Stages of Stardom: Britney Spears

Britney Spears was born on December 2, 1981 in Mississippi. She grew up in Louisiana and still considers that home. Britney got her first big break when she got a role on The New Mickey Mouse Club in 1993 at age 11. She was on the show for a couple of years and then took some time off for school. In 1997, Britney joined the all-female pop group Innosense but soon cut a solo demo.

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In 1998, Britney released her first single 'Baby One More Time.' It quickly went up the charts as did her first CD of the same name. Britney went on tour for her new CD and put on a great show. At just 17 years of age, she was a rising music star.

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Britney continued to grow in popularity and took home the Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist at the the 26th annual American Music Awards in 1999.

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In 2000 Britney released her second CD, 'Oops I Did It Again.' It debuted at number one selling over a million copies in its first week. She toured again to support the album and please her fans. Here she is at the Grammy Awards in February 2000.

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In 2001, Britney Spears released her next album called 'Britney.' It debuted at number one but was not as successful as her previous albums. Her single 'I'm a Slave 4 U' was the most popular song on the CD. At the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards Britney amazed everyone when performing the song complete with a giant snake!

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In 2002, Britney tried out movies with a starring role in 'Crossroads' about three friends who take a road trip after high school to make their dreams come true. The movie did not do well at the box office.

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In 2003, Britney released her fourth CD, 'In the Zone.' It did not get good reviews from critics but did produce the hit single 'Toxic' which won her a Grammy. Here's Britney at the "NFL Kickoff Live from the National Mall" in Sept 2003.

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In early 2004, Britney went on tour but it soon was canceled after she injured herself while filming one of her music videos. In July 2004, Britney announced her engagement to her former dancer Kevin Federline and they were married later that year. Britney decided to take a break from music to concentrate on her marriage and family.

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In September 2005, Britney gave birth to her first son, Sean Preston. She continued to release albums that were greatest hits collections as well as remixes.

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In 2006 on the David Letterman Show, Britney announced that she was pregnant with her second child. In Sept she gave birth to her second son, Jayden James.

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