Why did Britney's 2007 VMAs performance end up like it did?

[Urbanney]

I've been wondering about why Britney's 2007 VMA performance ended up as it did recently. There was a lot of speculation for years that it was a result of a broken heel on her shoe, the blue contact lenses in her eyes, her nerves, or whatever else. However, the leaked rehearsal video had about the same energy and effort as the official performance, but worse.

Britney didn't have Larry Rudolf as her manager and her parents weren't on good terms with her, so to me, it's not likely that she got forced into doing a performance that she didn't want to.

This kinda leaves me to think that Britney either:

1. Just wasn't as prepared as she should've been, whether due to partying or personal struggles or whatever,
2. She intentionally put on the performance as an act of rebellion against all of the control and appearances she had to keep up for years, or
3. Britney didn't realize how subpar of a performance she was putting on due to her personal struggles

What do you guys think? What are your theories around this performance?

[rennen]

She clearly had too many personal issues to deal with and I believe she felt an enormous amount of pressure to live up to the billed performance.

Was it P.Diddy or someone else who spoke out afterwards of the pressure she felt? I believe he told her to pull out of the performance if she wasn't ready but she said she couldn't. 

[Danielle1987]

You forgot the option where Justin Timberlake knocked on her dressing room door to wish her well & it shook her up and she allegedly took an alcohol shot to calm her nerves. Read this multiple times from multiple sources. 
 

& in all reality, it’s a combination of all the things listed. 

[Puppy]

4 minutes ago, MM0219 said:

She clearly had too many personal issues to deal with and I believe she felt an enormous amount of pressure to live up to the billed performance.

Was it P.Diddy or someone else who spoke out afterwards of the pressure she felt? I believe he told her to pull out of the performance if she wasn't ready but she said she couldn't. 

I think he was also telling her to rest up the night before but she really want to let loose. The pressure was too much for her and I think her downing tequila didn’t help because it looks like she know the moves and routine but just sluggish due to being under the influence

[Urbanney]

6 minutes ago, Danielle1987 said:

You forgot the option where Justin Timberlake knocked on her dressing room door to wish her well & it shook her up and she allegedly took an alcohol shot to calm her nerves. Read this multiple times from multiple sources. 
 

& in all reality, it’s a combination of all the things listed. 

My only problem with this even if it is true though, is that she performed with the same energy in the rehearsal as she did in the official performance. If she had killed the rehearsal and then had the official performance as it was, I could believe that maybe JT talking to her messed her up. But if the performances are pretty similar, I just can't see JT having that big of an influence.

Anyways, I added a few more options to the poll that hopefully will cover more bases.

[godneyjspears]

I think it was a mixture of unpreparedness, pushed into doing it when she wasn't ready, stress, under the influence of alcohol and her nerves 

[2K16NEY]

A combination of things. I think Jive maybe told her she needed to do the VMA’s in a way to get out of doing any other album promo. The performance being lackluster most likely came down to nerves and overwhelming pressure as it was all anyone could talk about. Mix that in with the harassing and stalking of the paparazzi, a nasty custody battle, and an angry Britney and it was alllll too much for one person to take.

[Alex_1991]

It's simple. She wasn't really in the right state of mind to fully commit into rehearsing. She probably didn't even realize how bad the whole thing was turning out to be. 

[PokemonSpears]

I don't think she felt that pressured. Tbh, after everything that was happening in her personal life, the least that could've worried her was an award performance.

I think it was precisely that she was too relaxed in that aspect, that the performance turned out how it did. She was going through so much, didn't rehearse enough, didn't rest, she just wasn't in the right state of mind to do it. She wasn't even in the right state of mind to realize that before it happened. 

 

[LLuvia]

• Lack of preparation.
• Pressure.
• Lack of direction.
• Taking high doses of medications that she did not need.
• Mix the alcohol( a shot of tequila can be terrible if you take medications like she was given at the time).

[Justney]

It wasn't rebellion.  It was her mind not being there and her heart not in it.  She had a lot going on,  who could blame her? But all this rebellion stuff sounds hella childish,  like when people theorize her insta is all trolling and rebellion. It never makes sense.  

Nobody wants to fail on stage. She self sabotaged herself for sure but not to rebel. It was likely more her trying to cope.

[Danielle1987]

1 hour ago, Urbanney said:

My only problem with this even if it is true though, is that she performed with the same energy in the rehearsal as she did in the official performance. If she had killed the rehearsal and then had the official performance as it was, I could believe that maybe JT talking to her messed her up. But if the performances are pretty similar, I just can't see JT having that big of an influence.

Anyways, I added a few more options to the poll that hopefully will cover more bases.

I one hundred percent see your point. I think it was so many things compounded into one. 

[Danielle1987]

37 minutes ago, Justney said:

It wasn't rebellion.  It was her mind not being there and her heart not in it.  She had a lot going on,  who could blame her? But all this rebellion stuff sounds hella childish,  like when people theorize her insta is all trolling and rebellion. It never makes sense.  

Nobody wants to fail on stage. She self sabotaged herself for sure but not to rebel. It was likely more her trying to cope.

You nailed it on the head!

[joanhs]

The choreography was ****. Even in the one without Britney, and in the rehearsel. The way they planned on dragging her up on the bigger stage was just awfull. It was boring, not "britney".

She could have done it flawlessly, but my take on it - she would still have gotten a lot of bad press about it, because it just looked wrong..

 

THis one is without britney, still boring..

 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Puppy said:

I think he was also telling her to rest up the night before but she really want to let loose. The pressure was too much for her and I think her downing tequila didn’t help because it looks like she know the moves and routine but just sluggish due to being under the influence

P Diddy actually said she didnt drink before the performance 

Hip-hop star P Diddy has defended Britney Spears, dismissing speculation that she was drunk the night before her comeback appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards.

 

The 'Gimme More' singer was criticised after reportedly partying before her panned performance at the VMAs. But P Diddy - real name Sean Combs - was with her during the evening and insisted she only sipped water in front of him.

He told TV show Access Hollywood: "The times that I was around her, in her defence, she don't drink any alcohol. I didn't see her drink. I was hospitable, I offered everybody a drink and, you know, she had water."

He admitted he had not advised Spears to have an early night before the show, saying: "Everybody has their own way. Some people deal with nerves, they can't go to sleep."

[BringTheAction]

1. Nerves 
2. Mental state in general
3. Alcohol
4. Late partying the night before
5. Broken heel on her shoe

[♔ monalisaney ♚]

I think it was a lot of things. She was under the influence of something, probably alcohol. Maybe she was nervous because of the pressure that was put on her and had a drink that hit too hard. Also the performance itself wasn't anything out of this world so with britney not being in the best state of mind didn't help.

 

Also the performance wasn't that bad if I'm beeing honest, it's a lot better than a lot of today's stars when they are 100% sober and acually trying

[Avatar]

She knew all the choreography though...she was definitely prepared.

TBH She'd been gradually slowing down as a performer. I think she felt obligated, it was time to start promoting the album and she knew how important the VMAs were. (Literally every year she'd be rumored to perform)

Just seemed like nerves.She  knew everyone was going to be talking about it. It's not like she had to worry about singing. It was just dancing. It technically wasnt even a bad performance. It just lacked her normal energy at that point. The same fans who said it sucked think FF Tour is her best show. 

[DollyParton]

She didnt look nervous to me.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Danielle1987 said:

You forgot the option where Justin Timberlake knocked on her dressing room door to wish her well & it shook her up and she allegedly took an alcohol shot to calm her nerves. Read this multiple times from multiple sources. 
 

& in all reality, it’s a combination of all the things listed. 

Justin's friend since the MMC days, Nikki Deloach said he talked to her but she didnt recognize him. My two cents are: I dont think she didnt recognize him, but she probably had a lot going on in her mind that the last thing she wanted was catching up with an ex the last time she talked to was 4 years prior. She probably treated him like she would treat any other artist there that she had no intimacy with but Justin having such an ego he thought she treated him like that bc she didnt recognize him. I dont doubt he thought shed talk to him like they were besties or smt so he got disappointed when she barely said anything

She was probably like "whats up" and didnt engage in a conversation with him. But I dont think she wouldnt recognize him If Timbaland tried to record with her and Justin just months before and she was seen listening to his music and buying his album in 2007.