BRITNEY SPEARS
Dance-pop singer Britney Spears was born in Kentwood, LA on December 2, 1981; after honing her chops in local dance showcases and church choirs, at age eight she auditioned for a role on the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club show, and although the series' producers deemed her too young for the job they were sufficiently impressed with the girl's talent to assist her in gaining entry to New York's Off-Broadway Dance Center and the Professional Performing Arts School. After a series of television commercials and stage appearances, at 11 Spears finally joined The Mickey Mouse Club, where she remained for two seasons; continuing on as a solo artist, she signed to Jive Records and in early 1999 issued her first LP ...Baby One More Time. The record was a massive hit, debuting atop the pop charts and reeling off a series of radio smashes including the title track, "(You Drive Me) Crazy" and "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" on its way to becoming the best-selling album ever released by a teenage girl. Spears' success also spawned legions of imitators, most notable among them Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson. Her sophomore effort, Oops!...I Did It Again, followed in the spring of 2000. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide (Biography courtesy of getmusic.com)