Britney (album)
Britney is the third studio album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on October 31, 2001, by Jive Records.
Britney
October 31, 2001
February–July 2001
- 2nd Floor (Orlando)
- Battery (New York City)
- Hit Factory Criteria (Miami)
- Jailhouse (Horsens)
- Maratone (Stockholm)
- Master Sound (Virginia Beach)
- Record Plant (Los Angeles)
- Right Track (New York City)
- Rusk Sound (Los Angeles)
- Sound on Sound (New York City)
- Sterling Sound (New York City)
- The DOJO (Jackson)
- The Hit Factory (New York City)
- Westlake (Los Angeles)
- Windmark (Virginia Beach)
39:47
- BT
- Rodney Jerkins
- Brian Kierulf
- Peter Kvint
- Max Martin
- The Neptunes
- Rami
- Josh Schwartz
- Justin Timberlake
Looking to transition from the teen pop styles of her first two studio albums ...Baby One More Time (1999) and Oops!... I Did It Again (2000), Spears began to embrace a significantly more mature sound with Britney. The record incorporates genres of pop and R&B with influences of EDM and occasionally dips into disco, hip hop, rock, and electronica. Its lyrical themes address the subjects such as coming of age, adulthood, control, and sexuality. Contributions to its production came from a variety of collaborators, including Max Martin and Rami Yacoub. Spears herself assumed a more prominent role in the album's development, co-writing six of its tracks.
Britney received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented Spears' musical progression but criticized her increasingly provocative image. Regardless, the album was a global commercial success and debuted atop the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 746,000 copies, making Spears the first female artist to have her first three studio albums debut atop the chart, a record she would later break with her fourth studio album In the Zone (2003). The album received a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards (2003). With worldwide sales of over 10 million copies, Britney is one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century.
Britney produced six singles. "I'm a Slave 4 U" reached the top ten in 20 countries but peaked only at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Spears's first lead single not to peak within the top ten. "Overprotected" also achieved international commercial success but peaked only at number 86 the US Billboard Hot 100.[a] "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman", "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" and "Boys" reached the top ten in several countries but all failed to enter the US Billboard Hot 100,[b] while "Anticipating" was released exclusively in France instead of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll". To further promote the album, Spears embarked on her fourth concert tour, titled Dream Within a Dream Tour, from November 2001 until July 2002.
Commercial performance[edit]
Britney debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 745,750 copies, which was the second highest first week sales by a female artist at the time behind Spears' own Oops!... I Did It Again which sold 1.3 million copies in its first week.[70][71] In doing so, Spears became the first woman to have her first three studio albums debut atop that chart.[28] She also held the second-highest debut album sales of 2001, behind Celebrity by NSYNC with 1.88 million units moved and was the highest debut-week sales by a female artist of the year.[71] After fluctuating within the top 20 of the chart in the following weeks, Britney sold 3.3 million copies by March 2002.[72] As of March 2015, Britney has sold 4.4 million units in the United States alone and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[73]
Internationally, Britney debuted atop the Canadian Albums Chart with first-week sales of 44,550 copies.[74] It later sold 316,944 copies in the country, a significant decline in relation to the sales of ...Baby One More Time (1999) and Oops!... I Did It Again (2000).[75] The album peaked at number four on both the Oricon Albums Chart in Japan and the UK Albums Chart.[45] In the latter, it was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 300,000 copies to retailers.[76] Across the rest of Europe, Britney debuted at number one in Austria,[77] Germany,[78] and Switzerland.[79] In 2002, it was certified double platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for shipments of two million copies throughout Europe.[80] The album also peaked at number four in Australia, and was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[81] Britney was the fifth best-selling album of 2001 globally, selling seven million copies.[82] By January 2003, the album had sold ten million copies worldwide.[83]
Notes