Would Britney Have Ended Up like Katy Perry if She Never Had a Breakdown?

[HisNameisChase]

There is no denying Britney's breakdown propelled her into legendary status and gave her a new layer of mystery no other pop star -- arguably other than Michael Jackson -- has achieved. Even though it is terrible what she went through, it was suddenly cool to like and appreciate Britney as both a person and artist. People started appreciating her work and artistry when prior to the breakdown she was, in some ways, the underdog.

However, if 2007 never happened, would her career be like Katy Perry's?

Britney was once deemed in the early 2000s as possibly the next Debbie Gibson. Britney always had more talent and a fascinating aura about her and her natural charisma helped her in more ways than one.

Britney's popularity was declining with each album release after Oops, so would she have ended up as a flop and burning out how we see most popstars like Debbie Gibson and today's Katy Perry, or would she have been able to reinvent herself like Madonna in some shape or form? Maybe a similar career to Christina's, if slightly more popular but still not talked or cared about other than a nostalgia act?

I know this topic has been explored before in terms of what-if, but in this particular context, how would things have unfolded career wise?

[la_land]

She was bigger than any of those combined. Her biggest hit ever actually came from her 4th studio album: Toxic.

Every artist popularity drops over time. 

We don't know what could have happened. 

[Tanya25]

I think Britney was actually in a very interesting phase after ITZ, I think she actually wanted to change a lot of things, She wanted deeper lyrics (Take Off, for example) without having to say "no" to some s.exy stuff and imo she was tired of being seen as this perfect living barbie as a matter of fact she even changed the color of her hair and I thought it was ******* badass when she showed up to a radio station with the Mona Lisa demo on a CD and decided to share the news that her new album was coming, that was awesome  Sure it may have affected the sales but I think the result was going to be much more genuine than everything we got since the C-ship started. Also, imo the reason or one of the reasons why Britney's popularity wasn't the same is because she was literally everywhere and people got tired of that. Britney released BOMT (single) in 1998, the album in 1999, Oops in 2000, Britney in 2001 but her last single off that album (Boys if I'm not mistaken) in 2002, ITZ 2003, Toxic was released in 2004, GHMP 2004, Do Somethin' in 2005, Chaotic 2005 etc... And I mentioned the albums only and some singles only, imagine the Tours, Televised performances, Movies etc... She was everywhere. She needed a break in between every album just like MJ since you mentioned him. But her label was ready to milk her just like her family did 

[Kletus]

Toxic was a smasher but she would have probably needed to reinvent herself again in some way. We can look at it in two ways. She already recorded most of Blackout before her breakdown officially happened. But if we look at a world without Blackout ever existing, yes, she would have needed to do something to reinvent. Although Britney always had way more attention put on her than anyone else so there might not have been anything she really needed to do except for releasing good music.

[DignifiedLove]

No. Katy lacked depth and introspect. Britney was far more polarizing, both as an artist and celebrity. She was THE it-girl. Katy was mostly just a product of her time who followed the trends and ultimately failed to evolve which is why she fell off so drastically. Sure, she was hot for a good half-decade or so but lets not forget that she was often overshadowed by Gaga, Rihanna, Miley, Beyoncé and Taylor in the late 2000s-early (to mid) 2010s. Fans like to overrate her impact and popularity. 

[Anti-Hero]

I don't know. I guess what this question comes down to is would Blackout and Gimme More have had commercial success without her breakdown? I think yes.

 

But I think it's a fair question, Do Somethin and My Prerogative weren't big hits (I know they had some success in the UK)

[jms910]

[princessmimi]

To be honest, probably.

And I say that cause she was really starting to burn out after continuous years of albums and touring.

Also most people didnt respect or take her seriously in her prime, with the exception of die hard fans.

As much as I hate to say but her breakdown SAVED her career because it started the big "comeback".

It wasn't until then that people started respecting her.

[B. Leigh]

Britney was legendary before the conservatorship...and during it tbh...but that was because of her not the conservatorship...she just has the it factor...Katy Perry could never compare at any point imo...and I like Katy Perry so this isn't even shade...

[Moscow]

Okay what Britney did before 2007 : 

1. Best selling debut album by any act - Whitney who? 

2. 48M album sold before turning 20 - Katy when? 

3. MJ called her to perform, Katy? 

4. Janet Jackson gave her a standing ovation when Britney performed. 

5. Performed with Aerosmith in Super Bowl 

6. Performed with Madonna 

7. Have 4 pop funkos to her name - Katy when? Most for any pop star. 

8. Iconic VMAs - Katy when? 

9. GH : MP released after 4 albums - does katy have one? 

Britney was already seeing a legendary status, the comparison with Katy is awful. 

Apart from this, Britney not only impacted pop but also impacted fashion culture, media, people wanted to look like her be like her Britney dominated her days like nobody and not to mention she became a global pop star. 

Not even MJ or Madonna has these many iconic performances like Britney no shade to them but Britney was her own league back then - in my belief if conservatorship never happened Britney would've evolved and maybe gave us something like Ray of light etc etc I think she was already was shifting from dance pop and wanted to grow more and more so legendary status would've come either way but yes her story also gives her a lot of benefit to this status too. 

[Jamie Lynn Forever]

If I had to compare Britney's fame to a celebrity of the 2010s I would say Justin Bieber.  

- Started out as an immensely popular teen artist

- Lost the Best New Artist Grammy

- Dated a fellow teen sensation, the relationship was tabloid fodder, didn't end well (Selena Gomez)

- Shamlessly lipsyncs

- Started acting like a mess, bounced back and still is a bit messy (Britney was never a mean d-bag though)

- Had a successful comeback  

- Messy haircuts

- Says controversial **** (like Britney did during the Bush era)

I am pretty sure britney never spit on her fans tho... but there are similarities in terms of how they were both treated by the medias. I think the media was far more harsh on Britney than they are on Justin tho.

[TakeYourHand]

I dont think Britney wanted it anymore. The breakdown just propelled her career more and honestly makes Blackout feel more genuinely raw. 

Katy had mega success but shes not close to Brit. Brits prime was an era during time that was a promo dream. All the tv show performances, the award shows when they were hot (especially the VMAs), TRL, and really MTv as a whole. MTv used to focus so much more on the music and artists. Shows like Making the Video, and Diary were also huge marketing points. None of that existed the same or at all during Katys time and surely not today. Britney without a doubt has THE most amount of iconic performances ever. More than Madge and MJ. 

The only artist who struck me like Britney was Gaga in the beginning. She was a vision. She was everywhere. She was unique and changed the sound of pop and fashion. She was throwing out these mega hits and bangers left and right. Her first VMA performance is iconic with the blood. Very controversial for a new artist. Her music videos were TOP TIER and iconic. Bad Romance has that mega factor thats comparable to Oops. The song, video, fashion, and choreo is all memorable. She was undoubtedly a force and led the game. She also brought the full package and danced as well as always put on a good show. She has many iconic and memorable moments like the meat dress. I think she did too much to soon and got too cocky/weird by Artpop. Not to mention her management issues. Point being that Gaga is the only other pop star that I think comes close to the three pop royalty icons. 

I think we should all pay respect to MJ and Madge but Britney is REALLY in her own league just because of her story alone.

[BritneyLVR]

Katy who? Who had the residency first? 

[DignifiedLove]

1 minute ago, BritneyLVR said:

Katy who? Who had the residency first? 

Why does that matter? 

[Jamiea1112]

I don't think there's any right or wrong answer. 

As human beings... nothing lasts forever and people always move onto the next best thing eventually, regardless of the media attention in 2007 etc. 

Millions grew up with Britney and maybe felt they outgrew her come their teens or whatever, as that's just life. 

Candypop popstars (Teenage dream-era... i'm looking at you hun) don't hit the same when you're now 18+ and trying to transition into a mature adult. 

Us day 1 stans are a rare breed of loyal, loving individuals 

[levxy]

I don’t even know who Debbie Gibson is, therefore no. 

[danielpierce]

Nope. None of them came even close to the Britney mania in the early 2000s. 

Anything she would do would have been successful. If anything the breakdown era damaged her image, a lot of fans left, the GPs opinion about her worsened everybody thought she went crazy wich is why Gimme more and Blackout has got a lot of blacklash, the MV, VMA performance were all connected to her personal struggles in the eyes of the public. She would have been bigger imo would she not have had the breakdown and cship. We all know what they did to her and her creative/artistic vision was far better then the mess team con done. Just imagine if Blackout era got Primney treatment. The comeback ala Circus was successful because of the aggressive promo campaign but the album itself is horrible and she could have done better.

 

 

[FemmeFataleBrit]

Maybe. I honestly believe if it weren’t for Toxic, Britney would’ve been remembered as a 90s star and would only have been considered a teenage success that burnt out.

Similarly, without the breakdown, people would’ve gotten tired of her. 

[DulaPeeps]

5 hours ago, Void said:

If I had to compare Britney's fame to a celebrity of the 2010s I would say Justin Bieber.  

- Started out as an immensely popular teen artist

- Lost the Best New Artist Grammy

- Dated a fellow teen sensation, the relationship was tabloid fodder, didn't end well (Selena Gomez)

- Shamlessly lipsyncs

- Started acting like a mess, bounced back and still is a bit messy (Britney was never a mean d-bag though)

- Had a successful comeback  

- Messy haircuts

- Says controversial **** (like Britney did during the Bush era)

I am pretty sure britney never spit on her fans tho... but there are similarities in terms of how they were both treated by the medias. I think the media was far more harsh on Britney than they are on Justin tho.

This. It's clear as day to any music efficionado/pop music "historian" that Justin Bieber was the male equivalent to the success Britney achieved when she first came out. Their careers parallel each other in many ways. Nobody after the original legends ( Madonna, Prince, Janet, Michael ) aside from Bieber has achieved the level of success and worldwide impact the way Britney achieved. And that's not cap. Go do your musical homework and you'll see I'm speaking the truth.

[jordeezy river red]

Katy just needs experiment more and she will find success again. The modern image in the When I'm Gone video is the new look but now we need an evolved sound. Maybe incorporate rock again.