You may think you know Britney Spears - but what did she learn from Madonna?
How would she like to be remembered?
To get all the answers, stay tuned to find out what you don't know about Britney Spears.
Do you remember where you were when you first heard "...Baby One More Time?"
Well, Britney Spears remembers exactly where she was when it first hit the airwaves, as
she recalled in a 1999 interview with Variety,
"I was at home and I had just gotten off the airplane.
It was so weird because we'd just got in the car, I'd just shut the door, and it came on."
Spears was so completely blown away that she could barely contain herself, saying -
"It was so overwhelming, I just started screaming.
It was really cool, though."
After that, the song was played literally everywhere, and the rest, as they say, was
history.
Although Spears was catapulted to superstardom upon the release of her debut single, it wasn't
her first rodeo in the entertainment biz.
In fact, she was a star on the popular program "The All New Mickey Mouse Club" from 1993
to 1995, alongside other famous alumni like Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, and Justin
Timberlake.
"There's like 20 kids on the show and you sing and you dance and you act and it's so
much fun just because you're in Disneyworld you know?
And that's like a kid's dream, so that was fun."
Fans of the show had hoped for a reunion of these former Mouseketeers, now that they were
all grown up and killing it on their own.
Britney at least has said she'd be interested in going to a reunion, but there's been no
word yet on whether or not it'll ever actually happen.
Spending years and years as an ultra-famous celeb can be exhausting, as everywhere you
go and everything you do, you're being watched.
Over the years Spears has certainly had to contend with the pressures of fame, which
she discussed in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot, Even though she
was often anxious and overwhelmed, having her two sons was really helped her calm down.
She told the outlet -
"Becoming a mother and being with my boys [Jayden and Sean Preston] has made me so much
more accepting of myself.
I'm their mom, whatever.
That has been a really big thing for me over these last few years."
Things are looking good nowadays thanks to her wee ones.
She continued -
"Today I'm at a better place in my life.
My kids shaped my personality and filled me.
They made me not worry about what was happening to me."
You would think that Spears, being the ultra-gorgeous pop star that she is, would have no trouble
at all getting a date.
She's Britney Spears, for goodness' sake!
But as it turns out, that hasn't always been the case.
She remembered one particularly lousy experience in an interview with Marie Claire, saying
-
"We went to the movies, but I could tell right away it wasn't working.
It was sort of awkward [...] He just wasn't that into me.
I liked him.
He knew that.
But he definitely didn't feel the same.
It happens to everybody.
Being famous doesn't make you any different."
Stars - they have awkward dates just like us!
Given that Spears has over 40 million followers on Instagram, there are obviously a lot of
people who are listening to what she has to say.
That's why it was totally refreshing to hear her broadcast a message of female empowerment
in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
"I feel like it's really, you know, powerful and sexy for girls to have the image of um,
empowerment"
She went to say that she thought it was healthy for women to have a bit of confidence in themselves,
explaining -
"It's okay, you know, toot your own horn, I think that's, kind of, really important
these days."
That's not the only time Spears has summoned girl power: The New York Times noted that
a musical titled 'Once Upon a One More Time' featuring her songs might be headed to Broadway
soon.
The show isn't about her life, but rather about a book club composed of Disney princesses
who are each given a copy of "The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan, which changes
their lives.
If there's one thing that Spears is probably 100% done with, it has to be dealing with
inappropriate attention from men.
It started early, too, according to Variety magazine.
In the 1999 interview, she discussed how she was performing at a show in Philadelphia when
she was 17, and there were a ton of older men waiting outside for her.
She recalled -
"It was like, 'Oh my goodness, these guys are, like, old.'
I was like, 'Oh my goodness, this is not good.'
It was kind of freaky."
That's not all either — it gets worse, as she continued -
"One guy came to my house when I was home.
Thank goodness I wasn't home by myself.
It was so weird because he parked like half a block away from my house and was snooping
up on me.
And he asked my mom, 'Can I meet her?'"
Of course her mom said no, and the man left, after driving two hours to see her.
Spears is no stranger to being the subject of tabloid rumors.
So dogged by the paparazzi was she that they captured her shaving her head in 2007, leading
people to assume she was experiencing some serious mental health issues.
For years, coverage was as relentless as it was constant, and frankly it can be hard to
look at, even in retrospect.
Out of all of the wild rumors out there, one especially stood out to Spears when she was
asked about it in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, saying -
"The craziest rumor ever I've read about myself is probably that I died.
Yeah, it was on the radio that I died."
Of course, this prompted her loved ones to worry about her and reach out to check on
her.
Sometimes, rumors are just rumors.
You'd think that Spears would have a super exciting life when she's not performing, given
that she's so rich and famous.
Even though she's worth an estimated $70 million, the way Spears describes herself is kind of
surprising.
"So what would the real Britney be like then?"
"I honestly - I'm kind of boring.
I'm-I'm really boring."
Britney is a bit of a recluse nowadays.
Things may have been different in the past for the pop star, but it sounds like she's
totally comfortable where she is now, as she told Flaunt magazine -
"I think my life has done a complete 360.
Things are just different now.
It's a different time.
It's a different era."
Spears had a very public girlmance with Madonna back in the day, including a now-legendary
smooch they shared at the 2003 VMA's.
Allegedly, the friendship went sour in 2006, according to Today, when Spears publicly shared
that she no longer studies Kabbalah, something Madonna had gotten her into.
But in 2011, Spears only had kind words to say about the pop icon, and shared what she
feels Madonna has taught her in an interview with Harper's Bazaar -
"I guess she's really taught me to stay true to myself.
That seems like a simple thing to say, but she taught me through action, not just by
saying it."
Madonna certainly understands what it is to be a megastar, so it makes sense that Spears
would have that as her takeaway.
She summed up the teachings with -
"There are so many people around you that have opinions, but you just have to listen
to your instincts."
Spears has come a long way from the schoolgirl that she was in the "...Baby One More Time"
days, and even from the woman she was a decade after that.
To that end, she opened up about her career in a 2017 interview, and reflected on some
of the more difficult times, confessing in her interview with Yediot Ahronot -
"I think I had to give myself more breaks through my career and take responsibility
for my mental health.
There were many decisions that were made for me and that I didn't make myself."
One of the biggest decisions she regrets was performing "I'm a Slave 4 U" onstage at the
VMAs with a very large, yellow Burmese Python wrapped around her, saying -
"That was pretty scary.
Stupid even.
I wouldn't do that again."
Even though people still talk about it years later, it's not exactly something she remembers
all that fondly.
There are plenty of memorable moments in Spears' long and successful career that stand out,
but when asked, the singer said she wanted to be remembered for something quite surprising,
sharing in an interview with Entertainment Tonight -
"I would like to be remembered as someone who makes you laugh.
I just think laughter is the most like, joyful thing you can do in life, you know?
And I think it's really, like, I love being around people who are funny."
As to whether or not she's funny herself, Spears was pretty honest about it, saying
-
"I'm really not, but I wish I was!"
"Very dramatic and over the top and I think cheesy is good.
I think cheesy is-" "Extra cheese."
"Extra cheese honey."
Spears isn't just a one-dimensional person without deep-seated beliefs and convictions,
despite the fact that the tabloids have painted her as such in the past.
Rather, one thing she's emotionally invested in is her spirituality, revealing in an interview
with Flaunt magazine -
"I believe in an afterlife, of course.
I'm a very spiritual person.
I believe in heaven.
I believe we're all here for a reason."
Spears also believes that everyone has their role in life, and should have a positive impact
on the world, saying -
"I think we're here just as people to pass it on and pass our information on to others,
to inspire as much as we can.
Inspire every day.
And just to be good people, you know?
And give back and help others."
In 2008, a judge placed Britney Spears in a legal conservatorship, giving her father,
Jamie Spears, control of her finances, career, and personal life.
The conservatorship lasted for 13 years, but during a 2021 case revisiting the issue, Britney
gave an impassioned plea for her freedom.
"Britney told the court investigator she is not happy being conserved, and she said she
wants it terminated as soon as possible."
In the 23 minute speech, the pop singer said that in the conservatorship, she'd been forced
to undergo treatment, work around the clock, and stopped from removing her birth control,
alleging that those placed in charge of her didn't want her having more children.
Many people were shocked by this revelation, including chief executive of the Planned Parenthood
Federation of America Alexis McGill Johnson, who tweeted in support of Spears.
Spears finished her statement by telling the judge-
"I deserve to have a life.
I've worked my whole life.
I deserve to have a two- to three-year break and just, you know, do what I want to do […] I
feel bullied and I feel left out and alone.
And I'm tired of feeling alone.
I deserve to have the same rights as anybody does."
Since getting released from her conservatorship in November 2021, Britney Spears has been
free to open up about the hardships she's faced.
Spears discussed how her music career was out of her hands for years in an Instagram
post cited by Glamour.
The singer told fans that she'd wanted to release new music and remixes of her old hits
for 13 years.
She was particularly frustrated that those in control wouldn't let her release remixes
because new versions of her songs were being showcased, just not by her, as she wrote in
the post -
"I knew exactly what I wanted my fans to see and it didn't make sense how network television
shows are showcasing my music with remixes of all my music [...] They even gave remixes
to my sister but why was I always told no?"
Spears became so discouraged by the stifling of her vision that she wanted to leave the
music industry altogether, and stopped performing her music.
But fans will be happy to know she's starting to see things differently, writing -
"My goal for this year is to push myself a bit more and do things that scare me."
While fighting to get her conservatorship removed, Britney Spears spoke out in court
about the specifics of what she had to go through.
Spears told the judge about being put through involuntary medical and psychiatric treatment.
In one instance, she spoke up about a piece of choreography during rehearsal.
It was just a dance move she didn't want to do, but after saying so, Spears said she was
pushed into medical evaluations and rehab.
The pop star described her team's reaction, saying -
"It was as if I planted a huge bomb somewhere […] I'm not here to be anyone's slave.
I can say no to a dance move."
Spears was forced to take a psych evaluation, then sent to a 24-hour treatment center against
her will.
She even had to pay $60,000 a month for the treatment.
She described feeling dehumanized by her experience there, mentioning that she didn't even have
privacy to change clothes.
She added that nothing about going to treatment was her choice, saying -
"If I didn't do any of my meetings and work from eight to six at night, which is 10 hours
a day, seven days a week, no days off, I wouldn't be able to see my kids or my boyfriend.
I never had a say in my schedule; they always told me I had to do this."
"I'd been doing Vegas for 4 years and I needed a break in between.
But no I was told 'this is the timeline, and this is how it's gonna go.'"
Some of Britney Spears' most loyal fans have been against her conservatorship since it
started.
In the years leading up to the conservatorship finally ending, that view began to gain more
traction online as #FreeBritney drew the attention of more and more supporters.
Spears' most dedicated followers turned the internet campaign into a full-blown social
movement by speaking out, organizing protests, and seeking media coverage on the issue.
One of #FreeBritney's loudest voices, Megan Radford, had been speaking against the conservatorship
since 2009, telling CNN -
"Some weeks it's a second full-time job.
It's definitely a second part-time job."
Fortunately, all that work didn't go unnoticed.
The #FreeBritney movement got the attention of the media and brought public opinion to
the pop singer's side.
After Spears was released from the legally-binding conservatorship, she thanked her fans for
all their work on her behalf.
In an Instagram post quoted by CNN, Spears told members of the #FreeBritney movement
-
"Honestly, my voice was muted and threatened for so long, and I wasn't able to speak up
or say anything [...] I honestly think you guys saved my life, in a way.
100 percent."
Britney Spears cut ties with many family members after speaking out against her treatment under
the conservatorship.
Though her younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears claimed to be supportive of her, Britney has
come out to say that's not true.
The younger Spears gave an interview with "Good Morning America" to discuss her memoir
"Things I Should Have Said."
"When it was put into place I was 17 year old, I was about to have a baby, so I didn't
understand what was happening, nor was I focused on that."
She further distanced herself from Britney's treatment by saying -
"I felt like I just didn't want to be a part of [it] […][ So there was no me overseeing
funds or something like that, and if that was then it's a misunderstanding."
But Britney spoke out against her sister's statements on Twitter.
She told her followers that Jamie Lynn was trying to promote her book at her expense,
and that there was no reason to speak about her behavior except to promote the memoir.
She went on to add that Jamie Lynn has always profited off of her work, writing -
"I know it may sound like a silly thing to most people but I wrote a lot of my songs
and my sister was the baby.
She never had to work for anything.
Everything was always given to her."
Britney Spears took a big step in taking back control of her life when she announced her
engagement to her long-term boyfriend, Sam Asghari in an Instagram video showing off
her new diamond ring.
The "Toxic" singer and Iranian actor have been together since 2016.
Asghari met the pop icon for the first time on the set of her "Slumber Party" music video,
where it seems their on-screen chemistry was more than acting.
Asghari told Men's Health that he was nervous to meet Spears and tried to break the ice
by pretending not to know who she was, admitting -
"She said, 'Hi, I'm Britney,' and I said, 'I'm sorry.
What's your name again?'
I tried to be funny.
I don't think anybody got it."
Even though that joke didn't land, the two still hit it off behind the scenes, and they
exchanged numbers at the end of the shoot.
Asghari said -
"I don't think [she or I] had the intention to just be friends."
Spears made their relationship official just a few months later when she shared a New Year's
Day 2017 Instagram photo of the happy couple out to dinner.
​​Britney Spears and her fiancé made another announcement on Spears' Instagram
on April 11, 2022 - the 40-year-old pop star was pregnant with her third child.
She told her fans that she'd be going out less to avoid paparazzi during her pregnancy,
and opened up about some difficult aspects of her past pregnancies, writing -
"It's hard because when I was pregnant I had perinatal depression ... I have to say it
is absolutely horrible … Women didn't talk about it back then […] but now women talk
about it everyday ... thank Jesus we don't have to keep that pain a reserved proper secret."
Sam Asghari told BBC News that he wants to have a family with Spears.
He added that building their family is something that he's wanted for years, but Spears was
still under her conservatorship when their relationship began.
After hearing that Spears had been forced to stay on birth control in the past, her
friends and fans were overjoyed by the news.
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