Britney Spears has been in the news since Tuesday after she sparked concern among her fans when she shared a video of herself dancing with knives on social media.
Though the 41-year-old American pop star has been ever-present on Instagram, making regular posts, her fans were left concerned after she uploaded a video of her dancing in her home with the knives on Tuesday.
Lets delve more into her personal life, her family, and her career so far.
Full name, family and early life
Born Britney Jean Spears on December 2, 1981 in McComb, Mississippi, U.S., the American singer who helped spark the teen-pop phenomenon in the late 1990s and later endured intense public scrutiny for her tumultuous personal life is the second child of James “Jamie” Parnell Spears and Lynne Irene Bridges.
Her siblings are Bryan James Spears and Jamie Lynn Spears. Britney was baptized as a Southern Baptist and sang in a church choir as a child. As an adult, she has studied Kabbalist teachings.
On August 5, 2021, Spears announced that she had converted to Catholicism. Her mother, sister, and nieces Maddie Aldridge and Ivey Joan Watson, are also Catholic.
However, on September 5, 2022, after Spears’s ex-husband, Kevin Federline, and youngest son did an interview defending her father’s actions during her conservatorship, she stated: “I don’t believe in God anymore because of the way my children and my family have treated me. There is nothing to believe in anymore. I’m an atheist y’all”.
How early did she start performing?
Spears began singing and dancing at age three and was soon competing in talent shows in Kentwood, Louisiana, grew up.
At age eight she auditioned for Disney’s television show The All New Mickey Mouse Club but was deemed too young for the program. The impressed producers did, however, encourage her to get an agent in New York City, and she began spending her summers there, attending the Professional Performing Arts School.
During this period the now 41 year-old started making television commercials and in 1991 appeared in Ruthless, an Off-Broadway play. Two years later Spears finally became a cast member of The All New Mickey Mouse Club, joining an ensemble of Mouseketeers that included future pop stars Justin Timberlake (with whom she was later romantically linked) and Christina Aguilera according to Britannica.
How successful has Britney been in her career?
Britney is often referred to as the “Princess of Pop“, She is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Spears has sold over 100 million records worldwide, including over 70 million in the United States, making her one of the world’s best-selling music artists.
She has earned numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award, 15 Guinness World Records, six MTV Video Music Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards (including the Millennium Award), the inaugural Radio Disney Icon Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Her heavily choreographed videos earned her the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
Has Britney ever been married?
In August 2023, new details about the state of Britney Spears and her partner Sam Asghari’s relationship prior to the announcement of their divorce emerged after just 14 months of marriage.
Sam and Britney got married in a star-studded ceremony at the US singer’s home in Los Angeles in June 2022, that was attended by high-profile celebrities including Madonna, Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore and Paris Hilton.
It came after the couple met on the set of the Slumber Party music video in 2016, before getting engaged in September 2021.
The 41-year-old Toxic singer’s marriage to the personal trainer-turned-actor, 29, officially collapsed on August 16 when Asghari filed a petition for their separation, citing “irreconcilable differences”.
Instagram slideshows posted by Sam revealed him not wearing his ring in the weeks leading up to their split.
Spears had also not been wearing her wedding ring for months.
The marriage to Asghari is Spears’ third, having divorced Kevin Federline, with whom she shares two children – Sean and Jayden, in 2007.
She also married Jason Alexander in 2004, but it was annulled after just 55 hours.
Did she really brandish knives in an Instagram video?
In the Instagram post, Spears was seen tapping the knives, which she later revealed were fake, together while her dogs were seen around her.
Alongside the video, which had disabled comments, the Toxic hitmaker wrote in the caption: “I started playing in the kitchen with knives today!”
She later updated the caption explaining: “Don’t worry they are NOT real knives! Halloween is soon.”
After sharing the post, many of her social media fans commented about their concern for the Toxic songstress online, with one tweeting: “Ohhh Brit Brit I would have believed you if you didn’t clink them together.”
“She says they are not real but they look and sound real to me. This is concerning,” a second wrote.
A third added: “Wild behaviour! You can literally hear the metal clinking”.
What is her Net Worth?
After triumphant legal battles and an impressive musical career, Britney now commands a sizable net worth.
As of 2023, based on prior year reports from Forbes, the iconic pop sensation boasts an approximate net worth of $60 million.