Britney Spears

One of the most high profile and controversial performers, Britney Jean Spears, was born in McComb, Mississippi on December 2, 1981. Growing up in Louisiana, she found child work in television and stage. At sixteen, she signed a record deal with Jive Records, and her first album was released in 1999, called "Baby One More Time."

For about ten years, Britney was one of the top pop singers in the world. Both her first two albums broke established record sales and the singles "Baby One More Time" and "Oops! I Did It Again" were hits throughout the world. Unlike many performers in her era, Spears seldom writes her own lyrics.

The third album was simply "Britney," and when it was released in 2001, Spears also released a movie feature, "Crossroads." In 2003, "Toxic," "Me Against the Music," and "In the Zone" proved to be substantial hits. She didn't release any new material for a while and went through a mental meltdown. She struggled with personal problems for several years, but bounced back with a fifth album, "Blackout," which gave her two more hits in "Piece of Me" and "Gimme More."

In 2008, Spears was at rock bottom, with others controlling her affairs because of her inability to do so herself. Still, she released another album and with it "Womanizer" was a top selling single. The following year, Britney conducted a tour and then in 2011, she released "Femme Fatale," which produced three number one singles for her.

According to records by the RIAA, Britney has sold over 100 million records around the world. She is in eighth position in sales among American female performers. As late as 2010, Spears was rated as the sixth most influential celebrity in the world by Forbes. For now, her personal situation seems to have improved, which is fitting for a talented woman.