Frankly yours, Britney Spears

Britney Spears’ entrance to the pop scene – through her debut single and album of the same title, Baby One More Time – was so overwhelmingly successful that she was on top of worldwide charts on the first week of release.

Baby One More Time, both the single and album, simultaneously smashed into American Billboard charts at No. 1. She was only 16 then as she rewrote US pop music history; and to be the youngest female artist to be charted No. 1 in the single and album charts at the same time.

The same impact has been felt all over the globe and her ascent to worldwide fame is nothing short of phenomenal.

The first album has spawned four international hit singles as she continued to perform to sell-out crowds in almost all major musical territories.

Her second album, Oops!...I Did It Again, released April 2000, more than re-confirmed Britney’s megastar status. It debuted at No. 1 in the USA, Canada, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the Philippines and 14 other countries.

Now, her third and self-titled album, Britney, is now out on record stores. It’s obvious why the new outing bears her name – she really bares her heart and soul this time.

It’s her most personal album to date and she’s really happy with Britney. Its first single, I’m a Slave 4 U, is already a Most Requested Song on local airlanes, but the entire world has to wait a few more weeks for the release of the new album.

Excerpts from a recent interview with Britney:

Q: Can you tell us in what direction you’re going with the new album?

A: Really, I don’t want to talk too much about the new album, I just really want the music to speak for itself. I wrote a lot of the songs and I feel very close to them. I’m just really proud of them. Writing is something that I put my heart into. All the words came from me. Sometimes, you’ll go into the studio and a person will give you a song to sing when you go in there and you’ll sing it, and it’s totally different from when you write the words. You’ll go in there and you’ll sing it in, like, two seconds. Otherwise when I go over to Max, to Sweden sometimes, and they’ll have a song for me to sing, it willtake me like three or four hours. But if I put my heart into it, I’ll go over there and it will be, like, two seconds. It’s something I’m really proud of.

Q: Do you feel like it’s a more grown up sound?

A: I wouldn’t say it was a more grown up sound. I think it’s just more me, whatever that is.

Q: There’s a song called Overprotected which is a very personal song. Do you feel like the people who are around you protect you a bit too much?

A: I think in general everyone my age can relate to that song on some aspect. There’s a certain age, maybe 18 or 19, when your parents are trying to let you go and they want you to be independent, but at the same time it’s like, "Oh, my baby’s growing up." You know? I think everyone can kind of relate to that song and, yeah, I kind of get that to a certain extent. I have to make sure I have so many people with me so I’ll be safe. So, yeah, I can relate to that.

Q: There’s another track called I’m a Slave 4 U. What’s that about?

A: Really, it’s about being a slave to the love of music. My favorite thing to do is go out and go and dance on the dance floor. That’s my escape. I love to do that. And it’s about being a slave to music.

Q: What’s your favorite all-time moment during your career?

A: That’s a good question. Probably the MTV Europe awards. That was a very fun moment for me. I got to perform and it was my first time ever to win award, so that was very cool.

Q: What’s your favorite Britney song?

A: Right now, I would say Slave.

Q: What’s your usual clothes style?

A: Really, whatever I’m in the mood for. Most of the time it’s just like a pair of jeans and some boots and a cute tank top. I’m not very hard to please. But if I’m going to a nice event or something, I usually get... I like Dolce and Gabanna. Actually, she also does a lot of stuff for Sex and the City, too. I like a lot of different, trendy things when I go out at night.

Q: How much of what you wear is your style and how much is the stylists’?

A: Oh, my stylists, they’re so wonderful. They know exactly what I like. I could never go somewhere and someone say, "Well, you’re wearing this." They definitely know. I use the same stylists all the time and they definitely know what I like.

Q: Is there any outfit you look back on with horror?

A: Oh, yeah, plenty of times! Actually, I was walking through this store the other day and I saw this magazine and I was like, "Oh, my god!" It was my first tour and I had these white spandex pants and this pink top, and I was like, "Why was I wearing that?" And I got onto Felicia and I was like, "Why did you let me wear that? You’re crazy!" And my hair was all crimped. I looked like a retarded. I definitely have those moments. Definitely.

Q: How do you keep in shape?

A: Really, when I’m on tour. The dancing really keeps me in shape. But since I’ve been recording, I work out for like an hour once a day. I have more energy if I do that. I feel better throughout the day.

Q: So is it something you enjoy rather than see as a necessity?

A: Oh, definitely. I love working out, I really do. Actually when I was younger, when I was 12, I ran the aerobics class at the top of my dad’s gym. So I think it’s fun, I love it. I’m a Sagittarius so I’m very active.

Q: Do you have any hang-ups about your body?

A: Um, I won’t wear anything that makes my butt look really big.

Q: Do you think you’re a good role model for young girls?

A: I don’t label myself like that. As a role model, I just try to... You know, I’m human just like everybody else and I make mistakes.

Q: Do you think you’re a good role model in that you’re curvy and there are a lot of singers that look unnaturally thin?

A: A girl should know that it’s not attractive at all to be overly overweitght or overly skinny. Just take care of yourself and don’t over eat and don’t under eat. Just do what’s healthy for your body. That’s all you can do.

Q: Have you got any rules that you live your life by?

A: Really, just be true to yourself and never doubt yourself and whatever you believe in. Live by the day. And just try to be the best person you can be.

Q: Do you ever worry about all the media attention you get?

A: I try not to pay too much attention to it.

Q: Do you ever worry about being criticized?

A: You know, we’re all criticized all the time, so it’s like you can never get away from that. People are always going to criticize you no matter what you do. People are always going to have an opinion. So, you just try to cut yourself off from that and just do what makes you happy at the end of the day. I just laugh it off.

Q: Do you plan to do more movies now?

A: Oh, definitely, I would love to. I would definitely love to.

Q: Is it true that there’s going to be a film about your life story?

A: No, that’s not true. No.

Q: You’ve been in showbiz since you were nine. Do you feel like you’ve missed out on anything?

A: Well really, I’ve always had the drive since I was nine, but it wasn’t like I was in the business the whole time I was doing competitions and stuff like that when I was nine, but I was always home. It was only when I was like 12 or 13 that I left home for two years and did the Mickey Mouse Club. Then when I came back I was at home so I experienced being at home for a while, and I played basketball and hung out with my friends. I did the whole high school thing. So I definitely... I did not miss out at all. I had a wonderful childhood and I would much rather be doing this. No regrets at all.

Q: Do you ever feel old before your time?

A: You know, it’s funny that you should say that. I do feel like I’ve experienced a lot at a young age. It’s funny sometimes when I go home and I talk to some people. And it’s not that I feel smarter or older than them. I just feel like I’ve experienced a lot in my life. And that’s a good feeling. It’s a very cool feeling.

Q: Has anyone that you trusted betrayed you?

A: Yeah, I’ve been betrayed before and it’s hard thing, but you learn from it. You take that and you grow with it.

Q: How much of the Prince William stuff was true?

A: None of it was true. I don’t even know how it all got started. I think maybe because he wrote me an e-mail or something, and I wrote him one back, and from there... I didn’t even tell my mom about that so I don’t know how the press got a hold of that. I don’t know. It was blown way out of proportion.

Q: Were you embarrassed when you finally got to meet Ben Affleck after talking about fancying him for so long?

A: Yeah, I guess because I had been talking about him in interviews. I was like, "Oh, god, he’s probably seen me talk about how cute he is and now he’s coming in here and I have to sit here and talk to him." But it was very cool. He was very cool. It was all about business and it was nothing like I was into him or he was into me. But I was very nervous.

Q: What’s the weirdest rumor you’ve heard about yourself?

A: The weirdest? Oh, gosh! There’s been so many things. Oh, my gosh. There was one about a telephone. That I have this telephone in my dressing room and I sit there and charge all the incoming calls or something. The thing about it was that it was in every magazine. I’m like, "Let it go, it’s not even true." That’s probably the funniest.

Q: How did you feel when you heard that you and Justin (Timberlake of N’sync) were dead?

A: Oh, that was really crazy. Some radio station made that up about us, and I was like, that’s just cruel. They may have found humor in it, but my mom was freaking out. She was at home, "Oh, my god, you know?" She was really upset because she couldn’t get in touch with Rob and Felicia. But they ended up calling and working it out, but that was probably the worst rumor.

Q: Was it really upsetting?

A: Yeah, it was kind of bad.

Q: What’s the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked?

A: Oh, I’ve been asked some weird questions! Probably just the ones about personal stuff, about your family. Or what’s your... I don’t know. Oh! I was in a press conference one time and they were like, "Do you have a chiropractor?" I’m like, "Where did that come from?"

Q: How did you and Justin first get together?

A: Actually, we met when he was doing a radio show. This is before Baby... One More Time took off. And I looked like a total dark with my hair in pigtails and stuff. I remember this like it was yesterday. And he knocks on my door and Felicia didn’t know who he was and she was like, "Who are you? You can’t come in." And I was like, "No Felicia! Let him in now!" So he walked in and I couldn’t say anything. I was just like standing there. And he did all the talking, of course. And ever since then, I started opening up for him. And we just talked for a little bit and one thing led to another, and we started going out.

Q: Why did you decide to keep it quiet at first?

A: Because I just didn’t want people asking too many questionns. It wasn’t like a definite thing so I didn’t want people talking about it when there was nothing really going on

Q: How often do you get to see each other now?

A: I’ve been really spoiled because I’ve been able to see him for the past three or four weeks, butI just left him yesterday so... We try not to go three or four weeks without seeing each other, so like every two and half weeks we make sure we see each other.

Q: Doyou keep in touch by phone every day?

A: Yeah, and by pager. However we can.

Q: What are your top five ways to pamper yourself?

A: Just taking baths, massages, reading books, working out, eating healthily, playing with my dog, talking to my little sister on the phone. I don’t know! There are a lot of ways to pamper yourself. I do too much of it probably! (Laughs).

Q: Where do you have massages?

A: We get people from the hotel to come in and do it.

Q: What’s your ultimate ambition?

A: Well, really I would love to do another movie and to really challenge myself with that. The movie that I just did was a good experience for me because I know exactly what I want to do next time. I was not that confident when I first started, but now I know what to do to make myself confident with it for the next movie. So my next goal is to do a really amazing movie and really challenge myself with the acting. And do a character that’s totally different from me.