Blur

There's been a clear resurgence for Britney these past few years, with solo daily streams even bigger than some of her active peers rn. That + HMC being a success and her book smashing kinda shielded her from the 90s/00s nostalgia act she almost fell into from 2016 to 2020. During this period her streams were a disaster and her influence on new popstars was still in it's infancy + mostly contained to ex-acts (something more widely established now with Charli's BRAT, Magdalena Bay, Tate McRae or Addison Rae, just from the top of my head). Even during the con years, she made history for reviving Vegas for the youth, got a cult classic with WB and a platinum, top twenty with "Make Me". Like there was still potential to make her current but things never completely fell into place (personally and professionally, for obvious reasons + her brand of pop was really not the sound that was smashing from 2013 to 2017, many huge pop acts such as Gaga and Katy suffered during that period too, by the way, notably with ARTPOP and Witness.)

What is this ? Are you okay ? Don't even know why I'm replying but TONS of your posts seems to point at people by taking what they say out of context, as if half of this board was on an anti-Gaga crusade (funniest thing is that a few artists can apply to what I wrote but I wasn't thinking of Gaga). Constantly pointing fingers is a way of deflecting from something (the mods should get on your case ASAP). Also, paranoia, hypervigilance + creating drama out of nothing can be the sign of poor mental health but I hope it's not that and you're just trolling/stirring the pot.

Crossroad was successful, not in terms of acclaim it would have NEVER happened at the time even if it had been great. Never understood why media and pop fans grouped it with those movies since the studio actually earned money with this one, on a very low budget. It's crazy how sometimes people rewrite reality and a lie becomes the truth. That's some 1984, mass psychosis right here !

No but really, all fighting aside, Britney's catalogue, even the underrated masterpiece that is Glory, tells the story of mainstream pop music, from the late 90s to the early tens. Adding to that, you have iconic moments, in every forms possible, to illustrate her reign + all the girls (her peers included) that were inspired by it (I'm being generous saying that because some girls straight up copied her!) . She's just undeniable, in spite of the fact she stopped playing the game more than 20 years ago (+ was part of a symbolical jail sentence for 13 years that had HUGE effects on her trajectory and success, this cannot be stressed enough really). You can diminish greatness but you can't erase it, that's why she still prevails (a successful duet with legend Elton, record-breaking streams for a 90s artist, one of the best selling books, in recent years + a 200 millions deal for her catalogue, without even lifting a finger). In other words, she's the people's princess not the one pushed by the media (who hated her guts during her peak BTW). Her streaming resurgence is the GP saying to her, "it's been a chaotic road, and we often failed you, but your legendary, timeless music will remain in our hearts".

Congrats to Britney, this is HUGE, no matter how you want to slice it. By the way, the "she sold her catalogue" cop out will not age well, sorry for the people clinging to it. Most popstars WILL sell their catalogues, eventually. Just look at the state of the industry, the way influencers + streamers now are as big or bigger than top, current music stars + the economic crisis. Remember, also, that a catalogue can have is value lowered so people who will wait too long to sell theirs might regret it, in the long run. I know we're looking at the people we discuss in this forum as artists (and they are, for the most part), but they're also VERY money inclined, capitalistic and have tons of people they have to pay to keep their crazy lifestyle going...

As a pop artists you're the sum of your five biggest songs + how you iconicity is remembered and reenacted by the new generation. How many "Slave 4 U" inspired video did we get, just in the past two years ? And that's only focusing on this one song. No one can beat Britney at that game, in the 21 st century, not even Rihanna who has more hits but doesn't have a "Toxic" or a "...BOMT" (yet ?), that is a perfect, once in a lifetime type of songs, or a videography that shaped pop for decades (we underestimate how much Brit's videos were broadcasted on music chanels, all over the world, billions of streams she's lost with that never being accounted at the time). It's interesting to see so much resistance to her finally exploding on streaming, this means she's on the right path (and will, ultimately, be number one for pre-streaming female, when the movie is released and haters will find other excuses to discredit her astounding success... Who'll be surprised though ?). By the way, I've seen people saying things like "folks" are not listening to her album in their entirety (focusing on her evergreen, top hits instead). First, most albums are carried by their hits, this isn't exclusive to her, and it's even more striking for pre-90s solo artists. Second, her first five albums represent almost 100 000 000 units sold, with a big chunk being full priced physical albums, so yeah her albums were definitely listened to, in full (so much that a few gen Z popstars are literally studying those deep cuts for their own album's artistic direction ).

I think Britney does put herself into question, even if she's not posting a lot about it. There's also the gigantic issue we all have in this virtual world, to deduce her mental state according to what she posts online. There are 24 hours in a day, we absolutely have no idea what she's doing the remaining time. Learning how to knit ? Binge watching Modern Family and Sex and The City ? Reading ? Taking naps ? Or putting the final touch to her own rage room ? Don't forget that Britney, even if she's made her mistakes, didn't choose to be the bandage child of her parent dysfunctional marriage. She also comes from a very religious background and they are the worst type when it comes to dealing with mental help ("She's possessed", "She needs to pray and everything will be back to normal" + other nonsense). I also have someone in my close family circle that has had serious problems with bipolarity but we can't compare a pop legend, with a once in a lifetime fame (the most photographed and number one on google search for close to a decade) to everyday people. Not the same universe. What's even more ironic is that Britney's biggest "fault" for many people is superficial (as in her disgust for the Hollywood machine and longing for normalcy that will never truly happen, unfortunately). She's not acting the part of an A-list celebrity and her online presence is unusual. These people don't want her healthy, they want her to conform to the status quo (when deep down the two are not mutual and Britney could be doing a lot better than we imagine through the tiny lense of her social media). Just my two cents, ultimately only her know what's truly going on with herself + what's strenght she's left with to get better (once again, becoming the biggest star on earth at 16 yo and the most succesful teenager ever is unprecedented so there's no guide book or any one she can look up to).

Why shoehorn someone that has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand, in such a gratuitous way ? And why singling out a 3 years old Shakira tribute (with FAKE accessories, in a gigantic living room) as the worst thing that could happen to someone, decontextualizing Britney's life story + traumas as a measuring stick for a shaky charts/wellbeing dichotomy ? What she went through is so much more complex than that, there's still so many things we don't know about her. One thing is sure, she's a SURVIVOR through and through and deserves better than the constant disrespectful misogyny she gets around here...

I really applaud her for not touring. She's missing out on so much money, being a generational icon with known songs and signature looks across three decades. I, for one, have never been a fan even if I like a few songs and that last album was really lush. The thing is, touring has become predatory and a bit repulsive to be honest (ticketmaster turning buying ticket into a speculating hellscape + tons of other problematic things like f*cking up the environment even more, for example). It's a bit keeping with the Joneses when going to a concert was supposed to be affordable and not this elite, social proof for the all mighty algorithms of repetitive posts that, often, dies on arrival (and are endlessly replaceable). One thing we tend to forget about Miley is that she's really LOADED. With Hanna Montana alone and the way her image was exploited for all kinds of products, she's set for life. Recently, she co-wrote Flowers, a song that will remain one of the definitive track of the 20s (in Europe, saying it was spammed to death everywhere in 2023/2024 would be an understatement). Even looking at her adult career, and a few risky decisions she's made, you get the feel she can afford, in every sense of the word, to throw us in a loop once in a while. In the end, maybe she'll do a tour eventually but I applaud her for sticking to her gun and not partaking in one of the worst industry currently, the concert industry (which is broken, abusive and needs a wake up call). Kudos to her for also realizing touring is awful for her mental health and priorizing this over greedy profit (because once your mental health is affected, it's very difficult to come back from that, especially in this ruthless industry). PS/ These interviews below, done before the non-success of her last album, falls in line with what I've been getting from her, these past few years.

All of these while never being a radio or a media darling + being the selling female artist of the 00s. Astounding numbers

I forgot pre-00s SOLO, starting in one of the most derided genre ever that is teen-pop

Britney, only pre digital popstar in a list that favors newcomers and streaming giants. All that with no new albums in 10 years

Britney just went from having record breaking, extraordinary sales to normal ones. Successful in three formats without really trying + most spread out solo mega hits from all her pre digital peers, that's longevity. The raw numbers don't even tell the whole story, especially how crucial she was in terms of visuals and sounds for an entire generation of popstars til this very day...

Thanks, I always wondered why the rush in the chorus worked so well, now I know ! Amazing song, by the way. Top tier and an amazing throwback to 70s r'n'b. This specific kind of sensual soundscape is really why Spears' influence remains so enduring. So many pop singers I could name consciously or subconsciously mimicking her (down to her breathing cadence), when entering their "sultry" era... Here's an underrated performance showcasing Britney's natural charisma that came back in full force in 2015-2016 (the first seed imo that would ultimately lead to her rebelling and then, obtaining her freedom a few years later):

It is but they'll never admit it. By the way, "Criminal", a 2011 unpromoted, flop single that didn't sound like anything in the radio when it was released, is currently outstreaming most of the biggest hits of that year. Not bad for someone whose career ended in 2004, according to some people in here (waiting what they'll pivot on when 2008's SOLO smash "Womanizer" will reach 1 billion streams, in a few months). Speaking of 2004, "Toxic" will soon be closing in 2 billions streams, an AMAZING feat for a pre-2000 teen artist that peaked with her record breaking first album, yet kept on beating the odds till this very day.

Britney was ranking with veterans in the 00s as one of the biggest touring force WW. Touring was not what it has become but she was still killing it (even with her 2002 tour not going to Europe or Onyx being cut short). Most people didn't know she was setting merch records, before it was really a thing, for example! Circus was the biggest female tour in the US in 2009. And even with FF tour, and 12 millions boxscore unreported, she was beating Katy and was not far from Rihanna, both coming from blockbuster eras (LOUD and Teenage Dream). Also, residency is accounted in touring and she completely changed the game with Piece of Me's success (100 % rejuvenating Vegas, as said by their local press, ushering a spike in tourism). Leading the way, with all her peers following, as usual. I remember her 2017-2018 European tour being successful when most people in here saying she'd flop because she had no demands (which, of course, was untrue). Fast forward to now and her legacy+streaming+the mystery around her (being the ultimate celebrity but not acting the part) being WAY bigger than in 2018, it doesn't take a scientist to know she would sell out her concerts WW, would she announced a tour tomorrow. So yeah, you can say Britney, with her evergreen pop catalogue and bulletproof iconicity, has had touring success for almost 20 years and could add to that if she wanted to. The demand is there, especially with the Y2K revival.

No matter how you slice it, this is very, VERY impressive when you know how streaming and the entertainment industry works. She's killing it effortlessly (with a complicated, PR nightmare image) and proving everyone here wrong on the enduring impact of her reign, nearly 30 years after her debut. She has strong potential for becoming number one for pre-00s female, all credits included, with the incoming biopic, one of her song going viral or releasing new material. If everything happens all at once, she'll be unstoppable.

You mean the revenue generated by the music that is highly inferior to Britney's + the merchandising (which she was the ultimate player, especially if we factor her perfume empire) ?

By the way, I hope y'all realize that Britney's first underperformance (Britney, 2001) was in the same range, sales wise, as Pink Misundaztood, Christina Stripped and Beyoncé's Dangerously In love (all considered commercial highlights). This just reinforces how nuclear Spears was operating for her first two albums. Then, she became "conventionally" successful from 2001 to 2004. Blackout underperformed but was rehabilitated thanks to its impact (so much more important than other successful 2006/2007 albums) + "Gimme More" becoming a classic from the late 00s. Then, with Circus, The Singles Collection, Femme Fatale and "Scream & Shout", her team rightfully focused more on successful single sales with the digital shift (even though Circus was a solid success, especially the tour). Britney Jean flopped hard but still managed a cult classic hit with "Work B*tch". Then, Glory may have had underwhelming sales (like most 90s/early 00s solo veterans had at the time, see Alicia, Avril, Mariah or Jlo) but still 500 000 millions streams (Gold eligible), critical return to form + a platinum, top 20 hit, not too bad really. She's never had a Nelly Furtado or Christina sized bomb, for example. Honestly, knowing what we know about her career post 2004 (minimal promo, conservatorship limitations, only FF having a real era exploitation with 4 new singles, almost no interviews, stressful environment), I find her career pretty well rounded (astronomic album sales when it mattered then shift to the digital, singles era, when it mattered). What's even better is that thanks to the Y2K revival, The Woman In Me smashing,"Hold Me Closer" + "Toxic Pony" being successful (and gen Alpha LOVING her catalogue), she's becoming a streaming legacy artist without even trying ! Spotify - 2026/06/02 (24 years between "BOMT" and "HMC", and people will swear she's had no longevity ) Toxic 1,946,378,424 975,194 ...Baby One More Time 1,364,201,418 957,113 Gimme More 1,244,961,173 860,929 Oops!...I Did It Again 1,204,369,649 641,448 Womanizer 883,033,453 567,132 * Scream & Shout 1,056,931,357 520,377 Circus 653,736,670 396,150 Criminal 425,687,827 327,890 I Wanna Go 265,104,230 247,083 Lucky 247,506,147 183,853 If U Seek Amy 312,693,374 182,617 Sometimes 278,942,643 169,453 * Hold Me Closer 554,669,797 161,375

Honestly, sales don't paint the whole picture when it comes to Britney. She'll remain the last female to have crossed the 100 millions thresold in pure sales WW and the biggest female artist of the 00s. That is set in stone and will not be changed by units merging or other forms of free comsumption "counting" the industry invents to blur the fact money is in touring/merch and not in, actually, recording and releasing music (except if you are Taylor Swift but that last album has probably made more of a dent in the machine that we realize...). Britney's impact: Changing the pop archetype in the late 90s (before Britney, pop singer in movies were modeled after Madonna, this changed to Spears right when she debuted). Baby voice/vocal fry (from Katy to Halsey to Camilla to Billie to Tate or Pinkpantheress, it's everywhere because it creates intimacy with the listeners). Reviving Vegas in 2013 and paving the road for relevant, maximalist popstars to have successful residencies there (far from the Cher, Celine or Elton A/C crowd). Offering a template for teen popstars to become adult, bankable popstars (look at Debbie Gibson or Tiffany's "transition", if you thought this was an easy feat for Britney to be the first to seamlessly pull off). Changing paparazzi and conservatorships laws (changing the world, literally, after going through hell). Having each country throughout the globe with their local Britney Spears (and yes, Alizée was one of the best, if not the best, at that game). Not a fashionista but the ultimate Y2K influencer (so many are trying that route now with the revival). Be the first to smash the records that every females have been breaking (or trying to break) in the 21 st century. Being number one for an entire decade in the google seach celebrity list (except in 2009, because of MJ's death). Not only, that but the magazines with her on the cover saw a 30% spike in sale. Showing you can take a ten years break (while being a PR disaster) and still be somewhat relevant because your catalogue and iconicity are bulletproof (see the weekly pop culture references to her and her ever growing streaming datas). @slw84 You turn

Where to begin with that one ? First the biggest popstars of the 21st century, all owe Britney A LOT (the credits, the aesthetics, the videos, the branding...). I can't listen to GGGB Rihanna or debut Gaga without immediately thinking about Britney's template (same for Teenage Dream, a modern variation on Oops/Britney... where Britney was the actual teenage dream! ). Miley, herself, wouldn't be a generational icon without Spears. Then, you have the Max Martin of it all which was instrumental in Ariana and Taylor's musical evolution (let's not even get into Joseph Khan or Reputation). Not saying Taylor doesn't have her own impact , of course, (rejuvenated confessional songwriting, successfully rebooting your own career + pushing touring to its extreme, not too shaby!) but it's just not on the same scale as Brit, which is ok since it's unattainable NOW for many reasons. I saw someone mentioning Sabrina but most people will think Britney when hearing "Expresso" (whose video is reminiscent of that iconic pepsi commercial) or seeing her at the VMA's doing literal "DWAD" tribute. Blonde, pin up popstar with tongue in cheek, sexy lyrics and carefully constructed, high budget videos ? Who could THAT be a nod to ? And that's without even mentioning Addison or Tate (only the latter has had a few hits, for now, but the former is here to stay, mark my words). Sometimes, I wish a little banner about Britney's astronomical impact would be plastered in every Britney thread because I'm getting tired of repeating myself ! lol All in all I think ATRL, which is mostly comprised of Millenials, with a bit of gen Z sprinkled in (even if most of the latter are too busy lashing at each other on X/Tik Tok etc), have internalized the misogyny that Britney was presented with ever since she turned the music industry upside down with "...BOMT" (creating a new archetype that is still prevalent today). Always using the "go to" critics she's been faced since the beginning (talentless, bimbo, can't sing, can't write, puppet, rinse and repeat, with a few disgusting personal attacks thrown in when not knowing what to respond to people they disagree with). Fortunately, new generations (gen Alpha and a lot of later gen Z too) are so much more welcoming and understanding of Britney's sound, unique talent/midas touch and the natural evolution of her music (especially her first 6 eras + FF having its defenders too now, with hyperpop entering the mainstream). They're even rehabilitating Crossroads (seeing it as a cute, harmless coming of age, teen flick, not the disaster we were spoonfed it had to be, at the time, because "Britney = not good") ! Like look at that TENSE interview and be grateful this wouldn't fly in the 10s and 20s : So yeah, regurgitating the awful male chauvinist takes we we were raised with + generational conflict + diminishing/ignoring B's impact (not an easy feat, we love the dedication and efforts ) to boost the new contenders to the "throne" (there's no throne, only "legacy endurance", catalogue and iconicity btw). The "Lucky"/"Wildest Dreams" link... I get it now ("Lucky"/"The Lucky One"/"TLOAS" I didn't forget about y'all either).

"Dreams" is shaping up to be bigger than both FM and ABBA, if we're being honest. Honestly, I can't choose, they're both top tier and complete one another. It's too bad some of their fans are perpetuating rockism (FM fans, don't act surprised) or "narrow minded" pop fans that freezes as soon as the bpm slows down a little (Little abbas, I'm looking at you).

Britney's growth in streams is not talked about nearly enough! Only two collabs in her top 10 most streamed songs and 6 eras covered (from 98 to 2011, if we only count solo). That's really spread out and consistent for someone always attacked in here for her lack of "longevity" ( well, her catalogue ALONE stands the test of time, endurance beats "temporal" longevity, see Rihanna also, but this is a whole other debate). Also, all her nearest milestones ("Toxic" to 2 billions and "Womanizer" to 1 billion) are 100% solo + Let's give it up for Blackout who will soon be the 2nd most streamed female pop album of 2007 (if you were alive during that time with Alicia, Avril and Leona killing it, you would know how crazy impressive that feat is). It's only been top 5 since 2023, by the way. Spotify - 2026/05/22 Toxic 1,935,578,114 1,094,992 ...Baby One More Time 1,353,773,268 1,029,722 Gimme More 1,235,847,458 899,775 Oops!...I Did It Again 1,197,185,742 731,675 * Scream & Shout 1,051,049,559 615,004 Womanizer 877,151,034 551,390 Circus 649,554,592 402,771 Criminal 422,118,701 355,376 I Wanna Go 262,641,157 233,565 If U Seek Amy 310,727,996 189,668 * Hold Me Closer 552,912,319 182,524

It's between "Glamorous" and "You Know I'm No Good", subjectively speaking. "Gimme More" is a solid second but probably the most impactiful one, tied with "Umbrella" (another Britney song that never was, funny how life works in mysterious ways).

Not really. There's a video where you can see she's uncomfortable and emphasizes "Outrageous" is not among her favourite (while promoting the very record the song is on!). It was the first and only time she did that as she's quite gracious to her producers/writers. As for Bush, the Dixie Chicks lost their career because of them speaking out, Madonna had to change her "American Life" music video last minute (something she's never done before) because of death threats and was blacklisted on American radio (+ her US stature was never the same, come to think ot it, because of that album)... People were scared shitless so it's really important to know the context before blasting her (Miss American Dream, one of the most successful representant of the US, speaking against the president ? Unfortunately, this wasn't very likely given the panic and hyper paranoid post 9/11 era). Even P!nk waited til 2006 to say something. If you knew anything about PR, you would know her response is mostly to quickly toss the subject to the side without making waves. Ten seconds of tense gum chewing, with a closed off body language kinda say everything about her "so called" endorsement. As for the rest of your post, it's ad hominem attacks after ad hominem attacks (something ATRL is built on, unfortunately), to justify your visceral hatred against her so it doesn't warrant any serious responses. I get that no one is perfect (me, you or her) but this post is ... A LOT!