Pop star Britney Spears is back in the headlines.
A New York Times documentary released this week is providing riveting insights into her music career, controversial relationship with her father and the machinations of an unforgiving music industry.
While Framing Britney Spears makes for some harrowing viewing, the documentary has also sparked a reappraisal of Britney's work, with a new generation of fans checking out her song catalogue on streaming sites.
They will find a lot of good material on offer. Since her emergence 22 years ago, Britney has built an impressive body of work that not only helped define the pop sounds of the early 2000s, but also ushered in the dance music wave dominating the charts and festivals today.
Her work also provides an unvarnished look into her innermost thoughts during what went on to become a tumultuous career.
From the innocent sounds of ... Baby One More Time to the angry defiance of Piece of Me, Britney's catalogue tells the story of a teenager's public transition to adulthood with all the joys and pain that comes along the way.
Here are 10 songs that best showcase that journey.
1. ‘... Baby One More Time’ (1998)
What an arrival: Britney transitioned effortlessly from Disney children’s television star to pop music stardom with one of the all-time greatest debut singles.
The first of many successful partnerships with Swedish producer Max Martin, the earworm is built upon brilliantly ascending melodies that lead to an explosive chorus straight out of the Abba handbook.
2. ‘Sometimes’ (1999)
A major theme throughout Britney’s career is that pull between youth and adulthood. This is why each album is packed with both playfully upbeat tracks and heartfelt balladry.
Sometimes is good example of the latter, an uplifting and glossy ballad where Britney admits to being a little complicated. Just how deep that feeling ran would be proven years later.
3. 'Oops!... I Did It Again' (2000)
Britney announced herself as a diva in waiting with this sublime piece of pop music. More than the smooth hooks, what makes this song brilliant is the production from Swedish pop-meister Martin.
This song was a first-rate example of their partnership, in which a premium was placed on melodies and vocals delivered with pin-point precision. This track should be prescribed listening for any pop songwriting masterclass.
4. ‘Lucky’ (2000)
Once again, Britney counteracted the raised eyebrows caused by the slightly racy Oops!... I Did It Again with a refined power ballad. Interestingly, the lyrics detail "a Hollywood girl" who is "lost in an image, in a dream".
Did Britney already begin to feel the corrosive nature of the music business only two years into her career?
5. 'I'm a Slave 4 U' (2001)
With this heady single, Britney decidedly moved away from the bubblegum pop of her first two albums for a more adult sound. This means harmonies were jettisoned for heaving beats and sweet vocals made way for more sultry and panting sounds.
As well as being a global hit, the track was responsible for one of the great VMA Awards performances, where Britney took to the stage in 2004 draped with a white python.
6. 'I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman' (2002)
With a title that can also be used to sum up the thin line Britney has skirted throughout her career, this decent ballad has the singer really focusing on the emotional turmoil that comes with transitioning to adulthood.
Being a grown-up is not just about big night outs, as in the preceding single I'm a Slave for 4 U, but also being more circumspect and independent. "There is no need to protect me," she sings. "It's time that I learn to face up to this on my own."
7. ‘Toxic’ (2004)
The best of Britney's clubby tracks, Toxic is an absolute banger with an east-meets-west production that melds bhangra drums and Bollywood strings with darting synth and surf guitars. Capped off by Britney's arresting and slinky vocals, it went on to land the star her first Grammy in 2004 for Best Dance Recording.
8. ‘Piece of Me’ (2007)
If you are a lifelong Britney fan, anything from 2007's Black Out album will be hard to listen to. Not because of its quality, which was strong enough, but because it was recorded during a period where Britney was at her lowest ebb.
Amid a well-publicised string of increasingly erratic behaviours, the fact she was able to produce decent material was a miracle in itself.
Piece of Me is sturdy dance number powered by squelchy electro synth riffs. The track also finds a defiant Britney taking aim at her media critics.
“I'm Miss American Dream, since I was 17,” she says in the opening verse. “Don't matter if I step on the scene, or sneak away to the Philippines. They're still going to put pictures of [me] in the magazine.”
9. ‘Perfume’ (2013)
It’s good to see Britney sing again with feeling. After four albums full of dark, claustrophobic and, at times, angry club tracks, Britney delivers a more optimistic turn in this late career highlight.
Sure, the synths and EDM beats are here, but they don’t dominate and allows Britney to deliver her most heartfelt vocal performance in years.
10. ‘Matches’ (2020)
With her latest track, Britney reminds us of her carefree sounds of old. Matches recalls her early collaborations with producer Martin and the result is an exuberant piece of pop music.
The fact that the track features the Backstreet Boys gives it an extra level of pathos. Both artists came up together and suffered their own share of public setbacks. This makes Matches more than breezy pop song, but a statement of survival.
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia on October 10
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
RESULTS
5pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Purebred Arabian Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Cup Listed (TB) Dh 380,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
6.30pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Group 3 (PA) Dh 500,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Jewel Crown Group 1 (PA) Dh 5,000,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Messi, Pat Dobbs, Timo Keersmaekers
7.30pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Handicap (PA) Dh 150,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Harrab, Ryan Curatolo, Jean de Roualle
8pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Company%20Profile
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
Racecard
2pm Handicap Dh 90,000 1,800m
2.30pm Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m
3pm Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m
3.30pm Jebel Ali Classic Conditions Dh300,000 1,400m
4pm Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m
4.30pm Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m
5pm Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m
5.30pm Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m
The National selections:
2pm Arch Gold
2.30pm Conclusion
3pm Al Battar
3.30pm Golden Jaguar
4pm Al Motayar
4.30pm Tapi Sioux
5pm Leadership
5.30pm Dahawi
RESULTS
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
