Out Magazine Outtakes

Britney On The Cover Of Out Magazine

Out Magazine
March 2011

There are few things our culture has come to relish more than fattening up a pop star on a greasy diet of hype and frenzied devotion, only to then turn around and eat her alive an album or two later. It’s become a national pastime we practice in the less savory corners of the Internet or while unloading our Aquafresh and baked Cheetos onto the check-out line conveyor belt. Nobody knows this better than Britney Spears.

Ever since she snarled onto the scene in her Catholic school girl uniform in 1999, Spears has been the go-to girl whenever the world is looking for a punch line or a punching bag. At first it was "her music has no substance" or "she’s lip synching" and then there were the darker, more troubling episodes in her life to mine for material. But we have a confession to make: We love Britney.

We love her because she gives us the kind of pop music we demand for our workouts and woozy weekend nights, and because she has never tried to play the guitar or wandered off to make a country album. We love her because she’s a survivor, and for all of the shit that’s said about her, she still glides to the top of the charts whenever she releases an album. We love her because she has a "BS Alert" on her website to squash the almost daily rumors of new pregnancies, marriages, or demands to someday be cryogenically frozen. We love her because even the Super Bowl’s rabid, testosterone-drunk fans couldn’t keep her from being the top trending item on Twitter on the biggest sports Sunday of the year. We love her because she loves strawberry Frappuccinos and grits blanketed in Velveeta cheese. We love her because in 2010 she raked in more money than Lady Gaga even though her latest album, Circus, was already well over a year old. We love her because for all the pythons and pyrotechnics and red vinyl cat suits, she still feels like someone we could dish with about boys over a basket of bread sticks at the Olive Garden. We love her because she keeps us dancing, she keeps us guessing, and while the other famous former Mouseketeers have dried up, bombed out, or otherwise failed to keep our interest, Britney still has us coming back for more.

On the eve of the release of her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale, we fired Britney a slew of questions ranging from the candid to the ridiculous to find out a little bit more about the woman the world is mistakenly convinced it already has all figured out.

Where were you the first time you heard one of your songs on the radio?
I was in New Orleans, and I was so excited. It’s such a cool feeling to hear your own song play on the radio. I still have the same kind of excitement when I hear any of my songs today.

How did you spend the first big check you received?
On a bright white Mercedes convertible.

When was the first time you saw a Britney Spears drag queen?
In New Orleans singing "Slave 4 U." I almost died!

When you were starting out, whose career did you want to mold yours after?
Madonna. No question. She is an amazing entertainer. Besides Madonna, I also admire Sarah Jessica Parker’s career and her shoe collection.

Are there any of your songs that you wish you hadn’t recorded/you don’t really love?
No. All of my songs are f�ing amazing.

How is Femme Fatale different from your other albums?
I think Femme Fatale is my most upbeat and mature album yet.

Who are some of the stand out collaborators on Femme Fatale?
I collaborated with Will.I.Am. I am a huge fan of Black Eyed Peas, and I have always wanted to work with him. I also worked with a new up-and-coming artist from the L.A. area named Sabi. She raps on a song I love called "(Drop Dead) Beautiful."

Assuming reincarnation exists, in a previous life I think I was...
Audrey Hepburn, because she was a trend setter.

Assuming reincarnation exists, in my next life I’d life to be...
A bird, so I can fly.

My idea of hell is...
Being on a diet.

My idea of heaven is...
A trip with my kids.

If you hadn’t become a superstar, what career do you think you would have chosen?
I was in seventh grade and it was career day and I remember thinking that I wanted to be an entertainment lawyer. I always knew I would be in this business somehow. I think this path worked out way better.

What album do you consider life-changing?
Natalie Imbruglia’s Left of the Middle.

Which Disney princess do you relate to most and why?
It depends on the day.

What is the best advice you’ve gotten and who was it from?
My mom said when you have a bad day, eat ice cream. That’s the best advice.

What is the worst advice a record executive ever told you?
Someone once told me that the "…Baby One More Time" video should be me as a superhero fighting a giant robot monster.

What was the last nightmare you had?
That someone was chasing me.

How would you feel if one of your sons turned out to be gay?
I love my boys no matter what.

Do you listen to your contemporaries’ music?
Yes. I love Gaga and Rihanna. Rihanna’s "S & M" is awesome.

Which song from the last 10 years do you wish you had recorded?
Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie.”

What is your ideal way to spend a Sunday?
Playing with my boys, getting some frozen yogurt, working out, and taking a nap.

What is the dumbest, most ridiculous rumor that has been printed about you?
That I was an alien.

What is the rumor that hurt the most?
That I had died in a car accident.

What women (living or dead) could make you think twice about your sexuality?
I only have eyes for men.

Who is your favorite Golden Girl?
Betty White, because she’s so sweet and innocent.

Do you have any phobias?
Flying, because I’m not in control.

The best part of being famous is...
Being able to reach people and hopefully make them happy.

The worst part of being famous is...
Giving up your privacy.

How does the thought of turning 30 later this year make you feel?
I’m excited to be out of my 20s.

How do you feel about plastic surgery?
When it’s time to pull and tuck, I’m sure I will consider it.

I first learned about sex...
When I was 12 years old. From my mom. I was confused and disgusted.

Kissing Madonna was...
Cool.

You’ve been married twice -- once for only 55 hours. How do you feel about gay marriage?
I think everyone should be treated equally.

Lady Gaga is...
Unique.

Christina Aguilera is...
Truly talented.

Britney Spears is...
ME!

Britney On The Cover Of V Magazine

V Magazine
March 2011

The Interview

Over a decade ago, she emerged as a teen music sensation—the very definition of sexy, exuberant pop in our age of excess, and the template for a legion of imitators. But Britney was no flash in the millennial pan. Through crisis and controversy, she has adhered herself to our consciousness simply by doing what she does best: crafting irresistibly danceable, instantly unforgettable hits, over and over (and over and over and over) again.  In 2011, Britney is still Britney, and she’s back with an album designed to get us moving. Again

Photography Mario Testino Styling Panos Yiapanis
Text Mr. V

Britney Spears, the sweetest girl who ever emerged from McComb, Mississippi, is once again on a mission to make us dance. This spring, the greatest pop star of our generation returns with Femme Fatale, a suite of hits destined for good times, late nights, and heavy clubland rotation. Filled with brazen, sexual lyrics against an aggressive, Euro-style beat, the album’s first single, “Hold It Against Me,” shot to number one in nineteen countries within hours of its release in January. The fans, it seems, have been waiting. At age 29, Spears has achieved a level of fame and notoriety that might make continued success an easy prospect. Yet she remains anything but asleep at the wheel. Fatale finds Spears in control of her image and her sound, building on a decade-strong brand of feel-good pop. If we love Spears (and we undoubtedly do), it’s because she’s a constant reminder of the fun and freedom we’ve enjoyed, and a harbinger of sunny days ahead. She is good times preserved in amber. We don’t ever want her to change. She’s perfect just the way she is.



V As a child, what did you imagine fame would be like?
BS I don’t think I thought about “fame” when I was a child. I knew I wanted to perform and I knew I wanted to be on stage but I don’t think I ever thought about fame or what comes with being famous.

V Do you think you were destined to become a star?
BS If not, then God definitely has a strange sense of humor.

V Do you follow astrology?
BS A little. I like to believe there is a little magic in the world, but I also believe we choose our own path.

V When did you first realize you were famous?
BS Am I famous?

V Define a femme fatale.
BS A woman who is sexy and strong, dangerous and mysterious, cool and confident.

V If your Circus album represented a comeback, what does Femme Fatale represent?
BS I think Femme Fatale speaks for itself. I worked really hard on it and spent almost two years recording it. I think it’s the best album I have ever made. There’s nothing to say. I’ll let the music speak for me.

V What direction are you taking with the sound?
BS I wanted to make a fierce dance record where each song makes you want to get up and move your body in a different way. That’s what I want from the music I listen to. This record is for the clubs, or something you play before you go out at night. It’s definitely my edgiest and most mature sound yet.

V Would you consider this new album a revolution or an evolution?
BS It’s a little of both. There are songs on this album that don’t sound like anything else and are completely revolutionary, but I also believe that this album expresses where I am today as a woman and is an evolution of who I am.

V What is your favorite song on the album and why?
BS I really love “On the Rocks” because it sounds so different from anything I have ever heard. It’s so cool and quirky.

V These days it seems everyone collaborates with everyone else, yet you have always been very selective. Would you collaborate again? Who would you like to collaborate with next?
BS You’ll just have to wait and see…

V You have your finger on the pulse. How do you discover new artists, collaborators, and genres of music?
BS I like music that makes you move and connects with your soul. I like to feel inspired right away when I listen to new music. I always have songs being sent to me from new artists and producers from all over the world, which is really cool. From there I just follow my heart.

V What have you been listening to on your iPod lately?
BS I love the Black Eyed Peas. They always put me in a good mood. I listen to them a lot. I love Christina [Aguilera]’s “Woo Hoo,” and “Paper Planes” by M.I.A. I CANNOT stop listening to “We No Speak Americano” by Yolanda Be Cool & DCup.

V Everybody knows you as Britney the pop star. What are some of your talents and interests that might surprise people?
BS I love to cook, especially for my boys. I also make a mean southern sweet tea from a recipe my mom passed on to me. It’s really good. I love it. I make it for my boys all the time.

V Despite the ups and downs in your past, you’ve always come out on top. What is the secret to your success?
BS I have learned to always stay true to myself and never let what other people say about me change who I am. It’s a really important lesson that took me a long time to learn.

V What makes you happy?
BS My boys.

V What makes you sad?
BS When people are cruel to each other.

V Your every move is reported in the media. What are your tricks to staying balanced and not letting it get to you?
BS I’m past all of that. I try to block it all out and not pay attention to anything they write about me in the magazines or online. I’m done with that.

V In the past you allowed your fans a great deal of access into your world, much more so than now. Do you feel you’ve become guarded?
BS A little bit. I think it’s easier to let people in when you’re younger, but when I became a mother I wanted more privacy for myself and my children. A life away from my life.

V What motivates you to keep doing what you do?
BS I love making new music for my fans, I love performing for my fans, and most importantly, I love my fans. I am so lucky to have their support. They drive me.

V If you walked away from it all tomorrow, what would you do instead? What would you miss the most? The least?
BS I’d be a full-time mom which would be cool. I’d miss my fans and all of the love the most, but I definitely would not miss having my picture taken everywhere I go. I wouldn’t miss showering in arenas either. So gross!

V What would you like people to know about you today?
BS That the bitch is back and better than ever! [Laughs]

V Where do you see yourself in ten years?
BS Right here!

V What do you feel will be your legacy?
BS Two amazing boys and a lot of music that hopefully brings a lot of people a lot of happiness.


Britney Spears’s Femme Fatale is out in March 2011 from Jive