Britney Spears

Britney Spears was born on December 2, 1981 in McComb, Mississip, but was raised in Kentwood, Louisiana. At a young age, she became an accomplished gymnast, and auditioned for The New Mickey Mouse Club when she was 8, but was rejected for being to young, despite being given an agent in New York. In 1992, she appeared on Star Search and when she was 11, she returned to The New Mickey Mouse Club, and was on the show in 1993 until 1994. After it ended, Britney returned to high school. In 1997, Britney joined the newly formed all-girl pop group, innosense, but later decided to go solo the same year. She recorded her first demo and was signed by Jive Records. She started touring, opening for boy bands, such as the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. At the end of 1998, her first single "...Baby One More Time" was released and was a global success and skyrocketed her to international fame. In 1999, her first album was released, selling over 25 million copies and won Female Artist of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards. Britney would later release several more albums, all of them a successes. In 2002, Britney starred in her first film, Crossroads and she continued to sing, epitomizing the American dream.

On September 18, 2004, she married Kevin Federline and a year later, gave birth to the couple's first child, Sean Preston and a year after gave birth to her second, Jayden James. A month after Jayden's birth, in November 2006, Britney filed for divorced, and their divorce was finalized the following year. As a result of her stardom, Britney has been the target of negative media attention, following her every move, documenting her tragic self-destructive behavior and custody case over her two children. Although she released her first album in 4 years, "Blackout", which garnered positive praise from critics, it did not exactly achieve the come back that Britney fans were hoping for. Throughout all her personal struggles and emotional strife, Britney is one of the most successful artists in recent years.