Britney Spears is a famous name in pop music and culture; she started her career as a teenager during the late 90s and early 2000s. She is also known as the “Princess of Pop.”
Before debuting as a singer, Britney appeared in several stage productions and TV shows. In 1997, she got signed with Jive records while she was just fifteen years old. Being a pop culture and music icon, Britney has been one of the most loved celebrities of the 2000s. Since her debut in the late 90s, Britney has always astonished her fans with her amazing roles.
Britney Spears and the Beginning of Her Career
Britney Spears was just three years old when she started taking dance classes, and as a child, she also used to sing choirs in a church. At the age of five, she debuted her at a local stage by singing What Child Is This? At her kindergarten graduation.
At the age of eight, Spears and her mother traveled to Atlanta so that she could audition for the 1990s revivals of Mickey Mouse Club. She was, however, rejected because of being too young, but the casting director Matt Casella introduced Spears to Nancy Carson, a New York-based talent agent. Nancy Carson was the one who enrolled Spears into Professional Performing Arts School, after which Spears, her sister, and her mother moved into an apartment in New York.
Spears was rejected by three out of four labels during her struggle to get signed with a label. The labels that rejected her claimed that the audiences wanted pop bands like Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys. However, Britney Spears got a call from Jive Records and was signed with the label after she sang I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston in front of the executives.
Pop Culture and Britney Spears
As a kid, Britney looked up to Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Madonna as role models, and we all know that Madonna is known as the “Queen of Pop,” which shows Spears’s early relationship with pop culture and music. In 2002, Carol Clerk, in her book Madonnastyle quoted Britney Spears saying:
“I have been a huge fan of Madonna since I was a little girl. She’s the person that I’ve really looked up to. I would really, really like to be a legend like Madonna.”
Spears is regarded as a pop artist, specifically a dance-pop artist. As a teen, when Spears debuted in the world of music, she was credited as the one who influenced the revival of teen pop and was titled the “Princess of Pop.”
With her debut album Baby One More Time, Spears appeared as a legendary pop artist. Both of her albums Baby One More Time and Oops!… I Did It Again became globally successful and also her best-selling albums. The success did not end here; Spears also became the best-selling teenage pop artist of all time.
In 2007 and 2009, Spears was listed as the Most Searched Person in the Guinness Book of World Records. Spears holds the credit for having a significant influence on pop culture; some reasons are as follows.
Spears and Teen Pop
During the early 90s, teen pop had somewhat vanished; however, in the late 90s, it was revived, thanks to Britney Spears and other driving forces. For this revival of teen pop, she was titled the “Princess of Pop.”
Not just that, Spears was someone who led a whole new musical style in pop culture, including Dance-heavy performances, Max Martin productions, and sexual innuendo. She didn’t just become a pop artist but also a role model for the new generation of pop artists.
During the 90s, wearing a catholic school uniform all tied up was seen as controversial, while Spears did the same thing and got much spotlight for causing this controversy. In 1998, Spears also became the first female pop artist to affect pop culture and music after Madonna. Spears was one of those pop artists who appear and create an absolutely new musical style; her unique pop vocal styling didn’t only get her to the heights of fame but also paved the way for many new artists.
Spears introduced teenage sex appeal in the world of pop; some of the artists who adopted this trend include Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson.
She Set the Standards for Next-Generation Pop Stars
Spears knows her worth and admits that she has set the bar too high, even for herself. We believe she is right about the perception as she has surprised her fans since the day she debuted; we can never deny her successful career.
Her influence on pop culture has been undeniable from the start, as her first-ever album was a hit and a best seller. Her view and standards of pop culture and music are considered the new normal for contemporary pop artists. She pushed and broke the stereotypes for female pop singers, as a result of which world-renowned stars like Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and many more stole the spotlight.
Millennial Pop Music and Britney Spears
If you are a millennial, Baby One More Time was once your go-to jam. With the release of Baby One More Time, Spears indulged the pop world into the Britney mania. The music video of this song was one controversial yet one of the most iconic music videos of all time. In the Billboard Music Awards 1999, Britney collected almost all the female category awards and marked history as this was the proof of her being the creator of millennial pop.
Her debut single was why the millennials were ready to accept and confess the loneliness they were going through. She is popular among all ages as a pop culture icon because she represents the struggles that everyone of every age goes through.
Paparazzi were Always after Britney Spears
Britney was called a teen idol and was always discussed in tabloids or chased by paparazzi as a teenager. Moreover, more than being a pop artist, Spears was seen as someone who embodied the sexual expectations for a teenager in America.
Britney Spears’ career became something that didn’t allow her to have a private life at all. Later in 2006, her erratic behavior once again affected her career and public image. She was always on headlines and magazines and became “The most public downfall of any star in history” (as mentioned in Rolling Stone).
However, Spears fought these controversies and rose up again while remaining a relevant person that many pop stars wouldn’t be able to do if they face a downfall like Britney’s.
Even now, Britney Spears has been on the news for her struggle against her father to remove him from the conservatorship. So, we can say that Spears has a thing to be on the tabloids and being a constant paparazzi target.
Conclusion
Britney Spears has been there for both millennial and Generation-Z pop culture fans. The millennials jammed on Baby One More Time, while Generation-Z has been vibing with Criminal, and none of them can get enough of Britney Spears. She proved to be a legendary pop star from an early age and influenced pop culture to a point where all pop culture standards were altered.