47 Fun Facts About Britney Spears

In which Mississippi city, near her Louisiana hometown, was Britney Spears born?

McComb is where Britney was born, and as a girl in nearby Kentwood she trained in gymnastics, even attending Béla Károlyi's training camp.

Before joining The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, Britney competed on which TV talent show?

Star Search came first: The Mickey Mouse Club had turned Britney down at age eight, and she was finally cast at 11.

Which future star auditioned for The All-New Mickey Mouse Club alongside Britney but was turned down?

Jessica Simpson reached the final audition, but watching Christina Aguilera perform first rattled her nerves, and she didn't make the cut.

Which record label signed Britney Spears as a teenager?

Jive Records signed her, then sent the teenager to Sweden to record her debut album.

Which R&B girl group turned down '...Baby One More Time' before it went to Britney?

TLC passed on the song, and when Britney recorded it she deliberately stayed up late the night before so her voice would sound rusty.

Which Swedish songwriter from Stockholm's Cheiron Studios wrote '...Baby One More Time'?

Max Martin's demo was titled 'Hit Me Baby One More Time', and 'Hit Me' was dropped over fears the line would be read as condoning domestic violence.

Whose idea was the Catholic-schoolgirl concept for the "...Baby One More Time" video?

It was Britney's own idea: she rejected the first video concept and asked for a school setting with boys and dancing.

On which planet does Britney dance in the 'Oops!...I Did It Again' video?

Mars is where the video is set, and the shoot drew blood: camera equipment fell on Britney's head, and she got four stitches before returning to work.

The 'Oops!...I Did It Again' bridge features spoken dialogue referencing which 1997 film?

Titanic is the film: in the bridge, a lovestruck astronaut gives Britney the Heart of the Ocean, the blue diamond Rose dropped into the sea.

Britney and which boyfriend both studied through the University of Nebraska High School's distance-learning program?

Justin Timberlake and Britney both took classes from the University of Nebraska's online high school, which let busy teens study without a normal school timetable.

What was draped over Britney's shoulders for 'I'm a Slave 4 U' at the 2001 MTV VMAs?

The Britney album that followed debuted at number one and has sold 10 million copies worldwide.

Britney's 2002 film debut as a lead, Crossroads, was written by which future TV super-producer?

Shonda Rhimes wrote the script, and although critics panned Crossroads, it was a box-office success that grossed more than $60 million.

Which future Guardians of the Galaxy star played Kit, one of Lucy's road-trip friends in Crossroads?

Zoe Saldaña played Kit, and in 2023 Crossroads returned to cinemas for fan screenings timed to the release of Britney's memoir.

Co-writer Annet Artani says 'Everytime' was largely Britney's answer to which song by her ex-boyfriend?

Cry Me a River's video featured a blonde Britney lookalike, and Artani says she and Britney wrote the reply side by side at Britney's piano.

Britney and Christina Aguilera opened the 2003 VMAs with which Madonna song, before Madonna kissed them both?

Like a Virgin had been Madonna's own VMA moment in 1984: when a shoe slipped off atop a giant wedding cake, she rolled across the stage instead.

'Toxic' samples high-pitched strings from a 1981 song from which country's film industry?

India's Bollywood supplied the strings, and co-writer Cathy Dennis says 'Toxic' was originally written specifically for Janet Jackson.

Which Grammy Award category did 'Toxic' win Britney in 2005?

Best Dance Recording was the win, and a year earlier MTV had moved the racy 'Toxic' video to late-night rotation after the Super Bowl halftime scandal.

Which Australian singer turned down 'Toxic' before it went to Britney?

Kylie Minogue passed on 'Toxic', although its co-writer Cathy Dennis had also written Kylie's own smash 'Can't Get You Out of My Head'.

Britney's collaboration with Madonna, the lead single from In the Zone, was titled what?

Me Against the Music was finished before Madonna joined: Britney played her the track while rehearsing for the 2003 VMAs, and Madonna's vocals were added later.

How long did Britney's January 2004 Vegas marriage to Jason Alexander last before annulment?

55 hours was all it lasted, and in 2022 the same Jason Alexander was arrested for trying to crash her wedding to Sam Asghari.

Britney's first perfume, released with Elizabeth Arden in 2004, was called what?

Curious was her first Elizabeth Arden scent, aimed at teens and young women at a time when few fragrances appealed to them.

Kevin Federline was working as what when he began dating Britney in 2004?

A backup dancer, Federline had just split from actress Shar Jackson, who was pregnant with their second child, so the romance drew intense media attention.

In February 2007, what did Britney Spears do at a Los Angeles-area hair salon?

She shaved her head at the salon, and in the following weeks she admitted herself to treatment facilities.

Besides singing, what did Britney do for her 2007 album Blackout?

Britney did serve as its executive producer, and despite her 2007 turmoil, Blackout still debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.

Which three-word phrase opens 'Gimme More'?

It's Britney, bitch opens the song, which still climbed to number three on the Hot 100 weeks after her panned VMA show.

'Womanizer' jumped from 96 to number one, a Hot 100 record broken months later by which singer?

Kelly Clarkson's 'My Life Would Suck Without You' leapt 97 to 1 in early 2009, in its first week on sale as a download.

Why was December 2, 2008, when Circus came out, a special day for Britney?

It was her 27th birthday, and three months later she launched a world tour in support of Circus, opening in New Orleans.

On the Circus tour, Britney sang 'Everytime' while suspended on what?

James Franco covered the song at a poolside piano in the 2013 film Spring Breakers.

'Hold It Against Me' made Britney the second artist, after whom, to debut more than one song at number one?

Mariah Carey did it first, and 'Hold It Against Me' was originally meant for Katy Perry until its writers decided it wasn't a Katy Perry record.

'Till the World Ends', from Britney's 2011 album Femme Fatale, was co-written by which pop star?

Kesha co-wrote it, then added new vocals of her own, alongside a Nicki Minaj rap verse, on the song's Femme Fatale Remix.

Which honour, named for a late pop icon, did Britney receive at the 2011 MTV VMAs?

Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award was the honour, and Lady Gaga, in character as her male alter ego Jo Calderone, presented it to Britney.

On which talent show did Britney sign on as a judge in 2012 for a reported $15 million?

The X Factor (US) got just one season from her: in January 2013 she officially announced she was leaving the show.

'Scream & Shout' was the first number one on which new Billboard chart, launched in January 2013?

Dance/Electronic Songs launched with it on top because dance music's popularity was surging and Billboard wanted to rank the genre's biggest songs.

Which Black Eyed Peas member teamed up with Britney on her 2013 album Britney Jean?

will.i.am worked with her on it, and though Britney called Britney Jean her most personal album, the Guardian's critic found it impersonal.

Britney's Las Vegas residency Britney: Piece of Me was staged at which resort?

Planet Hollywood booked her for two years, then extended the show, which ran until the end of 2017 and grossed $137.7 million.

Which rapper features on 'Make Me', the lead single from Glory (2016)?

G-Eazy features on 'Make Me', and in its video Britney and her friends watch a parade of men audition for them.

Britney's second planned Vegas residency, cancelled in January 2019, was to be called 'Britney:' what?

Domination went on hold 'until further notice' when Britney announced an indefinite work hiatus, just weeks before its planned opening night.

An anonymous paralegal's voicemail to which fan podcast revived the #FreeBritney movement in 2019?

Britney's Gram released the voicemail, which raised fears for Britney's well-being and set fans sharing #FreeBritney across Twitter and Instagram.

Which FX documentary of February 2021 brought worldwide attention to the conservatorship?

Framing Britney Spears came from The New York Times, and in its wake the #FreeBritney movement surged as celebrities joined the calls.

Which judge formally terminated Britney's conservatorship on November 12, 2021?

Brenda Penny had already suspended Jamie Spears as conservator on September 29 and let Britney choose her own lawyer, Mathew Rosengart.

For roughly how long was Britney under the conservatorship that a judge ended in 2021?

About 13 years, as Britney told the court in June 2021: 'I just want my life back and it's been 13 years and it's enough.'

Britney's 2022 duet with Elton John, 'Hold Me Closer', is built mainly on which of his songs?

Tiny Dancer is the base, and it was Elton John's husband, David Furnish, who suggested inviting Britney onto the track.

Who narrates most of the audiobook of Britney's 2023 memoir The Woman in Me?

Michelle Williams reads most of it, because Britney found the memoir so heart-wrenching that she recorded only a small part herself.

Britney married Sam Asghari in June 2022 at her home in which Los Angeles-area city?

Thousand Oaks is where they wed, less than a year after Britney told a court the conservatorship wouldn't let her get married.

Which 2009 single was one of Britney Spears's two 2000s Hot 100 number ones?

'...Baby One More Time' covered the 1990s, 'Womanizer' and '3' the 2000s, and 'Hold It Against Me' the 2010s.

Which nickname do fans and the media widely use for Britney Spears?

Princess of Pop is her nickname, and her success helped spark the late-1990s teen-pop boom.

Which New York City restaurant did Britney back in 2002, only to walk away from it by November?

Nyla was cut loose over mismanagement, with Britney citing its managers' failure to keep her fully informed.