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Britney Spears
Those who knew her from her three-year stint onThe Mickey Mouse Club —which she starred on alongside future beauJustin Timberlakeas well asRyan GoslingandChristina Aguilera— would be hard-pressed to recognize the soulful girlbelting out Chaka Khan’s “I Feel for You"in this sultry teenager strutting down the hallway of her high school and doing backflips in a pink sports bra.
“I was praying every night,” she toldRolling Stoneabout releasing the song. “‘God, please, help them play it on just my radio station at home.’ And then they did. Then all of a sudden, it’s playing on all the big radio stations in New York. And everything just started happening for me, and I was just like,wow, you know?”
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‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’
Kevin Mazur/WireImage; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Kevin Mazur/WireImage
“Wow” was the impression Britney trailed behind her like a comet as she skyrocketed to a new level of superstardom toward the end of the millennium.
03of 12Super Bowl XXXVScott Gries/ImageDirectIt may come as a shock that Britney has never headlined her own Super Bowl Halftime Show — but she did make a memorable cameo on the 2001 stage during “The Kings of Rock and Pop” show alongside Aerosmith, ‘NSYNC, Nelly and Mary J. Blige.
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Super Bowl XXXV
Scott Gries/ImageDirect
It may come as a shock that Britney has never headlined her own Super Bowl Halftime Show — but she did make a memorable cameo on the 2001 stage during “The Kings of Rock and Pop” show alongside Aerosmith, ‘NSYNC, Nelly and Mary J. Blige.
04of 12’I’m a Slave 4 U’GettyBritney’s 2001 VMAs performance is a jewel in the Princess of Pop’s crown. Beyond her own memorable shows, this particular performance of “I’m a Slave 4 U” ranks as one of the most iconic pop performances of all time. The jungle-themed act saw Spears drape a python around her neck as she shimmied her way across the stage, charming the reptile and audience alike.
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‘I’m a Slave 4 U’
Getty
Britney’s 2001 VMAs performance is a jewel in the Princess of Pop’s crown. Beyond her own memorable shows, this particular performance of “I’m a Slave 4 U” ranks as one of the most iconic pop performances of all time. The jungle-themed act saw Spears drape a python around her neck as she shimmied her way across the stage, charming the reptile and audience alike.
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‘The Way You Make Me Feel’
Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
06of 12Dream Within a Dream TourBritney gyrated under a torrential downpour in a plastic cowboy hat so that Hilary Duff could give us"Come Clean"a few years later. Spears’ Dream Within a Dream Tour, which ran from 2001 to 2002, saw her getting soaked as she threw what looked like the world’smost delightful dance partyon a raised platform and dangled from wires in midair.
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Dream Within a Dream Tour
Britney gyrated under a torrential downpour in a plastic cowboy hat so that Hilary Duff could give us"Come Clean"a few years later. Spears’ Dream Within a Dream Tour, which ran from 2001 to 2002, saw her getting soaked as she threw what looked like the world’smost delightful dance partyon a raised platform and dangled from wires in midair.
07of 12’I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman’KMazur/WireImageThe 2002 American Music Awards gave us one of Britney’s most stripped-down sets as she sang her coming-of-age classic, “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman.“Eschewing the lights, backup dancers and costume changes typical to her performances, Britney performed the emotional ballad in a floaty, angelic dress with a piano accompaniment as scenes fromCrossroads, her silver screen debut, flashed on the screen behind her.
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‘I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman’
KMazur/WireImage
The 2002 American Music Awards gave us one of Britney’s most stripped-down sets as she sang her coming-of-age classic, “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman.”
Eschewing the lights, backup dancers and costume changes typical to her performances, Britney performed the emotional ballad in a floaty, angelic dress with a piano accompaniment as scenes fromCrossroads, her silver screen debut, flashed on the screen behind her.
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‘Like a Virgin’
Chris Polk/FilmMagic
09of 12’Toxic’ABCDecades before TikTok existed, days were spent memorizing Britney’s choreography in order to recreate some of her most iconic moves. During her intimate 2003 ABC special,Britney Spears: In The Zone, she gave a particularly high-voltage performance of “Toxic,” decked out in full patent leather as she was blindfolded and spun around on a barrel of toxic waste.
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‘Toxic’
ABC
Decades before TikTok existed, days were spent memorizing Britney’s choreography in order to recreate some of her most iconic moves. During her intimate 2003 ABC special,Britney Spears: In The Zone, she gave a particularly high-voltage performance of “Toxic,” decked out in full patent leather as she was blindfolded and spun around on a barrel of toxic waste.
10of 12’Breathe on Me’ABCStripping off her red leather bustier, Britney briefly gave the illusion of being topless as she transitioned into"Breathe On Me"during the ABC special. The performance was one of her edgiest and most provocative — it simulated an orgy of sorts, with dancers writhing around her and a brief simulated lap dance.
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‘Breathe on Me’
Stripping off her red leather bustier, Britney briefly gave the illusion of being topless as she transitioned into"Breathe On Me"during the ABC special. The performance was one of her edgiest and most provocative — it simulated an orgy of sorts, with dancers writhing around her and a brief simulated lap dance.
11of 12’Piece of Me’Andrew Theodorakis/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images"Piece of Me” — in which Britney claps back at the media for its portrayals of her — was famously part of her Circus tour in 2009.Dancing within the golden cage she’s been trapped inside, she sang about being “Miss American Dream since I was 17” and the judgement that’s come with it.“I’m Miss bad media karma / Another day another drama / Guess I can’t see no harm / In working and being a mama,” she sang with an eye roll, referencingsons Preston and Jayden, whom she welcomed with then-husband Kevin Federline in 2005 and 2006, respectively.
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‘Piece of Me’
Andrew Theodorakis/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
“Piece of Me” — in which Britney claps back at the media for its portrayals of her — was famously part of her Circus tour in 2009.
Dancing within the golden cage she’s been trapped inside, she sang about being “Miss American Dream since I was 17” and the judgement that’s come with it.
“I’m Miss bad media karma / Another day another drama / Guess I can’t see no harm / In working and being a mama,” she sang with an eye roll, referencingsons Preston and Jayden, whom she welcomed with then-husband Kevin Federline in 2005 and 2006, respectively.
12of 122016 Billboard Music AwardsKevin Winter/Getty Images; JB Lacroix/WireImage (2); Jeff Kravitz/BBMA2016/FilmMagicAhead of being honored with the Millennium Award at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, Britney performed a medley of some of her greatest hits in an ultra high-energy set, in which she graced the audience with one of her signature costume reveals.The hit mix started off with “Work B—,” before moving into “Womanizer.” The set saw Britney straddling an enormous guitar while singing “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” dancing around a pole during “I’m a Slave 4 U” and ending on “Toxic.”
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2016 Billboard Music Awards
Kevin Winter/Getty Images; JB Lacroix/WireImage (2); Jeff Kravitz/BBMA2016/FilmMagic
Ahead of being honored with the Millennium Award at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, Britney performed a medley of some of her greatest hits in an ultra high-energy set, in which she graced the audience with one of her signature costume reveals.
The hit mix started off with “Work B—,” before moving into “Womanizer.” The set saw Britney straddling an enormous guitar while singing “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” dancing around a pole during “I’m a Slave 4 U” and ending on “Toxic.”
source: people.com
