Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer and entertainer. Born in Mississippi and raised in 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 debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and established her as a pop icon and “bona fide pop phenomenon”, credited for influencing the revival of teen pop in the late 1990s. Her next three albums also debuted at number one. After two compilation albums, Spears released Blackout, her only studio album which did not debut at number one. In December 2008, her sixth studio album, Circus, was released.
In the years following her ascent to pop superstar, Spears’s personal life has been a frequent subject of celebrity and tabloid journalism. Spears was married twice, most notably to Kevin Federline, had two children, and was the subject of a reality TV show with Federline in Britney & Kevin: Chaotic. After their divorce, Spears dealt with several personal struggles before resuming her professional career with 2007’s Blackout.
According to Zomba Label Group and Sony BMG, Spears has sold over 83 million records worldwide.In addition, she is ranked as the eighth best-selling female recording artist in the U.S. with 32 million copies of her albums certified by the RIAA, and is currently the fifth best selling artist act of the decade in the country, as well as the top selling female artist. Spears is also ranked by Forbes 2009 issue as the 13th most powerful celebrity and the 2nd most top-earning young musician with over $35 million dollars in earnings this year.
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