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Date Posted: 18:09:32 10/07/03 Tue
Author: RJ
Subject: Re: Britney Album info
In reply to: J-boog 's message, "Re: Britney Album info" on 17:58:40 10/07/03 Tue

443-414-8346

I've seen Britney Spears three times a week for the last ten months, and always when I'm not wearing much more than a sweaty T-shirt and a pair of running shorts. Britney's videos are big in my gym, as I'm sure they are in yours, in fact as I'm sure they are in gyms all over the country; and my thrice- weekly 60-minute work-outs are not complete without fashion TV, Aeriobics Oz style anf VH1's constant rotation of her pop promo's: in the gym at One Aldwych Hotel in London "Baby One More Time" , Oops I Did It Again" and the like have become as ubiquitious as Sky News or MTV's Cribs.
It is through these erotic pop promos, and her highly choreographed photo-sessions- like the new one here- that Britney Spears has built up a fan base that perhaps has not yet brought into her records. I wouldn't imagine that many of the men in my gym are dedicated consumers of Britney Spears CD's, but to them sge is as famnous as Madonna, and about 20 years sexier. Britney ( so called because her grandmotherLil came from Britain) is a proper postmodern sexual icon. a perfect contradiction of angel and harlot, which is how we like our sex symbols, be they Marilyn Monroe, Debbie Harry or Elizabeth Hurley.
In the last four years she's sold more records than Madonna has in the last ten, nearly 50 million all-told, and she's only 21. She seemed destined for stardom at an early age, entering a talent contest at the age of six, auditioning for the Mickey Mouse Club soon after, and kick-starting her career by endlessly touring shopping malls. This was all followed a stint at the Professional Performing Arts School (basically the f"ame" school), and then hit records (big hit records) from the age of 16.

Her new record seems like a concious attempt to attract an older audience without alienating her beloved tweenies, containing, as it does lines such as 2don't stop, we're halfway there" , "arching my back" and would you undo my zipper please" (how Britney of her to say please). Her new songs are overtly sexual, and display a new level of self awareness: they have hints of both Donna summer and Prince - at their peak, both successful merchants of slick lasciviousness - and seem more playful and less contrutived than her earlier stuff (at times it sounds like Donna summer actually having sex with prince) The louisianna gal is working with hip producers, too and her new album has contributions form the Matrix (who worked with Avril Lavigne), Mirwais (Madonna), 7Aurelias (Ashanti) and the Neptunes (everyone)
So having spent so much time with her in the gym, I thought I ought to meet her in person. GQ was invited to New York to spend a day with her, so I thought it would be rude to say no. As editor, you can sometimes feel like a glorified travel agent, sending the likes of AA Gill off to Rio, Martin Deeson off to Angola, and Will Self off to walk round Oxford with Radiohead's Thom Yorke (I once attempted to send Boris Johnson off to test drive a tank). Some things, though, you occasionly want to do your self. And what curious, red-blooded gym going chap between the ages of 15 and 50 wouldn't want to meet the sey little pop princess?
She turned out to be delightful: fantastically sexy, funny and smart. Pop princesses are obviously not meant to be like this, and several of my lady friends were mortified when I told them what she was like. But there you are: Britney is a lubidinous deity, and there's nothing any of you can do about it.

GQ: How the devil are you?
Britney Spears: once I get a cappuccino in me, I'll be cool

How Many do you need?
just the one.

Your new record seems like a fairly calculated attempt at appealing to an older market. Is this fair?
I'ts not deliberatly meant to be an adult record although it does have that feel to it. It was accidental more than anything, but I see what you're saying. A lot of people were like. " Let's write dark stuff!" but I'm not a dark person, I don't like dark things.

Lyrically it's overtly sexual.
A lot of the songs are kind of sexual, but I think when you're being sexual and really putting yourself out there, there's nothing sacred anymore about it, and there's nothing subtle about it. This is more sensual than sexual. It's mischievous, that's my interpretation of it. Sometimes you see a girl in a video and you think "God, she looks like such a ****," so you've got to make sure you're not too vulgar.

Well, you don't seem vulgar, but a lot of your success is based on the fact that you're not only appealing to tweenies but also guys in their twenties, thirties and forties. You are sex incarnate. There must be some kind of intiative here?
Honestly, I dodn't think there is intent. When I write a song, I'm not like, " I'm going to have all these guys.."

But you are a good-looking woman...
Well, I've always been... It's not like I'm sexual person, but I think that I'm a very spiritual person and when you're in touch with all sides of yourself, I think tha's attractive. When someone comes into a room and theu're trying to be sexy it comes across in the wrong way. I think when you're just open about yourself and you feel comfortable, and when you're in touch with your sexual side, That'a a lot sexier. Of course there's a time and a place for everything. I don't go into the room and talk to my mom about sex.

I should hope not. One of the things which comes across so strongly from watching you perform is your astonishing confidence.
Do you want me to be completely honest with you? At heart , when I was at high school, I was always a very confident person. I look back now and I'm like, "Boy, I really believed in myself". If I had to do everything back then today, I'd be really nervous because I think you become more insecure the more famous you get. I had an uncomfortable period about six months ago when I didn't feel myself, but I'm out of it. You have to be confident. I feel better now than ever and maybe I had to go through real insecurity to feel like that.

You have a definte idea of how you want to project yourself..
Well, you can't worry too much , you know I did a interview from a magazine the other day and they made me sound like such a dumbass. I read the interview and I was like I'd never say that", y'know what I mean? So you just go with it and be yourself and they say what they want to say, the motherph*ckers.

Britney said Motherph*cker! You get a fair amount of criticsm for the way you dress.
In everyday life, I wear what I like. I seriously just threw this s**t on. No wonder I get on the worst dressed list because I go out there a bit. sometimes what I wear is inappropriate but I'm not into gowns and when I'm out at events I guess I kinda stand out. You've got to dress the way you feel otherwise what's the point?

Are your clothes beginning to reflect your new grown-up image?
The Imagery? Hell, no. I mean, I'm not going to go around dressing like a grandma or something like that.

How important as a women is it for yo to be attractive to men?
I think when women really want a boyfriend, it shows and it looks so stupid. They act so forward, It's like, "Just freaking be yourself!" The only time you have a really perfect relationship is when you're completely comfortable with youself and you're happy with being alone. A guy doesn't want a girl to get on his nerves and be all over him. I've always been a tomboy, I've always ended up being the man n the relationship. I know it sounds really weired, but it's hard for me to let go and let the man take control, put it that way. That can be unattractive sometimes; I need to work on that.

When did you first realise that you were a sex symbol?
A sex symbol, I don't know. I really don't like being called a sex symbol!

Come on, you're one of the sexiest women in the world!
Oh my God! I can't believe you just said that!

Come on, you're being coy. It's not a bad thing is it?
I guess it's kind of flattering.

Yeah, it's kind of hugely flattering.
Yeah OK, How did I realise? Probably the first Rolling Stone cover, shot by David LaChapelle. He came in and did the photos and totally tricked me.

Were they those teddy bear pictures? They were fabulous.
They were cool but I didn't really know what the hell I was doing. And, to be totally honest with you, at the time I was 16, so I really didn't. I was back in my bedroom , and I had my little sweater on and he was like, 'Undo your sweater a little bit more." The whole thing was about me being into dolls, and in my naive mind I was like, "Here are my dolls!" and now I look back and I'm like, "Oh my gosh, what the hell?" But he did a very good job of portraying me in that way. It certainly wasn't peaches and cream.

What's the biggest misconception people might have about you?
There's no telling what all these people think, but some people may think I'm into this diva thing, but actually I'm very low-key

You're not high maintenance?
Not high maintenance at all. As long as I have a starbucks I'm happy...

When did you last have a hissy fit?
The other day, and I don't mind talking about this, because actually I need to talk about it.. I think there's a time and a place for you to lose your temper. I don't like to be taken advantage of because I'm young and sometimes people do that. They think I'm young so they try and suck me in.

Do you think people like the fact that you're obviously not as innocent as they once thought?
As far as the whole sex thing goes, I really did think that Justin [Timberlake] was going to be the one I was going to marry so I did the thing with him after three years. And I don't think that's a bad thing. You can still be a nice person and wholesome and still go out every once in a while. Just because I've admitted to having sex doesn't make me a bad person, does it? I think they [the press] thought even before I had sex, that I was going to do it one day anyway, so I don't really think it makes any difference at all.

You're far more open than I expected you to be.
That's because I need therapy and I talk to guys and I get out.

Good answer.
Oh s**t.

What about movies? One assumes there are going to be more after your debut last year in crossroads.
I would love to do another film, but the scripts lately really suck, every script that I get... everyone's trying to copy Legally Blonde; let's get a girl who's knid of a ditz and throw her into a totally different world. It's so cliched and not what I want.

How did you handle fame at such a young age?
I don't know. I think my Mom raised me really well. Seriously, when I was six years old I was singing all the time, singing and performing obnoxiously. My mom's friends thought something was wrong with me because I wouldn't shut the ph*ck up.

How easy is it to deal with unwanted male attention?
I don't put myself in situations where I feel uncomfortable. If I go to a club and there's a bunch guys and they start saying vulgar things we just go to the next place.

Do you get groupies? I suppose you must do.
Yeah, sometimes. They come to the hotels and you walk out and sign their autographs, It's kind of cute.

Cute, but there's a line between cute and stalker.
There are some people that I see and I'm like, " Oh my God, They're scaring me right now." There's just a look in their eye that makes me think, "Get away from me!" I've seen those people, they're weird.

How bling are you?
Not very. I've got a Mercedes SL500, and I've got a Navigator - I think that's what it's called. It's just a really big truck. I'm not really a big spender, man. I don't like brand names.

Oh come on.
No, I'm for real. The other day I had this new stylist and she was like, "Oh we need to get you this new blah collection," and I went across the strret to a little vintage place and brought a five-dollar shirt. If I go to an event and there's this crazy outfit from Prada, s**t, I'm going to wear it. But in everyday life I don't like the hoop-la going on.I think it's stupid when you see guys with big necklaces, I think that's the biggest turn off in the world. Who do they think they? I think that shows a lack of something. sorry!

What do you eat?
s**t, I don't know. I like sushi, tuna fish. I'm really weird, I eat the same thing everyday. I like Nobu. The black cod it serves the best food in the world.

Books?
Mastery Of Love: A Practical Guide To The Art Of Relationship by Don Miguel Ruiz, I like that a lot. It's an inspirational self-help book. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is also an amazing book, I'm in the middle of that right now.

What about the books from childhood?
I didn't read that much when I was a kid.

No? OK, tell us about an item of clothing that shaped your identity.
I always got into trouble at school for my clothes, man.

That doesn't surprise me.
I would start the freaking trends but then I'd be the one that got sent home for it. One time this teacher just totally lost it with me and I was like, "Go get laid!"

Are you a good liar?
Horrible. When I lie, this part of my jaw goes to the side like this [does funny thing with her mouth.]
It'll go to the side and I don't even know it. I cannot lie at all

OK, you sure? What keeps you going in a crisis?
Starbucks.

Do angels exist?
Definitely. I have some stories that I won't share with you because people will think I'm crazy, but yes, they definietly exist.

share one.
No, they're my stories.

All right, suit yourself. Under pain of death, would you ever eat human flesh?
Hell, no.

Look, if you don't eat it, you're going to die.
No.

So, you'd prefer to die?
I'd prefer to die.

If you could change one thing about you body, what would it be?
My nose, my hair, my fingernails, my elbows and my toes.

OK, I just asked for one, but that's all right. Do you like men with facial hair?
Uh-hun, not the body though. I don't want no hair on your back or on your chest. I do like it on the face, though. I think that's really sexy.

What's a perfect Friday night?
Going to a movie with the guy you really like and then coming back and watching more movies and havinf ice cream and sitting there and then having a kiss and then he leaves. I want that so bad right now.

You really want me to believe that?
Yes, because when you're first dating a guy, you can't really go there with him. I think it's more sacred and special if you just kiss.

I so don't believe you, but whatever. Do you have it within yourself to kill someone?
Hell, no. No, If someone hurt my little sister, I would kill them instantly, no doubt about it. So yeah I guess I do.

You have 20 seconds to advertise something. Go on.
Starbucks is really great.

If you could make one apology, what would it be?
I wouldn't apologise becasue I think everything happens for a reason and if I did make a mistake I wouldn't be the person I am today. So, I wouldn't apopolgise for anything.

Nothing at all? Good for you. Now is there a discernible difference between British men and American men?
I would need to hang a round British men more to have that answer because I reallt don't know. I do like your sense of humour though. It's fun to be around anyone that makes you laugh. It makes the whole environment a little bit lighter so I think it's really cool that you guys do that.

OK, you are currently one of the most eligible single women in the world. So, what's the worst thing a guy can do on a date?
Don't take me out somewhere too nice. I'm really easy, seriously.

Starbucks, we'll take you to Starbucks.
Honestly the only advice I cna give is just be yourself and be fun and just be light and make me laugh.

Who were your role models when you were younger?
Madonna. Hmmm, ultimate role model? Madonna.

And, Madonna and Madonna
Yeah, she was the one person I really looked up to. I just liked her whole projection; she was sexy without trying to hard. A lot of performerd think that everyone's against them, so they end up putting up barriers. And I'm like, "just let go and express yourself." Madonna did that. She did not give a ph*ck . I idolise that. There's no bulls**t involved with her.

Do you find it odd that you have replaced her in people's affections?
I don't know. I think Madonna got away with more vulgar things, she was more explicit. That's the thing about Madonna. She was completely herself to the core. That's what made her a true star. But it's not really me to go that far.

More insecure people would not relish any kind of comparison but you seem to like it.
Yeah, I like that, why not? s**t, I really like being compared to Madonna. I don't have a big ego, everybody knows that. But when you're compared to somebody you've always looked up to, it's natural for you to be totally flattered.

But we all have egos, whatever we do. How important is rivalry?
Bribery?

Rivalry.
Honestly, I don't have a rivalry with anyone. The press make you have rivalries with people, but for me, when I see other artists doing things, it seriously inspires me. It's like, "Oh God, I better do something cool now." Do you understand what I'm saying?

Yeah, but your mouth is doing that thing again.
It is?

Say Anything Just To Have An Opinion.

Material Girls
Secrets of the Madonna/Britney collaboration -- Here's how the two pop icons came together (sort of) for ''Me Against the Music'' by Brian Hiatt



KISS AND SELL Post-MTV awards, Madonna held a private session for her new pal -- to record a vocal that turned Britney's already completed single into a duet

For some imaginative pop fans, the news that Madonna and Britney Spears recorded a song together may have conjured images of long, languid studio sessions, punctuated by the occasional soul kiss. The truth is slightly less lurid.

Spears originally completed the track ''Me Against the Music,'' by herself, and even sang the Madonna-free version of it Sept. 4 at the NFL season kickoff. ''The song was done -- and then we added Madonna,''' says producer/songwriter Tricky Stewart (Blu Cantrell, Mya) who recorded the track with his Atlanta-based RedZone Entertainment team.

The Material Mom didn't glom onto the club banger -- the first single from Spears' Nov. 18 album ''In the Zone'' -- until after her tongue-tastic performance with the younger singer at the MTV Video Music Awards. ''Britney played the song for Madonna and she really, really liked it,'' explains Penelope Magnet, a RedZone-affiliated 19-year-old songwriter/producer who coproduced and wrote most of the lyrics for ''Me Against the Music'' (it'll be her first professional credit).

Predictably, Madonna took charge after RedZone handed over the song to her, arranging and recording her vocal additions on her own. (Madonna's publicist confirmed the producers' account of the collaboration; Spears' rep didn't respond to a request for comment.) ''She does what she wants to do,'' says Stewart. ''She's Madonna. If she says she wants to keep something, it stays on there.'' So on the finished track, she and Spears trade lines in the verses, making the song a true duet.

Though the lyrics hardly represent a radical step forward for Spears (the refrain is ''All you people on the floor/Let me see you dance''), ''Me Against the Music'' is the 21-year-old's most aggressively danceable single. Retrofunk guitars rub against a rapid breakbeat as Spears and Madonna sing of the pleasures of letting loose on the dance floor (''I'm up against the speaker/Trying to take on the music/It's like a competition'') -- a subject they each know well. ''Britney likes to be bold in her visuals and be more lighthearted in the lyrical sense,'' says Stewart. ''She doesn't like things that make her sound like she was taking herself too seriously.''

Serious or not, if the song sounds sweaty, it's no accident. During Spears' time with RedZone this summer, the recording studio's air-conditioning died for three days, but she refused to abandon the increasingly sultry session. ''The equipment made the room so hot that it was unbearable, but she worked through that,'' says Magnet. ''She didn't complain or anything, and for me that shows she's where she is for a reason.''

The same production team also wrote and produced the ''In the Zone'' song ''The Hook-Up'' -- Spears' first stab at reggae. In addition, they helped develop tracks submitted by R. Kelly (''Outrageous'') and Moby (''Early Mornin''') into finished Spears songs (like Madonna, neither Kelly nor Moby joined Spears in the studio). Says Stewart, ''The vibe that I got was this album is Britney's coming-out party.'' Funny, that's what we would have said about that VMA performance.

(Posted:10/01/03)


Britney Spears

The world's biggest star BOUNCES BACK with an "outrageous" new album!

by Matthew Rettenmund

The first time PopStar! ever sat down face-to-face with Britney Spears, it was a very different face from the one we're sitting across from today. Britney was just 16 then, and still had darker hair and a child-like innoncence about her as she eagerly answered all our questions. When we shyly asked her to do a silly "pop quiz" with questions like "*NSYNC or Backstreet Boys?" her eyes lit up and she chirped, "It's okay! I like it." That Britney remains, to this day, one of our favorite interview subjects - you couldn't find anyone nicer.

Today, Britney looks transformed - gone is the waifish cheerleader and in her place is a Hollywood goddess with long blonde hair, perfect makeup and a confidence that radiates like the sun. Since our first meeting in 1998, Britney has sold tens of millions of albums, had several memorable hit songs, shaken up the entertainment industry with her "not a girl, not yet a woman, okay now totally a woman" stage performances and, of course, endured a famous romance and painfully public breakup with Justin Timberlake. She's made herself into a movie star with Crossroads (and a NASCAR movie next), a pitchwoman (for Pepsi) and her every move - good or bad - is chronicled on TV and in the press.

You know one thing that hasn't changed about Britney Spears? She's still the nicest star to talk to, the warmest and the best interview around.

After lunching with Britney at the Chateau Marmont the day of The 2003 Teen Choice Awards, we asked her for all the latest on her exciting life and new album, due from Jive November 6th!


A radiant Britney accepts her PopStar! awards during our chat!


PopStar!: Describe your new album for us.
Britney: Actually, while the album is personal, it's kind of personal from an artistic point of view. I know that sounds kind of cheesy and cliche, but none of this stuff is my personal life. I just feel I've been there and done that. It's kind of like you're putting yourself out there in so much of a vulnerable way that sometimes it gets too self-serving. With music, it's seriously just about me experimenting creatively; it's talking about going out and having a good time.

The style really suits you!

Oh, definitely! It was so much fun to do...it's very moody and trance-y.

Out of all the people you worked with, who has the biggest impact on the way the final album came out?

A lot of producers, they're good at doing their thing. It's hard to find producers like Moby, who adjust to the artist, and they'll just do the artist's type of music. So I think Moby is gonna have some stuff on the album. RedZone really adjusted to me well. Guy Chambers is amazing! He's absolutely probably one of the most artistic guys I've worked with. He did a song on the album called "Every Time" and he's brilliant. But him, and a guy named Jimmy Harry and Bloodshy - those are some of the people that are on this record.

When you're working with people are being resistant and not going with the Britney flow and trying to do their own thing, do you speak up?

It's really kind of a weird, awkward thing because you're in the studio and everyone has a perception of what they think would be good for you, what kind of music. They're like, "Oh, let's experiment." But it really works best when you go in and you talk to them and you tell them the direction you want to go in and then they go from there. But a lot of times it really didn't quite work out! [Laughs] There are a lot of really cool people that I worked with that are good for their sound, their artistic way, but they didn't really mesh with me that well, you know? I was really lucky, though, to find the people that I did.

What song are you most excited about so far?

I really like the song called "Girls and Boys". It's a Linda Perry song - she wrote it. It's really rock influenced and it's very, very cool, so it's probably the song that I like most.

The tracks you played for us are very dance influenced.

Yeah, you definitely hear a track and want to get up and dance - at least for me, personally.

Speaking of dancing, is it hard for you to get out and enjoy clubs?

Well, when I was in New York and I was recording I went out every once in a while. I would go out with my girlfriends. But it's something that gets kind of old. I'd go out to, seriously, like, watch people and see what they're listening to and the songs that they dance to. It's like I'm at work when I go out - it's really weird!

Have you given any consideration to what the fans will be thinking when they hear the new stuff? Do you think they'll love it?

Ummm...I hope so! I don't know - it's definitely different. It's something they may have to listen to a few times before they get it, you know? There are certain records that are like that. But who knows? Hopefully they'll listen to it the first time and say, "WE LOVE THIS!" [Laughs]


During her "break," Britney has never been far from the fashion mags!

"Tabloids are a part of show business so even though Us does write some absurd things, I can't say I don't buy it sometimes!"


Idol Chatter!

We told Britney that Hilary Duff always says she idolizes Ms. Spears in the same way Britney loves Madonna. Britney's reply was typically humble:

"Oh that's so cute! That's so sweet and so amazing because the other day me and my girlfriend were watching Making The Video and it was her video that came on. She is completely just a light to the world. She is so beautiful and so incredibly sweet. My little sister is completely in love with her. Next time you see her, tell her I'm a big fan of HERS! She is just a doll."

Then we asked Britney if she had any singing advice for Hilary, now that Hilary is entering the world of music:

"You know what? I don't think she needs that much advice! I think she's doing pretty darn good. Her song is amazing and she has her whole little cool clothes thing going on, her cute little outfits and her personality is amazing so I don't think she needs advice. Maybe, if anything, just be herself and never change!"


Courtesy of PopStar! Magazine

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