Read the full feature on Britney Spears’ rise to fame from the May 1999 issue of The Record magazine. Covers her early life, the Mickey Mouse Club, and a rare Q&A from the “…Baby, One More Time” era.
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What was Britney Spears like in the early 2000s?
Britney Spears: The Rise of a Teen Queen
Britney Spears enjoys fame. In fact, as she herself put it, it’s a bit like being on a jet plane. This was how she felt the first time she heard her smash single, “…Baby, One More Time,” playing on the radio. She deserves the fame, too. “…Baby, One More Time” has been a US Number One Single, sold a couple of million copies of her album in the US alone, and has danced its way into millions of hearts worldwide. It has also spawned an entire Britney Spears sub-culture, including personalized Britney Spears E-Mail (check out http://www.britneyspears81.zzn.com)!
She even has that conclusive proof of having “made it big”: an Anti-Britney Hate Page dedicated to her! Not bad for a debut offering from a small-town American girl, huh?
From Kentwood to the Big Apple
The story begins in the hick town of Kentwood, Louisiana—boasting(?) a population of just 1200 people—a slice of rural America an hour’s drive from New Orleans. On December 2, 1981, a bonnie lass was added to the Spears household. The name Britney Jean Spears was given to her, which led to her being called BJ for a long time! Such an unwise choice of nomenclature, however, did not endear those who used it to her, and so a compromise was reached, with her friends resorting to calling her Bit-Bit.
Britney started listening to music at a young age—Prince and Whitney Houston being early favorites—and developed a liking for the Prince classics “Raspberry Beret” and “Purple Rain” (which still remains her favorite song). She was a precocious singer, too, and gleefully confesses to driving her mom crazy by regularly shattering the stillness of the Spears household by belting out songs, using a hair spray bottle as a microphone! And all this at the tender age of eight!
She also performed from early childhood in local dance reviews as well as in the church choir. Her interest in singing and her melodic voice led to her auditioning for the Disney Channel’s “Mickey Mouse Club” at the age of 8 in Atlanta. Too young to take, but too talented a customer to dismiss, a producer with the show helped her secure an agent in New York. She spent the next three years of her life first at the prestigious Off-Broadway Dance Center and then at the Professional Performing Arts School in New York. During this time, she also started to appear in national commercials and Off-Broadway shows, including the 1991 comedy, “Ruthless,” based on the 1956 thriller “The Bad Seed.”
“At 10, I was playing this really bad child who seems real sweet but she’s evil too. It was so much fun,” she recalls, with a hint of nostalgia.
The Mickey Mouse Club and a Solo Career
Through all this, she maintained her ambitions of joining the Mickey Mouse Club, and finally old enough at the age of 11, Britney earned a coveted place on the show. After two years spent performing on the popular children’s TV show filmed in Orlando, Florida, Britney returned to Kentwood for one completely normal year of high school at age 14. “It was fun for a while, but I started getting itchy to get out again and see the world,” she says.
Britney’s two years on the Club helped tremendously in honing her already talented vocal chords. Also performing on the Mickey Mouse Club was a young man called Justin Timberlake, who, six years later, would become part of N’Sync and cause a national debate on whether he was dating Britney Spears… that, however, was still a long way off. Back once again in Kentwood, Britney found the big city lure irresistible and headed back to New York after a year. She joined the all-girl group Innocense at the age of 14. The manager, however, saw that she was destined for greater things and urged her to go solo. The rest is history.
Britney auditioned for a few record companies in The Big Apple and was signed by Jive Records at the tender age of 15. After getting together a set of songs (written by Eric Foster White and Max Martin), Britney was ready to roll! The album was soon completed. Produced by White (also known for producing Whitney Houston and Hi-Five) and Martin (famous for his work with The Backstreet Boys, Ace Of Base, and Robyn), the album showcases Britney’s “unbridled effervescence” and musical curiosity. From the sweet melody of “From the Bottom of My Broken Heart” to the driving funk of “…Baby, One More Time,” to the funky reggae beats of “Soda Pop,” to her soulful take on “You’ve Got It All,” Britney’s lively, assured vocal style is intoxicating! “I want to be an artist that everyone can relate to, that’s young, happy and fun,” she says.
Stardom, Rumors, and What’s Next
The next step towards the inevitable stardom of Britney Spears was shooting a video, so that America, in case it could not appreciate good music, would go ga-ga over her stunning good looks. “…Baby, One More Time,” the first video from Britney’s self-titled debut, was shot in the same high school where the teen classic “Grease” was filmed. It went on to top the US charts, becoming a massive international hit. As she herself put it, the song was “basically about a girl breaking up with a guy, and then she totally regrets it and wants him back. The video reflects it… how I see the guy on the bleachers and I want him back. I wanted the video to be something that all kids could relate to. Being in school and then getting out and dancing.”
Touring in support of the album followed, and Britney hit the road with those upwardly mobile cousins of the Backstreet Boys, N’Sync. The tour was a huge success, their albums eventually getting to #1 and #2 respectively! Along the way, rumors also started surfacing about Britney and Justin of N’Sync, though the two of them stoically claim that they are “just good friends.”
All the success and fame hasn’t changed Britney, though. Her head is staying firmly on her shoulders, as she plans to go to college and major in either Business or Communications (all this and brains, too!). Right now, though, she’s having a ball. Britney is still a typical teenage girl at heart. This 5’5″ Sagittarian loves Prince, Aerosmith, The Backstreet Boys, and of course, Whitney. She is an avid romance novel fan—though the last book she read was “The Horse Whisperer.” Her favorite movies are “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and “Steel Magnolias.” Britney also loves colors that pop, she likes to “shop till you drop,” and her favorite stores are Gap and Armani. And of course, she’s an ice cream freak! She can also be found on the basketball court (remember the video for “…Baby One More Time”?) or playing golf!
Britney’s accessibility and girl-next-door image have done wonders for her, and her album is currently enjoying an unprecedented run of popularity. Britney is working on the release of a new single (industry sources say it could be “Sometimes”), but in the meanwhile, her album continues to burn up charts worldwide. “Britney Spears” has just been released in India and is reportedly selling like hot cakes. As various reviews have put it, if you liked “…Baby, One More Time,” you’ll like the entire record. So, what are you waiting for?
Q&A with Britney
You want more of Britney? Well, eat this!
The Record: Britney, what is the best present you ever got? Britney: The best present I ever got… probably my collector doll that I got this year. She was so pretty. She looked like an older woman and she had a hat on, and I loved her, and it just reminded me of my grandmother. And, probably, the ring I got this Christmas as well. It was really pretty because my little sister got one, my brother got one, and I got one. And it’s just really, really pretty.
The Record: What is the second video/single going to be? Britney: “Sometimes.” There’s going to be a lot of dancing in it. Even more dancing than “Baby One More Time.” I’m excited and that’s why my leg HAS to be better.
The Record: What do you like better, dancing or singing or acting? Britney: Probably singing.
The Record: I love your outfits, Britney. Where do you shop? Britney: Well, I shop usually at Bebe, it’s a really, really cool store. And Abercrombie & Fitch is like the store to go to because when I go out somewhere, I usually dress up in stuff like Bebe.
The Record: Do you have a boyfriend? If not, will you go out with me? Britney: No, I don’t have a boyfriend. But I have to see you before I go out with you!
The Record: Do you practice your dancing every day? Britney: No, I need to because when I don’t, it makes me out of shape so when I do start dancing again I hurt myself, like I did. So I really need to, but no, I don’t. I hadn’t danced in, like, I don’t know how long and I go and like a goob, fall on myself and twist my knee!
The Record: You look so cute on the album cover. Who are your favorite designers? Britney: Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Bebe again, Tommy Hilfiger. Those are probably the main ones.
The Record: What advice would you give to fellow teenage girls? Britney: If they wanted to pursue a career, if you have a love for singing and dancing or whatever it is, I say go for it, because God’s given you a talent, and I think you should express it and use it if he’s given you a wonderful talent like that. But if you mean in everyday life, what advice do you give teenagers? You know, just go for your dreams and go for what you believe in and stay confident with yourself and stay happy with yourself.
The Record: What is the weirdest thing that a fan ever did for you? Britney: I don’t know, probably calling me all the time and getting on my nerves and following me. That’s probably the weirdest thing.
The Record: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Britney: Probably Jamaica. No, no, no, actually Hawaii. Anywhere in Hawaii.
The Record: What are you going to do for New Year’s 2000, the millennium? Britney: I’m definitely going to be at home because all these computers, I hear, are supposed to shut down and I’m going to be sad. So my mom’s like, “Britney, you’re home.” So I’m probably just going to party with my friends.
The Record: What three CDs would you want with you if you were stranded on a desert island? Britney: Lauryn Hill, Natalie Imbruglia and Whitney Houston.
The Record: Do you have a car? Or what kind of car would you like to get when you get your license? Britney: I want a Mercedes, but I want a convertible. And it’s really, really nice.
The Record: Any plans to get into the movies? Has anybody asked you to be in a movie yet? Britney: There’s been talk of some movies, but none that I’m really interested in.
The Record: Do you ever wish it would all slow down for you and you could just spend a day being a typical teenager? Britney: No. Not at all.
The Record: What was your favorite subject, or what did you do best in school? Britney: English, because I love to read, and history.
The Record: What’s your favorite book? Britney: My favorite book is “The Horse Whisperer.”
The Record: Do you have any final messages for your fans? Britney: Just be positive and go for your dreams. Thank you!
By: Lahar Appiah
