"Oh, baby baby,
How was I supposed to know?"

It’s been a turbulent journey for Britney Spears, from precocious young child star, to international singing sensation, to controversial paparazzi target. One thing is for certain though, few stars at any age have ever risen to the level of popularity and recognition of Britney Spears, one of the most successful female performers in the history of the music business.

By all accounts, Britney seemed determined to be a performer almost as soon as she could walk. By the age of four, she was giving public performances and studying dance and singing. While enrolled in a school for the performing arts, she was cast in The New Mickey Mouse Club at the age of 11, which gave her plenty of television experience. But it was a musical career she craved, and once she became a teenager, she headed to New York to land a record deal, which she achieved thanks to a mere one-song demo. By 1988, she was working on her first album, Baby One More Time.

Much like her pubescent predecessor, Tiffany, she did a tour of the shopping mall circuit, creating substantial buzz along the way, before landing a spot as the opening act for teen sensations N’Sync, which featured two of her old Mickey Mouse Club cohorts, J.C. Chasez and Justin Timberlake. Her first single, “Baby One More Time” was released towards the end of ’98 and the seductive, yet danceable love song, quickly went to #1 on the charts. The album would soon land in the coveted #1 spot as well, making her the first new female artist to achieve the dual #1 feat.

She received massive exposure, thanks in no small part to MTV, which kept her enticing videos in regular rotation. She also appeared in the WB sitcom, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, where she performed “(You Drive Me) Crazy), a clever cross-promotion for a film of the same name starring Melissa Joan Hart. By the end of 1999, she garnered four Billboard Music Awards, including Female Artist of the Year.

Into the new millennium, Britney’s star continued its meteoric rise, thanks to the release of her follow-up album, Oops, I Did it Again! The title track quickly rose to the top of the charts and the success of the album led to the “Oops, I Did it Again World Tour” as well as two more Billboard Awards. The following year, she released her third album, simply titled Britney. With the album debuting at #1, it marked the first time ever that a female artists had their first three albums debut in the top slot. Surprisingly, the album did not contain a Top-10 hit, but did little to slow her popularity.

Britney continued to stay in the public spotlight, starring in the 2002 film, Crossroads, and making appearances in the Austin Powers film, Goldmember, and Longshot, as well as performing on the MTV Music Awards alongside Christian Aquilera. By the end of 2002, Forbes Magazine called her “the world’s most powerful celebrity.” The following year, she released her fourth studio album, In the Zone, and in keeping with tradition, the album debuted at #1. The hit single, “Toxic” rose to the #6 spot and earned the star her first Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.

Spears married her childhood sweetheart, Jason Alexander in 2004, which lasted for an underwhelming 55 hours.  A mere six months later, she became engaged to dancer and rapper, Kevin Federline. They soon married and Britney announced that she was taking a break in her career to raise a family and was expecting her first child. It all seemed so wonderfully storybook-like, but there was a storm brewing underneath. Still, her first son, Sean was born in 2005 and released an album of remixes of previous hits called B In The Mix: The Remixes.

The following year found Britney in the news numerous times, for reasons that weren’t music related. First she was photographed driving with her infant son on her lap, rather than in a car seat, then she posed nude for the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. Then, after a well-publicized trip to rehab in 2007, which only lasted for 24 hours, she was photographed in a hair salon shaving off all of her hair, and then re-entered rehab a few days later. Many were starting to wonder what was going on with their favorite pop idol. Her and Federline filed for divorce later in the year and a turbulent custody battle ensued. All the sudden, Britney Spears was the #1 target for the paparazzi, which ruthlessly pursued her every move.

The same year, Britney released her fifth album, Blackout, which debuted at #2, proving that her star power remained intact, despite a turbulent year marked by personal issues. The album received glowing reviews from critics and included a #3 hit called “Give Me More” and “Piece of Me” which made it to #18. Clearly, her fans remained loyal to their beloved Britney. Media problems persisted in 2008, with Spears hospitalized after an incident at her home where she refused to relinquish custody of her children to law enforcement officers. Afterwards, Federline was awarded sole custody of the children. Still, Britney forged ahead, guest-starring in the CBS series, How I Met Your Mother, and working on her newest album, Circus. The first single released, “Womanizer” went straight to #1, her first chart-topping hit since her debut album.

Despite the personal problems, one thing is certain – Britney Spears remains a formidable force in the music industry and, despite the overwhelming media spotlight, has endured through thick and thin. With a string of massively successful albums and holder of numerous records in the famed Guinness Book of World Records for her astounding accomplishments, it is clear that we haven’t heard the last of Britney Spears, not by a long-shot – and for her devoted fans, that is certainly some of the most welcome news in years.