Britney Spears

Britney Spears seemed destined for stardom from childhood, dancing in local revues and singing in the Baptist church choir. She subsequently studied at the Professional Performing Arts School, New York and at 11 won a regular spot on the Disney Channel's The New Mickey Mouse Club. In 1997 she joined girl group innosense and was then signed by Jive Records as a solo act, opening for 'N Sync and Backstreet Boys on tour. Promoted by a controversial video showing her dancing suggestively dressed in school uniform, her first single Baby One More Time hit Number 1 in both the US and UK and became the top-selling single of 1999. Oops!...I Did It Again and a string of other hits followed with the world fascinated by every detail of her life. The pressures seemed to unhinge her but, after a spell in rehab, Womanizer - from the 2008 album Circus - became her first Number 1 for nearly a decade.