Spears gained fame in 1998 with her first single recording, "...Baby One More Time." The song was the title number in her first album, released in 1999. She became the youngest female performer to sell more than 10 million albums. The album ...Baby One More Time also included the hit singles "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart," "Sometimes," and "(You Drive Me) Crazy." Spears expanded on her recording success with the albums Oops!...I Did It Again (2000), Britney (2001), and In the Zone (2003). Spears has extended her popularity through her concerts, music videos, and television commercials.

Britney Jean Spears was born on Dec. 2, 1981, in Kentwood, Louisiana. As a child, she made television commercials and spent three summers at the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City. She performed on The New Mickey Mouse Club television series in 1993 and 1994. Spears signed a recording contract with Jive Records at the age of 15. With her mother, Lynn, Spears wrote a memoir titled Heart to Heart (2000).