Oops It's Britney Spears Up close & very personal

How does an 18-year-old girl who has everything (well, almost!) -- fame and fortune and many other things besides -- and who has the world at her feet feel and act and live?

Ask Britney Spears and, in all candor and humility, she'll tell you that, thank heavens, she still has her feet planted firmly on the ground. "Nothing has gone to my head," she said with the unadulterated frankness of any typical teenager. "I never allow anything to affect the way I live and I look at life."

She's not your typical 18-year-old, though. Not every 18-year-old has sold over 22 million albums (Baby One More Time, her first) so far, more than 1.68 million copies of it in the Asia-Pacific region (including the Philippines where Universal Records, headed by Bella Dy-Tan, has marked Baby a quadruple-platinum, meaning more than 200,000 copies have been swept off the counters). Or has won awards in different parts of the world, to wit: Female Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Album Artist of the Year and Female Hot 100 Single of the Year at the 1999 Billboard Awards in the USA; Best New Artist in the American Music Awards 2000; Highest-Selling Female Teenager in the history of the music industry from the Recording Industry in America; Best International Act in Canada's 1999 Much Music Awards 1999; Best Female Artist, Best Breakthrough Artist, Best Pop Artist and Best Pop Single (Baby One More Time) at the 1999 MTV Europe Awards; and five awards, including Best Female Solo Artist, in United Kingdom's Smash Hits Poll Winners of 1999. Those are only among her dozens of awards, that is.

Born Britney Jeau Spears on Dec. 2, 1981 in Kentwood, Louisiana, the brown-eyed, brown-haired 5'5" pop superstar has one brother, Bryan (21), and one sister, Jamie Lynn (8). Their parents are Jamie and Lynne Spears.

Britney has been performing since she could walk and auditioned for the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club at the age of eight. Britney was too young for the show but too talented to dismiss and so a Disney producer helped her get an agent in New York where she spent the next three summers studying dance and the performing arts. She also began appearing in TV commercials and off-Broadway shows, including the 1991 comedy Ruthless. Finally, at age 11, Britney graduated to a coveted place in the Mickey Mouse Club.

After a couple of years on the show, Britney went back to New York to start her music career, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her idols Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. She hooked up with Backstreet Boys' producer Max Martin and Whitney Houston producer Eric Foster White who loved her voice and set about recording some great pop songs, the first of which was Baby One More Time.

Britney's appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine last year only increased the growing frenzy surrounding her. This cover rocketed Britney from pop-starlet to megastar; the Queen of Pop. She has become a phenomenon across the world and is in demand from virtually every corner of the globe.

In 1999, she released two more smash-hit singles -- a soft summer ballad Sometimes and the funky pop hit (You Drive Me) Crazy. (You Drive Me) Crazy -- The Stop Remix was featured in the original soundtrack of Fox Movies' film Drive Me Crazy, which starred Melissa Joan Hart of Sabrina the Teenage Witch fame.)

A few days ago, from May 1 to 3, Britney was in Tokyo for the Asian promo-launch of her latest and second album, Oops! I Did It Again, complete with a large press conference attended by around 100 entertainment print/TV journalists from around Asia, one-on-one TV interviews and an SRO mini-concert where Britney sang five songs from her new album (to be released in Manila on May 15). Conversations was among those invited to cover the event by Universal Records.

What's the tough part of being in showbiz?

Oh, that's a good question! The toughest part is not having your private life anymore, not enjoying your personal life without the public having a big share of it.

With your busy schedule, how much time do you spend with your family?

Actually, not much time because I've been promoting my album. My Mom went to Hawaii when I was there and spent a couple of days with me. When I'm touring, I have like every weekend off, five days off every six weeks, and it's amazing!

I heard somewhere that you consider your mom your best friend.

(Smile dissolving, eyes turning misty) Oh, yes, I do! You're right. My Mom is my best friend.

If you have to do something, well, somewhat crazy, what would it be?

(Giggling like a typical teenager) Wait... what should I do? Oh, yes, dye my hair black, go around and just have a good time. I haven't had much time to do that kind of thing. Kinda reinvent myself, even for only a day.

Aren't you thinking of doing that -- "reinvent" yourself for a change not only for a day but as a career move?

(Mulling that possibility and nodding slightly) I really haven't done that yet, not even just to change the color of my hair to suit my mood just like what any teener like me would do ... Maybe I will, reinvent myself that is, when I turn 22 or 23.

Do you think you'll look good with black hair?

(Touching hair) I don't know. I like my hair the way it is now. I might try it in the future but right now, I'm kind of scared to do it.

What do you consider the worst thing done to you by the media?

(Breaking into a dry smile) Oh, a lot. A lot!

Offensive? Hurting?

(Nodding) Some of them.

Such as the rumor about you having had breast implants? You know, physical enhancement.

Like I have had them at age 17? (Eyes rolling upwards) Things like that are a personal decision. If a women does it to make herself feel better, then it's fine. It's her own personal business. But at 16 or 17 or 18, it's too young for any girl to go through that kind of surgery. (Note: Experts attribute Britney's full figure to natural development; while those close to her said it's the result of a weight gain of around 15 pounds and her fondness for push-up bras.)

What about the rumor linking you to Prince William, said to be your cyber friend with whom you communicate through the Internet? Could you give us a little background on how the whole thing started?

(Laughing like a typical teenager again) One time, during an interview, somebody asked me, "Have you met Prince William?" And I said, "No, but I would love to!" I guess they kinda exaggerated it. Soon, I was reading things that I was going out with him. I have never even met him!

Do you communicate with him in the Internet, according to reports?

No, I don't.

If and when you meet Prince William, what's the first thing you will tell or say to him.

First thing I will tell him? (Thinking awhile) I don't know. (Breaking into that girlish laughter again) I will probably tell him, "Isn't it funny how stories about us have been going around?" Yes. I'll probably tell him that.

You seem to be more amused than annoyed by the rumor.

I think it's funny. It's a joke and that's how I take it. One of those many nonsense things people say about me. It's funny, actually!

Have you ever fantasized living like a princess?

Hmmmm. Have I? I don't think I'll be happy being a princess because having everything, what would you strive for? Life is cool even if you don't have everything; it's not perfect but it makes you a stronger person if you strive for things. If you have everything in the world, there's no more challenge.

Some people harshly criticize you for the way you dress. You know, "too sexy too soon." Some conservative group in Mississippi roasted you for coming out in a "sexy" pictorial for Rolling Stone magazine, wearing hot pants and vamping it up in your Kentwood bedroom full of dolls. How did you feel about it?

(Still smiling) When I saw that Rolling stone cover I did think it was hot and many people did find it much too sexy. But I'd like to assure everybody that I'm not going to walk around in hot pants and a bra on the streets.

Was it a calculated move -- you know, to look "drastically" sexy, maybe to "shock" people?

(Turning a bit serious) When you're an artist you sometimes play a part. It's just a case of a singer having fun dressing up. I'm turning into a woman and it's nice to feel sexy sometimes.

If they offer you to pose for Playboy, would you take it?

(Breaking into a wide smile) Not at all!

Aren't you bothered by people, especially the media, inquiring about, well, "physical enhancement" or coming up close and figuring out for themselves that portion of your anatomy? Doesn't it piss you off?

I tell you, I used to cry buckets over it. But now, I just ignore it, I just don't mind them. My Mom, though, is upset by all these lies.

Oh, yes, your Mom. She also got worried, not just upset but genuinely panicking and nervous when you got hurt during the shooting of your Oops! I Did It Again MTV. How did the accident happen?

Well, it was an overhead shot and they were filming me like this (showing how she turned her face). And then I turned my head and it happened. It was horrible! I can't even recall exactly now how it all happened. It was so sudden. A camera just fell on my head! There were so many other cameras there, filming the "behind the scenes," cameras from MTV and others covering the shoot. There were media guys around. They were all asking me, "Are you okay, are you okay?" And I was saying, "I'm fine, I'm fine!" Then, blood started flowing from my head and I started crying. I was screaming, "Turn the cameras off, turn the cameras off!"

Are you okay now?

Oh, yes, I am.

No more lump on your head?

None.

Let's go back to music. What sort of songs do you like?

I like all kinds of songs.

All kinds?

Almost. I have respect for all types of music.

What sort of music don't you like, if any?

Well ... I mean ... let me see ... The music that I like the least is opera. But that's not to say that I hate it because I really do have so much respect for it. I do. It's beautiful. But it's not the kind of music that I would stuff into my CD player and dance to. You know what I mean.

I wonder, do you also, like ordinary human beings, sing in the bathroom?

(Eyes popping with excitement) Oh, yes, I do, I do! That's the best place to sing in. I do it all the time. All the time!

And you love to dance. How much time do you spend on dancing, say, every week?

Since I'm doing a lot of shows around the world now that I'm promoting my album, I do spend a lot of time dancing, like I did last night during (the showcase). When I'm on tour, I dance a lot. Otherwise, not so much.

Did you have any formal training in dance?

Not really formal training but I learned a lot from the various dance groups I've worked with.

What's your favorite dance style?

Hip-hop.

Are you still basically the girl-next-door, the one you sang about in one of your songs?

I guess so, although the songs are about heartbreaks, about heartaches most of the time... you know, that I'm lonely and I need to be with you... this is who I am ... what you see is what you get.

How different is Oops! I Did It Again from Baby One More Time?

My new album is more edgy. There's more "me" in it than there was in my first album.

You're forever on the road, promoting your album and having shows. Don't you think you're missing out on your "normal" teenage life?

I don't think so. I've experienced high school and I've known what teenage life was like. I've experienced proms and I've enjoyed teenage life with my friends. But, of course, there are times when I'm tired and I think of what people my age must be doing. But I wouldn't exchange my life now for anything.

What is it, if any, that you miss about "normal" teenage life?

(Turning somewhat sad) Just my girlfriends... my mother and my sisters. My one regret in life is probably missing my little sister's graduation. I was really upset that I missed it. Those are the things that really matter because they never happen again. Once you miss it, you miss it. You can never experience your little sister's graduation again, can you? Sometimes, you get caught up in what you're doing so you miss and forget what's important in life.

Do you belong to a closely-knit family.

Yes, I do.

You said that you pray before every concert. You must be religious.

Yes, I am.

Are you Catholic or Protestant?

No, I'm a Baptist.

By the way, when did you have your first love?

I had my first love when I was about 15 or 16. It was also my first heartbreak. I was so in love that I got really hurt when we broke up. I don't know, but we just grew apart. You know what I mean?

What's your ideal man?

Someone who can make me laugh, someone with a sense of humor, someone who can make me feel special, like a princess, who can make me feel warm inside and very secure, very confident.

What do you find sexy in a guy?

His personality. His smile.

Besides singing and dancing, do you have any other special talent? Cooking, maybe?

No, I don't cook. I'm not a good cook. Basketball, yes. I play basketball. I played guard when I was in high school.

Talking about food, how do you keep in shape? Do you follow any diet?

I eat what I want to eat but I don't overeat. My show itself is such a workout. I don't believe in diet.

What's your one big wish at the moment, if any?

Happiness forever.

For you?

For me and for you, for everybody.

* Animal: Dog

* Car: Lexus

* Food: Cookie-dough ice cream

* Drink: Sweet iced tea

* Color: Blue

* Actor: Brad Pitt

* Sport: Basketball, tennis and golf

* Movie: Titanic

* Book: The Horse Whisperer

* Writer: Danielle Steele

* Disney Character: Goofy

* Hobbies: Shopping, sleeping and chatting on the phone

* Motto: Live each day to the fullest