Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981), is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in
McComb, Mississippi and raised in
Kentwood,
Louisiana, Spears first appeared on national television in 1992 as a contestant on the
Star Search program, and went on to star in
Disney Channel's television series
The New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994. After a brief membership with the
pop musical group
Innosense, Spears signed a recording contract with
Jive Records, releasing her debut album
...Baby One More Time in 1999. The album established her as a
pop icon and "bona fide pop phenomenon", credited for influencing the revival of
teen pop in the late 1990s.
Spears is ranked as the eighth
best-selling female recording artist in the United States according to the
Recording Industry Association of America with 31 million
certified albums and one of the
world's best-selling music artists having sold an estimated 83 million records worldwide.
Spears also holds the title to multiple
Guinness World Records.
