|
Born on 2nd December
1981, Kentwood,
Louisiana, USA. One
of the last teenage
superstars of the
millennium, Spears
enjoyed her
breakthrough success
at the end of 1998.
She appeared in
local dance revues
and church choirs as
a young girl, and at
the age of eight
auditioned for The
Mickey Mouse Club.
Although she was too
young to join the
series, a producer
on the show gave her
an introduction to a
New York agent. She
subsequently spent
three summers at the
Professional
Performing Arts
School Center.
She appeared in a
number of
off-Broadway
productions as a
child actor,
including Ruthless
(1991). She returned
to the [ Walt ]
Disney Channel for a
spot on The Mickey
Mouse Club, where
she was featured for
two years between
the ages of 11 and
13. She began to
audition for pop
bands in the New
York area, her demo
tapes eventually
landing on the desk
of Jive Records'
Jeff Fenster. ''Her
vocal ability and
commercial appeal
caught me right
away,'' he recalls.
She was expensively
groomed by Jive, who
put her in the
studio with Eric
Foster White
(producer and writer
for Boyzone, Whitney
Houston and others).
They employed top
R&B writer Max
Martin (of
Backstreet Boys
fame) to produce her
debut single, ''...
Baby, One More
Time'', and an album
of the same title.
They also set up a
promotional free
phone number where
fans could listen to
Spears' music and
interviews
throughout the
summer of 1998. She
toured American
venues for a series
of concerts
sponsored by US teen
magazines,
eventually joining
'N Sync on tour. The
careful planning
paid off when her
debut album and
single went on to
top the American
charts at the start
of 1999. The album
and single enjoyed
similar success in
the UK and Europe.
The ballad
''Sometimes'' and
the funky ''(You
Drive Me) Crazy''
were also
substantial
transatlantic hits.
''Born To Make You
Happy'' topped the
UK charts in January
2000. The demand for
new Spears material
was satisfied when
her sophomore set,
Oops! ... I Did It
Again, was released
in May. The album
contained the
expected quota of
well-produced,
expertly crafted pop
songs alongside a
risible cover
version of (I Can't
Get No)
Satisfaction. |
