album ...Baby One More Time peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 in January 1999. Rolling Stone magazine, in a review of the album, wrote: "While several Cherion-crafted kiddie-funk jams serve up beefy hooks, shameless schlock slowies, like [']E-Mail My Heart,['] are pure spam". NME commented "[Spears's debut album and its title-track] are the kind of soullessness that saturates Stateside charts and consists of nothing but over-chewed bubblegum beats and saccharine sensibilities". In contrast, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote: "Like many teen pop albums, ...Baby One More Time has its share of well-crafted filler, but the singles, combined with Britney's burgeoning charisma, make this a pretty great piece of fluff". ...Baby One More Time was later certified fourteen times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, denoting fourteen million units shipped within the United States.

Britney Spears - Early life and career debut

2009-05-03T04:45:00.000-07:00

Britney Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana as a Southern Baptist. Her parents are Lynne Irene (née Bridges), a former elementary school teacher, and Jamie Parnell Spears, a former building contractor and chef. Spears has two siblings, Bryan and Jamie Lynn. Bryan Spears is married to Jamie-Lynn's manager, Graciella Rivera.

Spears was an accomplished gymnast, attending gymnastics classes until age nine and competing in state-level competitions. She performed in local dance revues and sang in her local Baptist church choir. Spears entered New York City's Professional Performing Arts School when she was eight. Spears's parents would often argue, and they eventually divorced in 2002.[citation needed]

At age eight, Spears 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. Spears subsequently spent three summers at NYC's Professional Performing Arts School and also appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions. She was an understudy in the 1991 off-Broadway musical Ruthless!. In 1992, she landed a spot on the popular television show Star Search. She won the first round of competition, but ultimately lost. At age eleven, Spears returned to the Disney Channel for a spot on the The New Mickey Mouse Club in Lakeland, Florida. She was featured on the show from 1993 to 1994, until she was 13. After the show ended, Spears returned to Kentwood and attended high school for a year.
In 1997, Spears briefly joined the all-female pop group Innosense. Later that same year, she recorded a solo demo and was signed by Jive Records. She began a U.S. concert tour sponsored by American teen magazines, and eventually became an opening act for 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.

Britney Jean Spears

2009-05-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer and entertainer. Spears is ranked as the eighth best-selling female recording artist in the United States with 32 million sold albums certified by the Recording Industry Association of America. As of November 2007, Spears has sold over 83 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists.

Raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears first appeared on national television in 1992 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993 to 1994. In 1997, Spears signed a recording contract with Jive, releasing her debut album ...Baby One More Time in 1999. The album established her as a pop icon and "bona fide pop phenomenon", credited for influencing the revival of teen pop in the late 1990s. Her next 3 albums debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making her the first female artist to have her first 4 albums debut at number one. In late 2008, Spears released her sixth studio album, Circus, on her 27th birthday, which also debuted at number one.