Birth name Britney Jean Spears Born December 2, 1981 Nickname Brit, Pinkey Height 5' 4" (1.63 m) Origin Kentwood, Louisiana, United States Genre(s) Pop, Urban pop, Dance Years active 1998–present   Britney Jean Federline-Spears is a Grammy Award-winning American pop singer, dancer, and occasional actress, author, and songwriter.

Britney Jean Spears was born in rural Louisiana (Kentwood) on December 2, 1981, to Jamie and Lynne Spears. As a child, Britney attended dance classes, and she was great at gymnastics, winning many competitions and the like. But, most of all, Britney loved to sing. At age 8, Britney tried out for "MMC" (1989), but was turned down due to her young age. This directed her to an off-Broadway show, "Ruthless", for a 2-year run as the title character. At age 11, she again tried for "MMC" (1989) and this time made it as a mouseketeer along side many stars of today (Justin Timberlake and J.C. Chasez of N*Sync and Ryan Gosling).

She is best known for her studio albums, music videos, and pop songs such as "...Baby One More Time", "Oops!...I Did It Again" and "Toxic".

Spears has sold over eighty-five million records worldwide according to TIME magazine. Having thirty-one million RIAA-certified albums sold in the U.S., Spears ranks as the eighth best-selling female artist in American music history, and best-selling female artist for the 2000s.

Spears first came to fame as a member of the New Mickey Mouse Club in the early 1990s, after which she took a five-year break from entertainment. She subsequently emerged at the forefront of the pop music scene in late 1998, thanks to her chart-topping debut album, ...Baby One More Time, which was crafted by producer-songwriter Max Martin. Her second album, Oops!...I Did It Again, which was released the following year, was a similarly huge hit.

In the early 2000s, Spears' success as a singer led her way to high-profile advertising deals, most notably for Pepsi, as well as forays into other forms of media, including film and reality television. Along with her highly-publicized relationship with 'N Sync's Justin Timberlake, her third and fourth albums were released during this era and included more artistic input from Spears, but yielded lower sales. In 2004, she married dancer and aspiring rap artist Kevin Federline and the following year she gave birth to their son, Sean Preston. The couple are currently expecting their second child.