"Meet The Woman Behind Britney Spears' Reinvention" - INTERVIEW with Karen Kwak

[escobar]

Super sorry if someone AP! I thought this was really interesting and a good read!

https://www.fastcocreate.com/3063374/master-class/meet-the-woman-behind-britney-spearss-reinvention

 

[lustwecantcontrol]

The 2nd paragraph of this article is complete bull **** because she had more than just moderate hits from Circus/FF she had 2 #1's and 3 top 10's not to mention in that period of time 3 hit #1 and so did the S&M Remix......they act like she flopped for years till Glory.

I also hate how the article lumps Circus/FF in with BJ.......Circus is not a bad album imo it's actually one of her best and she seems much more present on it than both FF/BJ and FF isn't a terrible album either 

[Prince Ali]

There is never enough info about this woman

Quote

The creative output seems a direct result of Kwak giving Spears room to play and be herself, while still keeping her in line with the demands of a major label release.

This! This! This!

I really hope Karen will be back fro B10!!! She knows how to handle things!

She's the best person that happened to Britney's career in a long time

 

[SomeoneYouDontKnow]

In the meantime, Kwak has helped Spears backpedal from the possibly irreversible point where she might have kept putting out uninspired music until her fans—or perhaps her conservators—finally stopped asking that of her. Glory, at least for now, gives her the chance to live up to those heights.

 

[Puppy]

2 hours ago, lustwecantcontrol said:

The 2nd paragraph of this article is complete bull **** because she had more than just moderate hits from Circus/FF she had 2 #1's and 3 top 10's not to mention in that period of time 3 hit #1 and so did the S&M Remix......they act like she flopped for years till Glory.

I also hate how the article lumps Circus/FF in with BJ.......Circus is not a bad album imo it's actually one of her best and she seems much more present on it than both FF/BJ and FF isn't a terrible album either 

I disagree. While its not bad both Circus and FF are bland. I had the same feeling when it was released. Its meant to be likeable and safe. Circus is vintage Britney, you forget that Larry was one of the executive producers so I'm sure he made sure it had a clean pop album while Theresa White was just there to make it fresh and not outdated. And lets face it, FF is basically Dr. Luke/max martin album, its devoid of any personality from Britney and shes is just treated as an instrument. BJ is a mess and its obviously a clash of what Britney wanted vs what Will wanted. Ironically the Britney album is the same kind of battle but with her label.

[lustwecantcontrol]

50 minutes ago, puppylo16 said:

I disagree. While its not bad both Circus and FF are bland. I had the same feeling when it was released. Its meant to be likeable and safe. Circus is vintage Britney, you forget that Larry was one of the executive producers so I'm sure he made sure it had a clean pop album while Theresa White was just there to make it fresh and not outdated. And lets face it, FF is basically Dr. Luke/max martin album, its devoid of any personality from Britney and shes is just treated as an instrument. BJ is a mess and its obviously a clash of what Britney wanted vs what Will wanted. Ironically the Britney album is the same kind of battle but with her label.

I disagree about Circus, I think there are some deff experimental and interesting tracks on the album like Mannequin for example and she worked with some completely unknown producers on the album which to me isn't safe at all! IDK Circus is my 3rd favorite album after ITZ and Glory! 

[Guest Lord Bills]

8 minutes ago, lustwecantcontrol said:

I disagree about Circus, I think there are some deff experimental and interesting tracks on the album like Mannequin for example and she worked with some completely unknown producers on the album which to me isn't safe at all! IDK Circus is my 3rd favorite album after ITZ and Glory! 

Preach GURL

[#1GodneyFan]

Love this woman, bow to her 

[PokemonSpears]

Quote

"If Britney is calling this album her baby," Kwak says, "then I’m kind of like the midwife."

Long live Karen Kwak!

[Steel Magnolia]

2 hours ago, puppylo16 said:

I disagree. While its not bad both Circus and FF are bland. I had the same feeling when it was released. Its meant to be likeable and safe. Circus is vintage Britney, you forget that Larry was one of the executive producers so I'm sure he made sure it had a clean pop album while Theresa White was just there to make it fresh and not outdated. And lets face it, FF is basically Dr. Luke/max martin album, its devoid of any personality from Britney and shes is just treated as an instrument. BJ is a mess and its obviously a clash of what Britney wanted vs what Will wanted. Ironically the Britney album is the same kind of battle but with her label.

"As for her last album, Circus, Kelly explained that Britney's 2008 LP served a very specific purpose in the singer's pop-star timeline. "The last album was more clean pop. [Its purpose] was to reintroduce Britney to the world as the pop princess," he explained, adding that they're taking an anything-goes approach to the March album and he's still not sure what the "final product is going to be."

http://www.mtv.com/news/1656529/britney-spears-new-album/

[Puppy]

1 hour ago, lustwecantcontrol said:

I disagree about Circus, I think there are some deff experimental and interesting tracks on the album like Mannequin for example and she worked with some completely unknown producers on the album which to me isn't safe at all! IDK Circus is my 3rd favorite album after ITZ and Glory! 

Yes I agree on that but overall I feel its more focused on pop. Im sure Britney wanted more edgy and experimental which was why she initially said it was going to be more urban but it served its purpose but its not my favorite album.

[OCBoy1985]

4 hours ago, lustwecantcontrol said:

The 2nd paragraph of this article is complete bull **** because she had more than just moderate hits from Circus/FF she had 2 #1's and 3 top 10's not to mention in that period of time 3 hit #1 and so did the S&M Remix......they act like she flopped for years till Glory.

I also hate how the article lumps Circus/FF in with BJ.......Circus is not a bad album imo it's actually one of her best and she seems much more present on it than both FF/BJ and FF isn't a terrible album either 

Womanizer, Circus, 3, Till The World Ends & S&S were all HUGE hits!

HIAM, IWG, WB & S&M Remix were the only moderate hits 

[fnfurter]

I think the point, as others have said, was that Circus wasn't experimental. It really couldn't be, if you think about it; it would have been taking too many risks during a very shaky time for Britney. There are some serious gems on Circus (no song can make me cry like Out From Under can), but as I've always said, you can tell when Britney's more hands-on in one of her albums-- so the point was valid.

[BOBIBCFBG]

Cool read, t4p! More info and a better interview than we'd get from Britney or Larry.

[rockNroLL227]

does anybody know where karen kwak works out of? RCA offices in NY? LA? i literally want to send her flowers. she is amazing.

[lustwecantcontrol]

1 hour ago, OCBoy1985 said:

Womanizer, Circus, 3, Till The World Ends & S&S were all HUGE hits!

HIAM, IWG, WB & S&M Remix were the only moderate hits 

I wouldn't call IWG a moderate hit, it was top 10 and one of the best radio singles of her whole career and I'm not sure HIAM could be considered one either because it debuted at #1! 

The article literally insinuates that she's flopped all these years between Blackout and Glory which is simply not true at all she only started to struggle in late 2013 

[OCBoy1985]

1 minute ago, lustwecantcontrol said:

I wouldn't call IWG a moderate hit, it was top 10 and one of the best radio singles of her whole career and I'm not sure HIAM could be considered one either because it debuted at #1! 

The article literally insinuates that she's flopped all these years between Blackout and Glory which is simply not true at all she only started to struggle in late 2013 

It didn't even read but like you said that's BS!

Gimme More was her highest charting single at the time since Baby #3 peaked

Pom went Top 20 & BTI went Top 40

After her breakdown she released Top 10 after Top 10

Had consecutive no1 debuts 

Even WB was hit peaked at no12 or 13 and went platinum 

That article seems full of ****

[SlayOut]

I think this was posted yesterday but I don't really care since it's a great article!  Two interesting parts for me:

Spoiler

"That may change now with Glory, her ninth studio album, which just gave Spears’s side gig as the world’s biggest pop star a jolt of much-needed goodwill beyond the enduring nostalgia that’s arguably kept her afloat over much of the last decade. Hailed as a 'masterpiece' and her 'most adventurous album in a decade,' Glory has seemingly accomplished what the three records before it had hoped for: the rehabilitation of the nearly 20-year-old Britney Spears brand."

That tea though  I think calling her pop stardom a side gig shows how she definitely prioritizes her role as a mother, and then considers herself a pop star. I think people that expect 2003 Britney to magically appear in 2016 needs to read that part of the article. Not bashing Britney obviously, but her priorities have obviously shifted in her almost 20 years as a pop star, and it's not a bad shift.

And I know everyone's debating about Circus/Femme Fatale/BJ, but no matter what I think it's clear that you could actually feel Britney in this music unlike some of the music she's put out this decade.

Spoiler

"Yet more than that, she faced a unique challenge of branding in pop music—not just bouncing back from a poorly received single, but also pivoting from a culmination of issues including a breakdown, legal problems, and the simple question of whether or not Spears longed to remain a celebrity. A court-approved conservatorship, which puts her father and a lawyer in charge of key personal and financial decisions, may very well be what keeps Spears—who would rather be remembered as a mother than an artist—in the recording studio and onstage for her popular Las Vegas show."

I think this part shows how refreshing Karen actually is for Britney's career. I think the 'culmination of issues' is something that her team has created and lukewarmly attempted to fix, without solid solutions. I honestly think Glory wouldn't be the album it is or even exist without Karen tbh. And that's why fans are now being more vocal about their discontent with Britney's team, since they're so stuck in last decade and don't have the creative force to effectively market/brand Britney in 2016. At least Karen was able to bring that to Britney and the music. Now that shift has to happen in her team, no matter how reluctant they might be to change...

[Curiousexhaler86]

Really interesting read Not sure if this whole reinvention thing is good though (at least not the way I personally wanted). She's making a lot of changes right now, I mean her public image. It's important to notice these little things and see where she's going as an artist...

[sutramaya]

The article say meet the woman... But where's the photo?