MEDIA

INTERVIEWS

"21^st century girl!" TV HITS Magazine July 2000 Issue #143

The future’s shining brightly for Britney! TV HITS meets the planet’s most famous teen to talk fame, fans and future plans…

Hi Brits, you’ve had a mad year, haven’t you?

(laughs) “This year has been amazing. I remember last year at this time, I was just excited because my single went gold. I was like ‘Yeah!’. Finally all this hard work has really paid off and I feel blessed and really thankful.”

Have you had to grow up quickly in the last year?

“Maybe because I surround myself with so many adults all the time, you can’t help but feel a little bit older, from being in the business so long. But I do have the dancers with me, so I have the best of both worlds. I can be stupid and silly, and then I have a time when I focus on my work.”

Your mum and dad made a lot of sacrifices to help you on the way to fame, didn’t they?

“Well, we weren’t always really, really stable but, no matter what, they were always supporting me one hundred percent. When we were in New York we had hard times, and I was lonely. I had a little sister who was just six months old, and it was unheard of to just up from a small town and go to New York City. My mom was always like, ‘Whenever you get tired and lonely, and you just want to go home, baby, we’re going to do that.’ That means a lot to me.”

How tough was it to become famous coming a small town like Kentwood?

“It was really strange because I was always the one telling my mom, ‘I want to go to gymnastics, I wanna go to vocal lessons’ and people were like, ‘You’re taking your child to New York?’. Small town people don’t do that. But mom and dad just knew this is what I wanted to do and they just went that extra mile to support me. I’m just so happy for that. I wouldn’t have had the strengthj to go on if it wasn’t for them.”

What’s the best and worst thing about growing up in Kentwood?

“The best thing is it’s just home. I’ve got my grandpa and my granny so I can just go next door if she’s gonna cook me some pie, you know? It’s just so laid back. But then again, everyone knows your business. That’s the bad thing about it. Everyone’s talking behind your back and stuff like that. So when I do go home I have to keep it a secret.

Do people there treat your differently now?

“No, I mean, there’s a lot more like, ‘Congratulations’ or ‘I’m so happy for you’, and stuff like that but my friends are like my sisters, you know? So when I go home it’s just ‘Oh, let’s go do this, let’s go…’ It’s completely normal. I don’t have to worry about them treating me differently because I’ve known them all my life.”

Do you think growing up in a small place keeps you down to earth?
”I think so, I think I’m more grounded, you know, and I know what I want out of life and my morals are really strong. I have major beliefs about certain things and I think that has helped me, you know, coming from a really small town like I do.”

Your first performances was in church when you were four, doing a reading, wasn’t it?
”I don’t even remember. But I saw a video camera of it and I had my head turned to the side like that (covers her face with her hair) ‘cause I was so nervous, it was so cute.”

You were in a relationship when your career took off, but it ended because you were away, didn’t it?

“Uh huh. When you’re travelling, you just get caught up in so much stuff and there’s no time to have a relationship. I mean, I’m home.. what.. every six weeks? Not even that, now. And it’s just hard to have a relationship and that trust thing. If he doesn’t trust you then there’s nothing there and, you know, the possessiveness. You can’t have that. And I’m young and I just want to have fun right now.”

How do you deal with mad guy fans who’ve fallen in love with you?

“Um, they’re all really, really sweet and I haven’t had any that are freaky. That’s good, I wouldn’t like that at all. So far they’ve been really nice.”

So, you’re never scared?

“Well, there was one time when I was at home and this guy came to my house, but he parked half a block away and – thank goodness – I wasn’t home alone. He came knocking on the door and I was like, ‘oh my goodness’, and it was really freaky. I didn’t like that. But that’s the only thing that’s happened.”

How did you handle your first tour, when you supported *NSYNC?

“Actually, I was really nervous, because I’d seen opening acts before and I’d seen the response. But thankfully the audience’s response to me was great.

Did *NSYNC give you advice?

“No, just that I’ve seen how busy they are, and how much work is involved. If you really love what you’re doing, it’s OK, and it does pay off.”

Was it freaky to see the Britney doll?

“Yeah! There’s, like, six different outfits, too. Then there’s a collectors’ item doll, which is like the $100 doll. It’s really beautiful and everything. I collect dolls, so I was like, ‘Wow!’ And my little sister, she has all of them, so she’s like, ‘Ahh!’ She freaked!”

Do you reckon it looks like you?

“It was really, really weird when I saw the first face. I was like, ‘I know I’m not a supermodel or anything, but I look better than that face, ‘cause the face was really ugly. So they redid it!”

Is music your life, then?

“Yeah, and I always want it to be a part of my life. I just want to grow as a person with each album. I wanna focus on my music right now and if film or something comes up, I’d go for it. But music will always be my main priority. Just like Madonna."