Britney Spears in Hong Kong: five of the pop princess’ biggest hits to get you ready for Tuesday’s gig
The countdown is on until the pop sensation takes to the stage at AsiaWorld-Expo, so take a look back at some of her best hits from the past two decades
Former child television star, Mouseketeer and one of the reigning queens of pop, Britney Spears is on her way to Hong Kong. Spears has moved on from the teen-pop roots of her early career to explore, over the course of nine studio albums, everything from electropop to hip hop.
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Spears will be drawing on hits from her extensive back catalogue when she appears for the first time in Hong Kong at AsiaWorld-Expo this Tuesday.
Since her 1999 debut single …Baby One More Time, Spears has transformed from an innocent schoolgirl into a pop princess, during a career marred by well-publicised personal problems and accusations of lip-syncing on stage.
Now 35, Spears comes to the stage with almost two decades worth of performing experience. Her CV includes a starring role in 2002 film Crossroads, being named the best-selling teenage artist of all time, one Grammy Award, six MTV Video Music awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Before she takes to the stage in tomorrow’s sold-out show in Hong Kong, here are the five songs you need to know.
1. …Baby One More Time
Her debut single was released in 1998 by Jive Records. A teen dance-pop song, …Baby One More Time, tells the story of a girl’s breakup with her boyfriend. It reached No 1 in several countries, including the United Kingdom, where it went double platinum after more than 10 million copies were sold. It was this song, and accompanying music video, which rocketed the then teen to instant stardom.
2. Oops! …I Did it Again
This 2000 track is the lead single off her second album of the same name, which has sold more than 4 million copies. The song portrays the female subject’s view of love as a game. In 2001, Oops! … I Did It Again was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
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The song clearly resonated with fans, with it topping the charts in more than 15 countries. In the accompanying music video, a red-catsuit-wearing Spears is on Mars with a love-struck astronaut. It garnered three nominations at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
3. I’m Not a Girl Not Yet a Woman
Off her third studio album, Britney (2001), this song, whose title could aptly describe the singer at this point of her life and career, speaks about the angst and torture of being a teen. It was widely considered to be the standout track on Britney. Despite receiving only a lukewarm reaction in the US, the single reached the top 10 in several countries including Australia, Germany and the UK.
4. Toxic
Off her fourth album, In the Zone (2003), Toxic is a dance number infused with elements of Indian bhangra music. Accompanied by high-pitched Bollywood strings, its lyrics liken love to a drug. The song made it to No 1 in six countries including Australia, Canada and Hungary. In 2005, the dance hit also won Spears her first and only Grammy Award in the category of best dance recording.
5. Gimme More
Off her 2007 album, Blackout, the song was recorded shortly before her highly publicised emotional breakdown, which ultimately led to Spears losing custody of her two young sons. Recorded in 2006, during Spears’ second pregnancy, Gimme More, peaked at No 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Spears plays two different characters in the accompanying video, which is set in a bar. A raven-haired, tattooed, fishnets-wearing Spears dances provocatively around a pole on stage while a blonde version of herself, wearing a wig, watches the show with two other blondes seated at the bar.
Britney Spears, June 27, 8pm, AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau, sold out
