Why was Britney so successful after her prime?

[Style.]

1 hour ago, Joel Santos said:

Britney is also a legacy artist. Much more than Gaga, by the way. Her songs most consumed by the GP are her classics. FF, Glory and BJ were completely forgotten. It's like her last album is Circus.

Femme Fatale produced more hits than Artpop and Chromatica combined. Britney being relevant on the charts and at the same time being a legacy artist hasn’t been topped by her peers.   Why?

 

[stanLOONA]

Because she is nice  real nice, not camera nice 

[Style.]

2 hours ago, PinkBarbie said:

Cause, it's Britney B

Lady Gaga can still have a hit

And your new profile picture is giving me a seizure @Style.

Party Like It’s 2007 

PARTY WITH BARBIE 

[studlygeorge]

Her breakdown + tabloid culture is what carried her and kept her mainstream from 2004-2007 when she was otherwise mostly inactive during her career.

Yes, Circus era was big with advertising and pushing her brand again but it was also riding on the coattails/monetizing off the fact that her breakdown was SO recent. As twisted as it is, I think her breakdown into the Circus era is what ultimately cemented Britney as a legacy artist and force to be reckoned with. Her career didn’t just see a peak it completely resurged following what should’ve destroyed it. I think the same can be said for what happened with the end of the conservatorship. Britney has only released one song since everything but she is a constant in the media

[Kletus]

Gaga is more low key now but is highly respected and has immense bops, even recently like Shallow and Rain on Me. Now she’s randomly a movie star. I went to her concert a few weeks ago and there were 40,000 people there  

[Style.]

6 minutes ago, studlygeorge said:

Her breakdown + tabloid culture is what carried her and kept her mainstream from 2004-2007 when she was otherwise mostly inactive during her career.

Yes, Circus era was big with advertising and pushing her brand again but it was also riding on the coattails/monetizing off the fact that her breakdown was SO recent. As twisted as it is, I think her breakdown into the Circus era is what ultimately cemented Britney as a legacy artist and force to be reckoned with. Her career didn’t just see a peak it completely resurged following what should’ve destroyed it. I think the same can be said for what happened with the end of the conservatorship. Britney has only released one song since everything but she is a constant in the media

A true pop icon! Well said!

[Cancer]

'In her prime' is a questionable term.

You ought to read 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' for clarification.

[Joel Santos]

1 hour ago, Style. said:

Femme Fatale produced more hits than Artpop and Chromatica combined. Britney being relevant on the charts and at the same time being a legacy artist hasn’t been topped by her peers.   Why?

 

FF sold exactly the same thing as Chromatica, and in 2011 selling 2kk was way easier than in 2020. And Gaga still managed to do better on tour, as Chromatica Ball grossed almost double the FFT with less shows.

 

Pink, Shakira and Beyoncé are her peers and have been doing better than her for a while. Do you have to compare Britney with artists more flopped than she is to make it look like she's on top? Depressing.

[BlackoutITZ]

3 hours ago, Style. said:

Lady Gaga has become a legacy artist and is actually a great performer therefore her tour is a success. She scored two hits after her peak and that happened a decade ago. 
Britney was getting back to back hits during Femme Fatale and the Circus singles are iconic. 
I don’t know the other ones! 

Calling Gaga a legacy artist really doesn't make any sense when both of her last two releases had a #1 hit, one of them being one of the biggest songs of all time.

[Style.]

12 minutes ago, Joel Santos said:

FF sold exactly the same thing as Chromatica, 

+ FF had hits. Plural. Pink and Shakira were never on Britney’s level. Stop there.
 

You’re welcome. 

[Joel Santos]

10 minutes ago, Style. said:

+ FF had hits. Plural. Pink and Shakira were never on Britney’s level. Stop there.
 

You’re welcome. 

Pink has outsold Britney since 2006, including only announcing a Full Stadium tour and some shows are already sold out. The last album sold more than Glory and BJ combined. Shakira isn't big in the US, but she has incredible demand from the WW. Let's not forget that SP arrived on the same day as Chantaje and was brutally devoured across all platforms, just like Shakira's latest songs are hitting HMC. Wake up, honey. We are no longer in 2004.

[torontofan]

Because everyone loves a “comeback”

it’s the same reason that if she “came back” now and utilized kardashian type resources such as a solid glam teAm, a list producers and made her Instagram look more professional, she would likely have an even bigger comeback 

[Style.]

26 minutes ago, Joel Santos said:

Pink has outsold Britney since 2006, including only announcing a Full Stadium tour and some shows are already sold out. The last album sold more than Glory and BJ combined. Shakira isn't big in the US, but she has incredible demand from the WW. Let's not forget that SP arrived on the same day as Chantaje and was brutally devoured across all platforms, just like Shakira's latest songs are hitting HMC. Wake up, honey. We are no longer in 2004.

Femme Fatale and Circus happened post 2004, yet the albums are multi platinum who spawned multi platinum and career defining hits. We were no longer in 2004 but Britney outpeaked Lady Gaga in 2013 and in the years that followed. All of this while being in a conservatorship. Britney’s work is selling, thank you and please come again! 

 

[bitbitboi]

Because she's one of the greats: Elvis, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Britney.

[Style.]

Not these people dismissing Britney’s creativity and future material quality over a bunch of non factors.
Who are these people? @CrazyButItFeelsAllright  

[Style.]

Just now, bitbitboi said:

Because she's one of the greats: Elvis, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Britney.

Pop Royalties 

[A.a.A]

3 hours ago, 517113 said:

...is that how you view this? More successful? Rest assured, it was a SLOW climb to the top and she was essentially a mascot for team con throughout the entire experience. However, opinions are opinions, and you are certainly entitled to yours. Quite frankly, I wish I could say I agree...

however, nothing felt organic or natural within the last 15 years or so regarding Britney Spears, the artist.

I appreciate your view on it. However I think you’ve flipped it around. I think that we didn’t get anything natural or organic from Britney the human. 

I think she’s always played a persona of herself as the artist Britney Spears. That she did perfectly well. Sometimes even to primeney levels.
And you cannot deny she was way more commercially successful after the breakdown. 

[filmandstage13]

Britney is the definition of the "X-Factor" - that indescribable element that makes her so compelling.  It's not always about being the best on paper (e.g. voice, dancing, fashion, etc.), she just has this quality that means you never look away.

She made her vocal delivery her trademark in a way that many imitate, but few come close to actually replicating.  It's not all about vocal strength or hitting high notes, but putting your mark on a song in a way that everyone instantly knows it's you and the listener can't help but be drawn in.  The team from the Switched on Pop podcast had a whole episode about her voice (one of four episodes they dedicate specifically to Britney) where I think they describe it best: 

Listening 2 Britney: ...Baby One More Time — Switched On Pop

SWITCHEDONPOP.COM

---

Breaking down the unmistakeable voice of Britney Spears

Dancing-wise, Britney ranks among the pop elites of Janet and Paula Abdul in terms of dancing talent.  But again, it's not always about hitting all the marks or having the best form (which she frequently does).  If you look at professional dancers replicating her moves and doing it technically perfect, you might notice that it's still not as compelling as when Britney dances.  She makes it look easy and conveys this effortless coolness that is impossible to teach. 

Britney was successful because there was and is no one like her.  Early criticism of her was that she was a "product of the machine," and that she owed all of her success to songwriters, producers, and choreographers.  Then record labels spent the late 90s and early 00s trying to clone her only to find out that Britney was the key ingredient the whole time.

[Style.]

17 minutes ago, filmandstage13 said:

Britney is the definition of the "X-Factor" - that indescribable element that makes her so compelling.  It's not always about being the best on paper (e.g. voice, dancing, fashion, etc.), she just has this quality that means you never look away.

She made her vocal delivery her trademark in a way that many imitate, but few come close to actually replicating.  It's not all about vocal strength or hitting high notes, but putting your mark on a song in a way that everyone instantly knows it's you and the listener can't help but be drawn in.  The team from the Switched on Pop podcast had a whole episode about her voice (one of four episodes they dedicate specifically to Britney) where I think they describe it best: 

Listening 2 Britney: ...Baby One More Time — Switched On Pop

SWITCHEDONPOP.COM

---

Breaking down the unmistakeable voice of Britney Spears

Dancing-wise, Britney ranks among the pop elites of Janet and Paula Abdul in terms of dancing talent.  But again, it's not always about hitting all the marks or having the best form (which she frequently does).  If you look at professional dancers replicating her moves and doing it technically perfect, you might notice that it's still not as compelling as when Britney dances.  She makes it look easy and conveys this effortless coolness that is impossible to teach. 

Britney was successful because there was and is no one like her.  Early criticism of her was that she was a "product of the machine," and that she owed all of her success to songwriters, producers, and choreographers.  Then record labels spent the late 90s and early 00s trying to clone her only to find out that Britney was the key ingredient the whole time.

Wow. Beautifully said! 

[jamesedward94]

Britney is an icon on the same level as Michael Jackson and Madonna.

She has many iconic career moments.

She has many infamous moments.

She is captivating no matter what she does on stage.

She gets people talking.

 

There is no other modern artist, besides Gaga possibly, that is on her level. 
 

 

These are the reasons she has been successful after her “prime”.