Britney Jean Spears is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She was born in Kentwood, Louisiana on December 2, 1981, as the middle of three children.
She is one of the most popular and controversial solo artists in pop music today and is just as well known for her personal struggles and drama, as she is for her music. At eight she appeared in the popular TV entertainment competition "Star Search" and went on to star in Disney Channel's series "The All New Mickey Mouse Club" from 1993-1994.
In 1997, she signed a record deal with Jive Records and in January 1999, released her debut album "...Baby One More Time". Together she has released a total of studio albums and four compilation albums, all of which have gone multi-platinum. She was nominated for the Grammy Awards 8 times, only to have received the award once, in 2005, for her single "Toxic".
Spears had her first starring role in 2002 in the movie "Crossroads", wasn't well received and also earned Britney a Razzie Award for Worst Original Song and Worst Actress.
Romantically, she was involved with Justin Timberlake for four years until their relationship ended in 2002. On January 3, 2004 Spears married her friend since childhood, Jason Alexander. But the marriage annulled 55 hours later. She announced her engagement with Kevin Federline in July 2004 and was married to him until November 2006 when she filed for divorce due to "irreconcilable differences". They have two children together- Sean Preston Federline (2005) and Jayden James Federine (2006).
In 2009, Britney was named one of the most powerful celebrities and the second highest earner among young musicians by Forbes magazine, having made $35 million from June 2008 to June 2009, even after some years of absence due to her personal problems.
