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Britney Spears Biography
Britney Spears may have titled her new
single "Me Against The Music," but she has
rarely been more creatively in tune than she is
right now. "I feel like I've hit a great new
stride as an artist," she says with pride.
"I've worked hard, and I feel like I've grown
on so many levels."
In truth, "Me Against The Music" is hardly
about declaring war against grooves. "Actually,
it's about the intensity that people approach
music with," Britney shares. "It's about
getting totally lost in the music and pushing
yourself to the edge in every way you can
imagine. I love thoroughly immersing myself in
music, and I wanted to capture that intensity
in a song."
Britney's musical intensity and her evolution
from a teen renegade into a provocative young
woman are undeniable throughout "In The Zone,"
her fourth Jive Records collection. First and
foremost, the project shows her flexing notably
strong and mature songwriting muscles. She
co-wrote 7 of the project's 12 sterling new
compositions, collaborating with such heavy
hitters as Red Zone ("Me Against The Music,"
"The Hook Up"), The Matrix ("Shadow"), Moby
("Early Mornin'"), and Cathy Dennis ("Toxic,"
"Showdown"). Also contributing hit worthy
material to the album is R. Kelly
("Outrageous"), Ying-Yang Twins on (I Got That)
Boom Boom.
Perhaps most significant is the appearance of
pop icon Madonna, who lends her voice to the
single "Me Against The Music." Collaborating
with one of her all-time greatest musical
influences was a dream come true for Britney.
"The experience was beyond words or
description." she says. The two forged what has
become a powerful bond while rehearsing for
their now-notorious performance on the MTV
Video Music Awards this fall. "As we were
working together, there were moments when I
simply could not believe that I was standing
there on stage next to her. It was never even
in the realm of fantasy for me."
The musical union of Britney and Madonna within
the taut, classic-funk groove of "Me Against
The Music" is quite real, though, and it
reveals each of them at their most kinetic and
soulful. The song's accompanying video clip,
directed by Paul Hunter, shows Madonna enticing
Britney through a maze-like underground club,
only to disappear into thin air when Britney
gets close enough to touch her. The clip is
rife with symbolic gestures of Madonna passing
the baton pop power to Britney --- an image
that the young artist finds exciting, humbling,
and perhaps a bit premature.
"There is only one Madonna --- and there will
always only be one," she says. "My goal is to
have a career that is equally as special, but
one that is completely unique to who I am. I'm
honored by all that Madonna brought to this
song. I really love the flow we share --- both
on the track and as friends. I think you can
feel the chemistry and positive energy we
shared. It's completely natural and
relaxed."
The natural and relaxed vibe of "Me Against The
Music" is indicative of every note and beat
comprises "In The Zone," an album that runs the
stylistic gamut from streetwise hip-hop and
electro-trance to new-wave-etched rock and
well-crafted pop. From top to bottom, Britney
effectively expands the parameters of
mainstream musical consciousness with songs
that lure listeners with infectious hooks, and
then captivates them with layers of clever
lyrics and deft instrumentation.
"Putting this record together was an incredible
journey for me," Britney says. "I had the
freedom to explore and experiment with some of
the most exciting people in music. In the end,
that allowed me to make a record that is a pure
reflection of where I am right now."
What we learn from album highlights like the
rambunctious "(I Got That) Boom Boom," which
features the Ying Yang Twins, and "Everytime,"
a stark, delicate collaboration with Guy
Sigsworth, is that Britney has grown into a
fearless artist. "Those songs are particularly
special to me, because neither of them sounds
like anything I've ever done before," she says.
"'Boom Boom' is so rough and edgy and fun,
while 'Everytime' is so raw and spare. It's me
stripped to my core as a singer and as a
songwriter. It's as honest as I've ever been in
my music. I loved working with Guy on that
track. He made me feel comfortable and safe
enough to go the full distance, emotionally and
as a performer." Britney also has high praise
for Moby, who worked with her on the mid-tempo
"Early Mornin.'" "He's such a pure-hearted
guy," she says. "He's so cool. He played me a
really cool track, and I thought it was
brilliant. It's turned out to be one of my
favorite songs on the album."
She describes "Early Mornin,'" which unfolds
with a deceptively insistent, easy-paced dance
groove as a day-after-the-party jam, which
balances some of the more assertive, dance
floor-friendly cuts on "In The Zone." "Some
songs are generally about going out and wanting
to have a good time," she says. "One of the
things I did while working on this album was
write about a lot things like going out with my
girlfriends, everyday experiences that I was
going through. 'Early Morning' is about just
going out and feeling bad the next day."
Elsewhere on "In The Zone," Britney shows her
sultry side, particularly on the steamy,
turntable-ready "Breathe On Me," a Mark Taylor
production that she characterizes as being
"very vibe-y, trance-y. It's about being with a
guy and not even having to really be with each
other, but just the intensity and the anxiety
between not saying anything. You don't even
have to touch me, just breathe on me."
Among the more sensual songs on the album is
"Touch of My Hand," on which Britney
seductively floats her voice atop an
arrangement of pillowy strings and languid,
Middle-Eastern-kissed guitar lines. "It's
tastefully done," she says of the track. "And I
think it's real. It's nice and it's real. It's
whatever your take is. Some people may think
it's a little much, but that's where I'm at
with my life. ... It's not freaky freaky, it's
just a little freaky." Stepping out on a
creative limb has been the basis for Britney's
entire career. Dubbed by MTV as "one of the
last teenage pop superstars of the 20th
century," 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 also appeared in a number of off-Broadway
productions as a child actor, including 1991's
"Ruthless." She returned to the Disney Channel
for a spot on The Mickey Mouse Club, where she
was featured for two years between the ages of
11 and 13. Her demo tape eventually landed in
the hands of a Jive Records executive who
quickly signed her to the label. She toured
American venues for a series of concerts
sponsored by U.S. teen magazines, eventually
joining "N Sync on tour. It all added up to
1999's wildly infectious "...Baby One More
Time" album to make its bow on the charts at
No. 1. The set not only spawned a smash hit
with the title tune, but also scored with the
charming ballad "Sometimes" and the funky "(You
Drive Me) Crazy." Before the album finished its
impressive worldwide attack of the charts, it
garnered Britney 4 MTV Europe Awards, including
best pop performer, and 4 Billboard Music
Awards, most notably female artist of the
year.
The massive demand for new Britney material was
satisfied when her 2000 sophomore collection,
"Oops! ... I Did It Again," was released to a
Spears-starved world in May. Once again, the
title cut flooded radio airwaves, as did the
anthemic "Stronger" and lovely "Don't Let Me Be
The Last To Know." She also racked up more
awards that year by taking home an American
Music Award as favorite new artist, a Billboard
Music Award as album artist of the year, and 2
Teen Choice Awards. Britney would later earn
Teen Choice Award honors in 2001 and 2003.
Ever-prolific, the artist returned in 2001 with
"Britney," a spirited, assertive collection on
which she began to reveal her mettle as a
tunesmith, not to mention as a vocalist of
increasingly soulful depth. She earned high
praise for the wickedly sultry "Slave 4 U," as
well as for the forceful "Overprotected" and
the gentle "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman."
The album's was quickly followed by Britney's
motion picture debut, "Crossroads," which
proved that she has the talent and box-office
pull to be a multifaceted superstar. "One of
the true joys of my life and career has been
trying out new things," Britney says. "I've
loved every step of this journey I'm on. I love
singing and dancing and acting and
songwriting... it all energizes and inspires
me." It's that philosophy that has sent Britney
"In The Zone," a project that shows this
ever-growing and ever-exciting at her absolute
best... or as she would say, "for now." "I
can't imagine ever reaching the point where
I've hit the wall," she concludes. "There's
always something new and challenging to tackle.
I can't wait to see what happens next."
Thanks to Jess for submitting the biography.
Source: http://www.britneyspears.com/about-biography.php
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