Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer and actress. Born in
McComb, Mississippi, and raised in
Kentwood, Louisiana, she performed acting roles in stage productions and television shows as a child before signing with
Jive Records in 1997. Spears's first and second studio albums,
...Baby One More Time (1999) and
Oops!... I Did It Again (2000), became international successes, with the former becoming the best-selling album by a teenage solo artist. Title tracks "
...Baby One More Time" and "
Oops!... I Did It Again" broke international sales records. In 2001, Spears released her self-titled third studio album,
Britney, and played the starring role in the film
Crossroads (2002). She assumed creative control of her fourth studio album,
In the Zone (2003), which yielded the worldwide success of the "
Toxic" single.