Britney Spears isn’t just an American phenomenon anymore. The incredible pop chanteuse has made a comeback on the music scene since her personal problems and batty behavior forced her out of the mainstream in the mid-2000s, and this reappearance hasn’t just been in the U.S. Proving her mainstay ability and international star status, Spears’ recent success has come in the form of European recognition, most notably at this weekend’s MTV Europe Awards. Competing against the best of both European and American music acts, Spears came out on top of the pack at last weekend’s awards show, being the biggest winner of the night taking home awards for Best Act of 2008 and Album of the Year (for Blackout.)
Spears won two of the three MTV Europe Awards she was nominated for, only losing out to Rick Astley for the Best Act Ever award. Nominated with other pop acts Christina Aguilera, Green Day, Tokio Hotel and U2, Astley’s recent spike in popularity due to his YouTube “Rickrolling” phenomenon undoubtedly helped him win Best Act Ever. Astley’s 1987 hit song “Never Gonna Give You Up” has been featured as the YouTube hit of the decade, showcasing clips of Barack Obama speeches pieced together to the tune of Astley’s hit song in what was dubbed “Rickrolling.” While Britney Spears just couldn’t compete with the legacy of Rick Astley, she did come out on top of Alicia Keys, Coldplay, Duffy, Leona Lewis, Amy Winehouse and Rihanna for the two awards she did receive, winning the most number of awards for the night.
While Britney Spears may seem like the all-American pop singer, her hits have been popular all across the globe, and she’s garnered Billboard number ones on charts spanning from Canadian to Latin Airplay and the European Hot 100 in her 10 years of dominance in the pop music realm. Spears first appeared in the musical spotlight in 1998 wearing a Catholic school girl uniform while singing “Hit me baby one more time,” and “one more time” seems to be the ongoing theme in Spears’ fruitful career. The Kentwood, Louisiana native first sped off in the entertainment industry when she appeared alongside fellow Mouseketeers Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez and Christina Aguilera as part of The New Mickey Mouse Club in the early 1990s, and 1998’s “…Baby One More Time” helped boost her image as a big time pop princess. Singles “Lucky,” “Stronger” and “Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know” sent Spears flying into the spotlight, and her star only got brighter from there.
The late 1990s and early 2000s were a time of experimentation for Britney Spears, and aside from a shocking lip-lock with Madonna at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2003, Spears also ignited controversy with her evolving sex kitten image as the teen pop star started leaning more and more toward the bad girl persona. Hit singles like “Toxic,” “Everytime” and “In the Zone” propelled Spears’ music career in the early 2000s, but a havoc-wreaked relationship with backup dancer Kevin Federline led to a tabloid heyday with images of Spears with Starbucks cups, cigarettes and bare feet in public restrooms. Spears’ two pregnancies and marriage to Federline ended in a nasty divorce in the mid-2000s, and only now is Britney Spears bouncing back, coming into the music industry better than ever while releasing number one pop hits “Gimme More,” “Break the Ice” and “Piece of Me” in 2007 and 2008. Spears is also placating fans by embarking on a national tour, and Britney Spears tickets are always bought and sold from http://www.stubhub.com/britney-spears-tickets/.
