To say that Britney Spears’s life has changed over the past two years is an understatement. Since the release of her Jive Records debut, …Baby One More Time (which made Britney the youngest artist in SoundScan history to have a certified RIAA 12x platinum album and included four hit singles including the title track and "(You Drive Me) Crazy"), Britney has gone from being a star in the making to a superstar and the Queen Of Teen. In 1999 alone she was nominated for two Grammys (including the coveted best new artist), swept the 1999 MTV Europe Awards (where she nabbed best female, best pop, best breakthrough artist and best song), brought her explosive live show around the globe, and appeared on every major televised awards show both here and in Europe.
Perhaps even more important than the accolades and the sales figures, Britney has become an icon to millions of fans worldwide, and her infectious brand of pop/R&B has become the template for girl pop.
Now Britney is back and ready to take it to the next level. Featuring tracks from Diane Warren, Rodney Jerkins, Mutt Lange, Max Martin, and Britney herself, Oops!…I Did It Again is destined to be the album of the summer and much more than just a follow-up. It’s a record that shows the progress from phenomenon to artist. A bit wiser and more confident and self-assured, Oops!… I Did It Again is Britney Spears as you’ve never heard her: sexy, sassy, and solidly in control.
Ask Britney about the direction of her new CD and she is modest. "I'm not really doing anything different this time around, but I am really growing up as a person, and that just all flows with the overall sound and feel of this record. ThereΓÇÖs no master plan! IΓÇÖm just gonna be me and hope it all works out!"
Signs are evident that it has already begun to "work out." The title track, which deals with thwarted romantic intentions, was written and produced by longtime collaborators Max Martin and Rami and has already broken the record for first week adds at CHR/pop radio with 155 adds. "ItΓÇÖs an incredible song!" Britney declares. "I think itΓÇÖs even better than "Baby One More Time!" Also incredible is the video, whose futuristic/Barbarella concept was Britney's idea.
The most noticeable aspect of the single, the video, and the album is maturity, which is just what Britney had in mind. "People have to remember that when I did my first album I was only 16. I had never been in the studio, it was all new to me, and so before I let people help me out … Honestly, I think that was because I was just so new to the music industry, not only because I was young. But making records and being part of the process and becoming more in charge of my sound was something I had to experience and grow with, and on this album I’ve had the chance to do that. This album is closer to who I am. It’s funkier!"
That funkier spirit is loud and clear on up-tempo rump shakers like "Stronger" and "Don't Go KnockinΓÇÖ On My Door," which find Britney in a frisky and fierce state of mind. But as she proved on her debut, Britney can deliver ballads with as much intensity as her more high-energy cuts. On the aching "When Your Eyes Say It" (written by Diane Warren and produced by Steve Lunt and Robert Jazayeri) and the thoughtful "Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know" (penned by Shania Twain and Robert "Mutt" Lange and produced by Lange), Britney shows her depth. "I donΓÇÖt want to just be some singer who sings a song just to sing it," Britney offers, speaking to the emotional range of the album. "I think these songs are 10 times better than on my first album, so I really want my fans to feel and hear how much these songs mean to me."
In keeping with that need to communicate is "Dear Diary", co-written by Britney. Britney began writing melodies and songs while on the road and she has plans to learn guitar (she is proficient on the piano) in hopes of writing more songs in the future. "I think IΓÇÖve always had these songs that I've been writing in my head," Britney explains. "Now I feel ready to let people start to hear them."
Along with her rigorous schedule and the release of her successful double platinum home video Time Out With Britney Spears in late 1999, Britney and her mother have written a book entitled Heart To Heart. As if that werenΓÇÖt enough, Britney has also created the Britney Spears Foundation in conjunction with the Giving Back Fund. Its first endowment is the formation of a performing arts summer camp for underprivileged kids in Massachusetts. "IΓÇÖm so happy to be able to give kids the opportunity to learn about the amazing world of dance and music that IΓÇÖve have been lucky enough to make such a big part of my own life."
Britney began performing at an early age, and when she was 8, she auditioned for the Mickey Mouse Club. Although she was too young for the show, a producer helped her secure an agent in New York City, where Britney spent the next three years studying dance and music. She also had bit roles in commercials, theater, and films. When she turned 11, Britney was old enough to earn a spot on the Mickey Mouse Club and starred on the popular show for two years, relocating with her family to Orlando, Fla.
After her stint on TV, Britney returned home but still had dreams of making it in the music industry. "I've always wanted to be a singer," she declares. Armed with those desires and a powerful voice, Britney went back to New York when she was 15 and began to make the rounds of record labels. She sang a cappella for executives at Jive Records, who saw and heard right away that in the teenager from Kentwood, La., there were the makings of a star. Britney was signed soon after her audition and began work on what would become …Baby One More Time.
One listen to Oops!… I Did It Again and Britney will make a believer out of you -- one more time.
