Reflecting on Britney

Oh dear, Britney Spears is in hospital as her life spins out of control.

So what I hear you say.......
Well apart from providing such great (and so appropriate at this moment) lyrics such as "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman", "I feel so over-protected" and "What it's like to be me", Britney has always been a pop star I found an interesting comparison.

Why?

Well for starters Britney is only 9 days older than me (she was born 2nd Dec 1981), and so to a greater extent was the soundtrack to bits of my late teens - an antidote to BritPop if you like. Also, the reach of her music was quite surprising with most people who were teens in the late 90's able to sing, or attempt, at least one of her songs. Also the dress code for "Hit me baby one more time" and "Oops I did it again" left an impression on those in their late twenties and above.

There is also the fact of the British obsession with celebrities - our desire to build them up then knock them down. this combined with the tabloid excitement and paparazzi phenomenon means that we can now see, in almost real time the lives of celebs and music stars worldwide. Of course Britney (and others) have used this to further their careers, and their public profile.

In few cases can the fall have been so steep or public though. Within 3 years Britney went from a chart topping singer to a multi-divorced mother of 2, with issues with her weight, drinking, partying, loss of child custody, public battles with her parents about her fortune and numerous hospital admissions with claims of substance abuse.

It causes me to reflect 9with my cold) on the costs of being rich and successful to early in one's career. A nice positive thought when I realise that I will be lucky to be out of the FY progranmme before my 31st birthday....