At 18, Britney Spears enjoys being a girl.
She loves colors that pop and shopping till you drop, romance novels and
idyllic days at the beach. Untamed and untarnished as they come, the bright
beautiful teen from Kentwood, Louisiana (pop:1200), is poised to liven
up the pop world with the irresistible collection of songs on her Jive
Records self-titled debut release.
Produced by Eric Foster White (Whitney Houston,
Hi-Five) and Max Martin (Robyn, Backstreet Boys, Ace of Base), 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 "One More Time," to the funky reggae beats of "Soda Pop," to her
soulful take on the Jets hit "You've Cot 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.
Despite a refreshingly adolescent attitude,
Britney's life has hardly been traditional. "I've done the prom thing,
but it's only once a year," she notes about her unconventional teenage
lifestyle. "I need to sing and I love to travel."
Performing since early childhood in local
dance reviews and church choirs, she auditioned for the Disney Channel's
"Mickey Mouse Club" series at age eight in Atlanta. Too young for her series,
but too talented to dismiss, a producer on the show helped Britney secure
an agent in New York City, where she spent the next three summers studying
at the renowned Off-Broadway Dance Center and at the Professional Performing
Arts School. She also began appearing 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.
Finally old enough at age 11, Britney earned
a coveted place in "Mickey Mouse Club." After two years performing on the
popular children's TV show filmed in Orlando, Britney returned to Kentwood
for one completely normal year of high school at age 14. "It was fun for
awhile but I started getting itchy to get out again and see the world,"
she says.
A devoted fan of pop music- her favorites
include Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston- Britney once
again went to New York to pursue her dream. "I had always wanted to be
a singer," she says. "It's what I always wanted to do since I was little."
Now a seasoned performer at age 15, an audition for an all girl vocal group
led to her developing a solo career as a pop singer as well as continuing
her high school studies with tutors. "I need a lot of help in geometry
and Spanish!" she admits.
Recording with Martin in Sweden this past
spring and in New Jersey with Foster White, Britney's ready to make her
own special mark on the world. "I love performing more than anything and
having people hear my music. I know I've had to give some stuff up to do
this, but I don't miss high school. When I was home two years ago, every
weekend we'd go out and do the same thing. It's wonderful as long as you
love what you're doing, but I'd rather be doing this!" |
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