Pop diva Britney Spears became one of music's most successful females in the 1990s. AFP/Corbis. Reproduced by permission.

Sultry Britney Spears is a singer and dancer—and a teen icon (teen symbol) and pop-music princess. Born in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing at local dances and in church choirs. After auditioning for The Disney Channel's updated version of the old Mickey Mouse Club (see entry under 1950s—TV and Radio in volume 3) when she was eight and being turned down because of her age, she secured an agent, studied dance and music in New York, and appeared on television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) commercials and in Off-Broadway plays. Starting at age eleven, she spent two years as a regular on The Mickey Mouse Club, and at fifteen began developing her solo singing career. Soon, she was a worldwide...