These days, it seems as if Britney Spears is constantly in the headlines. Whether it’s the gleeful break from her family’s conservatorship over her or whether she’s reaching out to fans in unique ways on Instagram, the “…Baby One More Time” singer is a lightning rod for news.
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Given that someone is both so famous and so newsworthy, it would be hard to believe that there were still noteworthy things about her that fans and music followers didn’t know. But aha! There are many eyebrow-raising Easter Eggs when it comes to Spears’ lengthy entertainment career.
To wit, let’s dive in. These are five things to know about Britney Spears.
1. Britney Was Originally Rejected by the Mickey Mouse Club
One of the most commonly known facts about Spears is that, along with other 1990s teen stars like Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, she was a member of the Mickey Mouse Club. Born December 2, 1982, Spears was cast in December of 1992 at 10 years old to be in the illustrious Disney kids entertainment group. But two years priors to that when she was eight years old, after traveling from Mississippi to Atlanta to audition for the MMC, Spears was first rejected by casting director Matt Casella because she was too young. Casella did introduce Spears and her mom to talent agent Nancy Carson, who helped her career. In 1994, the MMC was cancelled and Spears went home to Mississippi to figure out the next step.
2. She Started in a Girl Group
Before breaking onto the scene with her 1999 smash hit album …Baby One More Time, Spears got her first big pop music break in 1997 as a member of the girl band Innosense. The group was supposed to be the female counterpart to boy bands of the time, including the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC. Spears left the group not long after, though, to pursue her solo career. Innosense also included members Danay Ferrer, Mandy Ashford, Nikki DeLoach, and Amanda Latona.
3. “…Baby One More Time” was First Meant for TLC
In 1999, Spears burst onto the pop music scene thanks to her song and music video for the track, “…Baby One More Time.” But did you know the legendary rap group TLC, comprised of Left Eye, Chilli, and T-Boz, was given the chance to record the song first? But TLC flat-out rejected it. The group was asked why they passed on it and T Boz from TLC said flatly, “I’m not saying, Hit me, baby. No, disrespect to Britney. It’s good for her. But was I going to say, Hit me baby one more time? Hell no!”
4. Britney Rejected Hit Songs “Umbrella,” “Milkshake” and “Telephone”
Fate giveth and fate taketh away. While Spears had good luck with getting “…Baby One More Time,” she also passed on some big hits, including “Umbrella,” which Rihanna made a smash; “Milkshake,” which Kelis has been cashing checks on for decades; and Lady Gaga’s nearly 500-million YouTube streamed song “Telephone” with Beyonce. Ooops!
5. She Originally Wanted to be a Gymnast
Prior to taking the stage as a pop performer, a young Spears was enrolled in gymnastics classes. She was even taking classes from the famed trainer Béla Károlyi, whose early protege Nadia Comăneci was the first Olympic gymnast to earn a perfect score. These gymnastics classes, however, led to her stage auditions and an ambition to be an athlete gave way to her life as a pop star.
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