Britney Jean Spears

Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer and entertainer. Spears is ranked as the eighth best-selling female recording artist in the United States with 32 million sold albums certified by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[1] As of November 2007, Spears has sold over 83 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists.^[2]

Raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears first appeared on national television in 1992 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993 to 1994. In 1997, Spears signed a recording contract with Jive, releasing her debut album ...Baby One More Time in 1999. The album established her as a pop icon and "bona fide pop phenomenon", credited for influencing the revival of teen pop in the late 1990s.^[3]. Her next 3 albums debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making her the first and only female artist to have her first 4 albums debut at number one. In late 2008, Spears released her sixth studio album, Circus, on her 27th birthday.

Life and music career

Britney Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi,^[4][5] and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana as a Southern Baptist. Her parents are Lynne Irene (née Bridges), a former elementary school teacher, and Jamie Parnell Spears, a former building contractor and chef. Spears has two siblings, Bryan and Jamie Lynn. Bryan Spears is married to Jamie-Lynn's manager, Graciella Rivera.^[6]

Spears was an accomplished gymnast, attending gymnastics classes until age nine and competing in state-level competitions.^[7] She performed in local dance revues and sang in her local Baptist church choir. Spears entered New York City's Professional Performing Arts School when she was eight. Spears's parents would often argue, and they eventually divorced in 2002.^{[citation needed]}

At age eight, Spears auditioned for the Disney Channel series The New Mickey Mouse Club. Although she was considered too young to join the series at the time, a producer on the show introduced her to a New York City agent.^[7] Spears subsequently spent three summers at NYC's Professional Performing Arts School and also appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions. She was an understudy in the 1991 off-Broadway musical Ruthless!.^[7] In 1992, she landed a spot on the popular television show Star Search. She won the first round of competition, but ultimately lost. At age eleven, Spears returned to the Disney Channel for a spot on the The New Mickey Mouse Club in Lakeland, Florida.^[7] She was featured on the show from 1993 to 1994, until she was 13.^[8] After the show ended, Spears returned to Kentwood and attended high school for a year.^[9]

In 1997, Spears briefly joined the all-female pop group Innosense.^[10] Later that same year, she recorded a solo demo and was signed by Jive Records.^[7] She began a U.S. concert tour sponsored by American teen magazines, and eventually became an opening act for 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.