news Im a big fan but....

[Jay-Maxx]

I'm a big fan of Britney Spears since HMBOMT hit the air waves when I was in High School. Since that moment I became a super fan and loved everything she did in the follow up albums. I remember when Britney was the coolest star out there and when cutting edge moments on albums including Breathe on Me were the norm. Britney was a trend setter and a game changer. Nothing could stop her.

Then Blackout happened and I declared from that moment on that nothing Britney ever did would stop me being a die hard eternal fan because with music that good, that innovative, that contemporary... She had released a album that would possibly be my all time favourite album ever. I recall just being amazed by Break The Ice, Get Naked (I got a Plan) and Heaven on Earth. Oh and don't even get me started on how insanely good Get Back was. 

Britney's team were desperate to get her star power and image back after Blackout so invested heavily in CIRCUS. A huge album that spawned over 500,000 US sales in its first week (difficult to imagine in 2018). But her team wanted her to get those number 1 hits. Womanizer was the most expensive video of that year and Circus had an empowering theme that connected to old and new fans. Britney was essentially something other than a *** kitten and it paid off. A fantastic ballad also featured in Out from Under and the fan favourite Unusual You (coupled with Danja's Kill The Lights) meant this was a Britney Classic. 

Then Femme Fetale hit, and with over 500,000 sales of the lead single HIAM who cared if the album felt a little generic or impersonal, it did not matter because the huge monster hits were there, TTWE and of course IWGo all spawned huge international hits that fit perfectly in Britney's legacy. Oh and throw in classic moments such as Inside Out, Criminal and the innovative How I Roll and the fans and public were happy. As a die hard fan I couldn't help but reflect that Britney's team were getting a little complacent from the art work/ concept of FF and the general depth of the album that seemed distinctly impersonal compared to Circus, but hey, this is an abstract view, but I sensed after FF we desperately needed a more urban and thoughtful album that focused on Britney's overall image that could connect meaningfully with its fan base but more importantly, the younger generation. 

Then came Scream and Shout, and Britney's team were clearly blown away, a HUGE international hit with Britney at the heart of it! Yes, lets get the medicare and lacklustre William to create and produce the iconic star's album. I was so shocked when this album released and how grotesque it appeared that Larry had the audacity to say this was Britney's most...  'personal to date'. It was so incongruent and that album sounded so dated, as in early 2000's material for Z-lister stars. I couldn't understand why her team didn't seem to give a damn about keeping her relevant, cool and offering her gold hits? Then perfume was released with a very mundane video because the original video (the creative and interesting video had been scalped) had been kept aside due to fear of damaging Britney's appeal (and Vegas tickets I am sure). I can never forgive William and Britney's team for destroying her legacy in one terrible move. Two singles, one that charted outside the top ten the other didn't even make a dent. Sigh. And this is all after FF. What happened? William happened. And Britney'e team allowed it to happen. Britney can only ever be as good the team around her, she can shine so brightly, but only if she has worthy people around her. Work ***** was okay, but after FF I think it was a poor choice due to needing to connect with a fan base and public that want more than hard beats and **** images. Times have changed and are changing fast. Work ***** was okay. Its an anthem. But did nothing to grow Britney's fan base or make her appear cool and contemporary. 

Then I remembered Blackout. Its okay  told myself, her team would eventually get get back on top in a huge return to the music scene, with a killer video, amazing remixes, right? I mean why not? This is a huge star with huge star power, why not invest in that star power? Strangely, we then get Glory. For me personally,  I never now  listen to this album. Im not hating here, but I am stating clearly that there are no classic Brtiney hits in my mind. The sounds were following trends. It sounded liken a B-side to FF. I want more How I Roll's, more Breathe on Me's, heck I want a new Toxic. Im not in the past here, but I know what Britney is capable of, and Make Me just did not cut it. Perhaps if the music video was even a 4/10 I might have been more kindly, but that video was the WORST video of Britney's career. And to top it off, she looks once again like a middle aged *** kitten hooking up with the cast of her video, not the right image in 2018 where woman and girls are far more aware of standing up for empowerment, having a strong mind set and generally having depth. I hated the released video, it was generic, uncool, dated, bland, boring... and this is Britney freaking Spears. What the heck happened? 

Oh yeah, Vegas. Why bother investing in her when her team and everyone around her are making a ton of $$$. Whats the point? Well in my mind a star even as big as Britney can only thrive on legacy and star power for so long. The new Vegas Domination advert is using TTWE and thats for a reason. There are no hits to use following FF that could be used (regardless of what you think about the music). Without the music, without the team around Brtiney, without the newsworthy music videos, without the stylists, without the care and dedication, without the innovative producers and writers, then Britney will forever be a star of the past. What good are endless Vegas shows if the music never matches the investment in her gigs? 

In my humble opinion Britney needs a break to reflect and to drive for a number one smash hit with an incredible cutting edge video (can you even imagine that in 2018?) and a concept album that for once veers away from **** facial imagery, **** moves, and actually incorporates *** appeal with some kind of awesomeness, whatever that might be (whether it be concept, lyrics, video, visuals, depth, personal investment, current producers/ anything...)

To be honest, at this stage I have to expect nothing and to be disappointed and to reach for Blackout and ITZone and remind myself why I will always be a huge fan of this legendary and iconic super star. But what good is a legendary superstar with no current hits? Sure it makes people a ton of $$$ but is that enough? Is it fair to Britney or her fans? 

Thanks for listening, this post has been building up for so many years! 

J-Maxx

 

 

[solo]

It's her career, so she can do what she wants, but yeah... professionally, she is disappointing. If you're still a Brit fan in 2018, then you have accepted who she is now. There will never be a Blackout 2.0 or ITZ 2.0. She checked out a long time ago and tbh I wouldn't be surprised if she retired in a few years...

I don't think even lifting the conservatorship would change things. She is more resigned now, and older, and probably still performs 'cause she doesn't know much else.  oh and money

But if she is happier now then in the past, then it really is what matters the most. I don't want her to be miserable doing things she doesn't want to do

[Summer-Son]

Very good point and I feel the same way.

I have to admit, for me Circus was and still isn't a good album, apart from a few tracks (mainly the singles). But I get it, it had to be safe and Britney-esque so that she could "cleanse" her image. FF was a BOMB in my opinion: the production, the hooks, the videos, the looks in the videos (sure she was heavily medicated and off, but they managed to get it right with everything else). She was on top of the charts, she was touring world wide, she was on the radio. She was still the definition of a pop star.

I hate the fact that her image is related to the past and not the present. I HATE IT! I think that this is what bothers me the most. She could do so much more, have things to say, be human. I'm sorry, but she's not human anymore - she doesn't speak her mind, have opinions, talk about her craft, interact with the audience in her shows, put on a spectacular show, create ART.

I guess in a way it's understandable. As an artist, she was manufactured. She's not real. And each time she wanted to escape that image and be herself more, she wasn't allowed to.

[PokemonSpears]

Well, I don't know if it's the fact that there was a point where I really thought she wasn't gonna keep doing this, that I'm mostly grateful with everything that she does. Or the fact that I really don't listen to other artists, or at least not as a stan, like, you can come with me and tell me all the facts and how talented they are, and how amazing their production is or their "passion" and I'll remain totally unimpressed, because simply nothing will ever be better than Britney Spears in my mind. But the truth is I really liked Britney Jean and Glory, and actually I think they deserved more singles. Both of them (in Britney's voice during that awful interview/game in UK lol)

It's funny, 'cause actually the only thing that almost made me stop being her fan, was precisely Blackout lol Up till that point I was like, ok, she's going through some stuff in her life, but her career is still untouched, she'll come back someday to release her same old music. But she released THAT album, which is totally better than any other artist's, but it was like the opposite of what Britney Spears represented to me, and that was hard to swallow. People always make it sound as if the transition all the way from BOMT to Blackout was so natural, obvious or even needed, when it was none of that. To my eyes it was just Britney destroying everything that made me become her fan in the first place. Which in turn might be what she's making all of you feel from Blackout to nowadays, so I think I kinda get ya.

Yes, I wish and I think she could get better, but at this point, after so many things, fiascos, wigs, scrapped things, nothing will make me stop loving her.

[The Greatest Show]

I think Britney at this point is just trying to milk her career for as long as possible with as little work as possible and then when her image is ruined and nobody cares about her she will retire and live off of her millions. The sad thing is that this will make it easier to retire but ruins her legacy. I do wonder if one day when her kids are out of her house and she will have been retired for a couple fo years and she finally dumped Sam, she will regret throwing away her talent and career the way she did. To me Britney the performer and musician is one of the biggest wastes of talent I can think of.

[Scrappy]

I wouldn't be surprised if Sam finally agreed to marry Spears for the right price and they have a child before the residency ends - against the wishes of her management (unless they got her to tie her tubes to safeguard their cash cow). He's obviously doing double-duty as her personal fitness trainer and  .... toy. I'm just surprised that she didn't learn from the KFed fiasco.  She seems to love guys who don't love her back and actually deludes herself in to thinking the right amount of money can buy loyalty.  Britney started her career with confidence and drive, but she seems to be on track to ending it as a broken shell of a person mentally no older than a child. She's still in a conservatoryship for crying out loud!  Technically speaking, in the eyes of the law, she's mentally incapable of handling her own life and a perpetual child.  Her regression is painfully obvious already in the instagram posts as I think she's also accepted her enslavement and is just trying to make the best of her crap situation. It's really sad and I couldn't be more heartbroken for her that her life is really not enviable. If people stopped shelling out money to her team, she could go and be happy and live her life away from the public eye like she always wanted. But they're so selfish and keep feeding the machine that enslaves her. She can't even have a baby for ****'s sake without her dad's approval right now.  She's almost 40!!!! But she has no control of her life. The title "Domination" is a joke. If anything, it should be "Dominated" as Britney Spears doesn't exist anymore except as a product. 

[Summer-Son]

1 hour ago, Scrappy said:

I wouldn't be surprised if Sam finally agreed to marry Spears for the right price and they have a child before the residency ends - against the wishes of her management (unless they got her to tie her tubes to safeguard their cash cow). He's obviously doing double-duty as her personal fitness trainer and  .... toy. I'm just surprised that she didn't learn from the KFed fiasco.  She seems to love guys who don't love her back and actually deludes herself in to thinking the right amount of money can buy loyalty.  Britney started her career with confidence and drive, but she seems to be on track to ending it as a broken shell of a person mentally no older than a child. She's still in a conservatoryship for crying out loud!  Technically speaking, in the eyes of the law, she's mentally incapable of handling her own life and a perpetual child.  Her regression is painfully obvious already in the instagram posts as I think she's also accepted her enslavement and is just trying to make the best of her crap situation. It's really sad and I couldn't be more heartbroken for her that her life is really not enviable. If people stopped shelling out money to her team, she could go and be happy and live her life away from the public eye like she always wanted. But they're so selfish and keep feeding the machine that enslaves her. She can't even have a baby for ****'s sake without her dad's approval right now.  She's almost 40!!!! But she has no control of her life. The title "Domination" is a joke. If anything, it should be "Dominated" as Britney Spears doesn't exist anymore except as a product. 

my god, I get so depressed reading this. And mostly because it's actually true. 

[BKSTYL3]

6 hours ago, solo said:

 oh and money

 

[Guest]

My relationship to Britney, as a stan from the beginning, has evolved throughout the years.  During her prime era (1998-2004), I was a stan because mainly for her music, performances, and her art, as well as her image as pop music’s adorable HBIC. Britney was the full package and it was incredibly exciting for a teenage fan to experience it all. She provided an escape from the struggles of adolescence. No matter how tough life got, I could go home to her music, watch her performances, or obsess over her appearances. She brought joy at a tough time for me.

Around the time her prime era neared its end (2003-04), I started college and therefore couldn’t follow her as much. The demands of school made it increasingly hard for me to keep up with all things Britney and pop culture related. But I always kept a certain level of connection by periodically checking the internet for Britney news etc. It was also a tough time as a fan to see her life unraveling at such rapid speed during those years. 

Like you, Blackout reinforced my devotion as a stan when it came out. It remains my favorite Britney album to date. I knew after listening to the entire album that it was a special piece of work, despite Britney’s struggles at the time. It reminded me why I obsessed over this woman from the start. I knew then that I was a stan for life.

Ever since Britney’s resurrection with Circus, I’ve remained a stan despite my frustrations with her  various career missteps. It hasn’t been easy to be a Britney stan at times, for reasons many Exhalers will discuss here. It’s no longer about how flawless Britney is, but about how flawed she is and how much of an inspiration she has been ever since her come back. I’ll always be a stan, for sure. 

[Winter _90]

I try to be empathic and I understand it perfectly.She is frustrated just like most of us with her career.They have not allowed her to grow professionally .She tried to show us her talent and her ideas many times. Her team and her label never bet on her or her talent She wanted to move forward but they did not let her.In 2006 or 2007,instead of helping her ,they sank her even more .I sincerely like that she has the positive attitude after all.I hope the contracts ends soon in Las Vegas ,go home ,what put an end to the horrible and incompressible conservatorship and live happy, in peace and free.

[stateofgracebritney]

6 hours ago, The Greatest Show said:

I think Britney at this point is just trying to milk her career for as long as possible with as little work as possible and then when her image is ruined and nobody cares about her she will retire and live off of her millions. The sad thing is that this will make it easier to retire but ruins her legacy. I do wonder if one day when her kids are out of her house and she will have been retired for a couple fo years and she finally dumped Sam, she will regret throwing away her talent and career the way she did. To me Britney the performer and musician is one of the biggest wastes of talent I can think of.

I agree 100%. Britney usually looks like she’s dying to kill her career: 2015-2016 were good two years while they lasted but everything was crushed in 2017. I really do wonder, as well, if she retires, comes back to Kentwood, let her kids have her own life, she will be free from the conservatorship, but something WILL be missing and she is eventually going to realize what’s missing is: her fans. Her talent. The stage. The music. The interviews. The media attention. She is giving up on her childhood dream and it gets worse each year. If she doesn’t wake up soon and quickly release an album with massive promotion and hit power, like she did back in 1998-2004 before Domination starts, i’m afraid that’s where there will be no space in the media for her anymore. All the fans are gonna quit; nobody will buy Domination tickets; every single thing will be gone and she will retire after a year or two in Vegas. 

I love her and defend her whenever I can but this is Definitely not the time to act delusional.

[portrait]

7 hours ago, The Greatest Show said:

 To me Britney the performer and musician is one of the biggest wastes of talent I can think of.

 

[SonOfSun]

I agree with you.

The first decade of her career (1998-2008) was iconic and intense.

The second decade is a never-ending succession of disappointments. Her choices musically and visually are just so dated and not what needs to be done for her or her career. Vegas is really making her become a cheap has-been 90's/00's Popstar

In a perfect world, what she should do now :  

- Take a 1 year break with no singles, no performances, no photoshoots, no perfumes, nothing, she needs to disappear for a bit.

- Take this time to work on a creative, mature and unexpected album.

- Release the album in 2020, go on a small world tour.

aaaannnd if she really wants Vegas again, go for it but only in 2020/2021. She's been there non-stop the last 5 years already 

[YoungOne]

another "ME ME ME",  "I WANT THIS AND THAT" list.

if youre a fan from the very beginning you should be a mature fan that can deal with the changtes of the industry.

oh and you forgot that priority changes, britney's priorities changed after becoming a mother and she discovered easy money with her residency. so do not stress yourself about her history. she won't slay again like 99-2004 because her time as the top pop idol is gone.

 

 and stop making comparisions on her albums....she still doing good songs.

[Britilicious]

Why did you have to write a whole essay about her entire career just to say she doesn’t have hits anymore lol? 

 

No Artist is gonna be on top for their entire career. It’s how it is. As a fan you should love her music for well, the music, not how many current hits she has. 

[Buslim]

I stopped reading at HMBOMT. 

[Jay-Maxx]

6 hours ago, Britilicious said:

Why did you have to write a whole essay about her entire career just to say she doesn’t have hits anymore lol? 

 

No Artist is gonna be on top for their entire career. It’s how it is. As a fan you should love her music for well, the music, not how many current hits she has. 

The point I was trying to make was more to do with WHY she doesn't have hits anymore. Its about her team around her and the people orchestrating her image and musical choices. As a fan I believe she deserves the interesting/successful hits with the great visuals and connect to the public in some way. Its an important note to make that over there last two albums there have been lack of hits and releases (2 singles per 2 albums). I think focussing on Vegas (if thats what her team do) requires some thought and depth into a concept album that can actually release 4 singles. But for that to happen it has to be really good album and that requires a great deal of thought, time, investment, creativity, money etc etc. 

Im not sure I agree with that either, in terms of 'as a fan'. As a fan I do buy her music, and support, but I'm also an intelligent and thoughtful person and have things to say, in a thoughtful way, I cant change that. I think some of the points I raised are important (as evidenced in other peoples comments too). As fans we all differ, and I agree if I am simply 'hating' then sure, not cool, but this is not hating whatsoever and not moaning that she isn't in the charts. 

 

[DignifiedLove]

Sounds very similar to what I've been saying on here the past couple of years. She needs to ditch the whole idea and gimmick that *** sells. The last thing we want from Britney is another album with little to zero substance and an underlying theme of ***. The act, visuals, and dance numbers are so overdone and spark no interest anymore other than for a small portion of her gay fanbase. 

There is a reason why her previous album didn't spawn anymore singles because there was no hit potential in any of the tracks, despite the fans begging for it. By now, you'd think she would have had her Velvet Rope or Ray of Light but she seems to lack the artistry and passion she once had. Her management always just wanted to milk in this blonde pop star image any chance they could. They never seemed to care about Britney, the human and ARTIST. This caught up to her and ultimately, she gave in.

Moving forward, all I can say is that Britney is in desperate need of a rebrand and the most interesting thing about her right now is seeing what direction she'll take with her next album or era, if we even get one.

[Lantis]

She is now a manufactured product with no chance to evolve. Everything about her brand, image and overall career is heavily stuck in the past cause they fear they could loose the nostalgia factor they are so interested in milking till the last drops. Come on guys, everything is fake and she is handled like a puppet... I mean, her team doesn't even let her voice a sentence without it being reviewed first... They are lucky we are still here but things are just as sad as they sound...  Domination... yeah..... 

[Oprah Winfrey.]

Someone summarize this for me please I'm not reading your damn essay about how your an entitled fan who deserves more