Some of us gays have Barbra, others have Cher. The younger generations have Miley, Ariana, Demi and more. For me… it was and is and always will be Britney Spears.
For many people growing up in my generation (we are talking about the ones who were born around 1982-1990), Britney was an icon for us in so many different ways. She helped bring pop music back to the forefront and is a big reason why it is still dominating almost two decades later today.
Today, Ms. Spears turns 36, which is hard to believe. It's even harder to believe that her debut single "…Baby One More Time" will be celebrating it's 20th anniversary of being released in November of next year. Incredible!
In honor of Britney's bday, I figured it would be lovely to show her six biggest career moments (keeping this positive, so nothing will be said about the breakdown or anything that takes away from what makes her so amazing).
"…Baby One More Time" music video. Around this time in 1998, pop music had already opened its doors back up with acts like Spice Girls and The Backstreet Boys. However, when the video for "…Baby One More Time" came out, that door not only swung all the way open but shattered after its first hit. Is there any other squeaky pop song bigger than this… ever? To pair this pop classic with the look of the video, which she gives catholic school girl realness throughout, just proved that she was a force to be reckoned with as this was the true start of Britney mania.
"Oops! I Did It Again/Satisfaction" VMA Performance. Her first VMA performance was good, but this one really took the cake and is memorable for one thing in particular: the tearaway! Hot off the release of her sophomore album, Britney took to the stage in a black suit and hat to perform a remake of The Rolling Stones song "Satisfaction." Shortly after that, she ripped the suit off, revealing a flesh-colored ensemble that left very little to the imagination as she got into doing "Oops." Yes, she did it again, and she did it great.
"Slave 4 U" VMA performance. Britney just kept one upping herself at the VMA's, and this was her pinnacle performance and one she is most known for from the iconic award program. With a (real) snake over her shoulder, she performed her sexy hit "Slave 4 U" with a figure that would make even gay men jealous as she slithered throughout the stage and kept people wanting more. Speaking of more…
"Blackout" album. Yes, this was a troubled time in her life, however "Blackout" remains one of her best (if not her best) album to date and songs like "Gimme More", "Radar" and "Break the Ice" are all criminally underrated and absolutely incredible. If you want to hear some good Britney, this would be the album to get.
"Circus" and "Femme Fatale." The two albums that followed "Blackout" got Britney back on track after her ongoing issues that surrounded her in 2007. These efforts were incredibly put together, produced several number one tracks for her (the first for her in almost a decade), and got her where back to where she belonged in the pop music spectrum.
Successful Vegas residency. Britney figured out what worked for her, and it just happened to be in the iconic city of Las Vegas where she has been performing her hit show "Piece of Me" for years now. It also just won the Best of Las Vegas awards for several categories. Not much of a shocker though. 🙂
BONUS:
Madonna covering "Toxic." Remember that little night when Britney kissed Madonna at the 2003 VMA's? Turns out, these two are still buddies, as evidenced by the Material Girl doing a cover of one of Brit Brit's biggest hits of all time. The caption: "Silence =Death! . Song For World AIDS Day! . #toxic#poisonparadise @britneyspears. Happy Birthday!!"
What's your favorite Britney moment?