Britney Spears started her career at a very young age. Having already performed on the well-known “American Idol” of the 1990s, Star Search, Spears searched for something more. After auditioning for the Mickey Mouse Club at 8, she was denied because of her young age; however, when she re-auditioned at 11, she was accepted and unfortunately only participated until age 13 (the second season of the Mickey Mouse Club) because of the cancellation of the show. The show introduced her to many soon-to-be stars, and future boyfriend as she would soon realize: Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez (of Nsync), Christina Aguilera and Keri Russell (“Felicity”).
After the Mickey Mouse Club, Spears’ vied for something higher, more media-related: singing. She traveled to New York City and started to audition for pop bands and record demo tapes, which eventually led her to her deal with Jive Records. Jive Records, along with song-writer and producer, Max Martin, produced the essential beginning to Spears’ career with her pop phenomenon hit, “…Baby One More Time.” Besides being the start to her career, the music video to “…Baby One More Time” began her reputation as a teenage sex symbol, with her skimpy Catholic schoolgirl outfit, which appealed to both her female and male fans. According to Spears’, the alteration of the outfit was all her idea: "It was my idea because at first we were wearing boring Catholic outfits and I didn't want it to be boring and cheesy. I mean we were dancing and I wanted it to be edgier." Because of this “edgier” side, Spears’ gained the image of the “irresistible, sexy girl-next-door.”(Source: http://www.getback.com/musician/bio/britney-spears/313336)
In 1999, when her album debuted, “…Baby One More Time,” it shot straight up to No.1 on the Billboard Charts. It remained as No.1 for months and simultaneously reached gold, platinum and double-platinum. At this point, Spears’ was viewed as the next Madonna. “I want to conquer the world,” Spears’ said in a CNN interview at 17, when she first began her turbulent journey on the road to fame.
Soon after her boom to fame, Spears’ was drawn into the PR world. She shot a campaign for Tommy Hilfiger, signed a developed deal with TriStar TV to star in three episodes of “Dawson’s Creek,” and appeared in countless famous magazines such as “Newsweek,” “Entertainment Weekly” and “Rolling Stone.” At this point, Spears’ viewed herself as a role model; she said: “It's inevitable because I'm out there so much. You have to watch what you do ... because you want what you do to be really wonderful."
(Source: http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9903/24/britney.spears/)
From then on, Spears’ became a mogul, and in some cases a product of a PR machine. In 2000, she signed a three-year licensing agreement with Famous Fixins to manufacture the “Britney Spears CD Bubble Gum,” which was supposed to be a novelty item in conjunction with her upcoming tour at the time. Part of the proceeds from her bubblegum would go to her charity of choice, which was The Giving Back Fund. Famous Fixins had worked with several other famous celebrities, such as Sammy Sosa and Derek Jeter to offer a promotional product that would help benefit the person’s charity.
In 2002, she was coined No.1 on Forbes “Celebrity 100” list, which combines earnings and media exposure to calculate the entertainer’s status. Spears stole the light from Tom Cruise, who had been No.1 previous year. However, although Spears’ didn’t financially prevail over other stars, what she lacked in income, she made up with magazine covers, TV and Radio appearances, web hits and overall media coverage.
(Source: http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=11828)
(Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1434389/20000225/spears_britney.jhtml)
To continue Britney’s “sex symbol” persona, her music videos became more risqué. From her second album, “Oops! … I Did it Again,” singles “Oops! I Did it Again,” “Lucky” and “Stronger” showcased her sexuality in the tight red jumpsuits, belly shirts and short skirts. With every video from then on, Spears’ line was drawn even further, where no limits were given and sexy was an understatement.
Incorporate link with PR events: (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1434383/20000420/spears_britney.jhtml)
Aside from being a part of the same show, “The Mickey Mouse Club,” Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake formed a more than friendly relationship. Dating back to their days as young dreamers, their relationship started to grow. Justin and Britney, both on-the-rise stars, became a hot commodity in the late 90s. Said to have been a couple for around ten years, Britney and Justin experienced many things together. They were viewed as the “it” couple of the time and were the focus of all media exposure. From magazine covers to interviews, the couple became an instant obsession. Not only did fans adore their innocent love affair, but the media thrived on a couple “who had so much power and influence.” After their sudden and unexpected break-up in 2002, Britney had to deal with a large amount of bad publicity. As she always told interviewers and media sources, Spears’ was set on saving her virginity until she was married; however, Justin admitted in an interview that they had slept together during their relationship. This began Spears’ journey into bad publicity and seemingly countless events of disappointment following. She wasn’t viewed as the innocent schoolgirl anymore, but had a whole new persona attached to her.
(Source: http://hubpages.com/hub/Justin-and-britney)
No comments:
Post a Comment