Britney Spears’ Ups and Downs Over the Years

Britney Spears’ career and personal life have faced a series of ups and downs over the years. Spears first showed off her vocal skills on the singing competition Star Search at 10 years old in 1992. Following a stint on The Mickey Mouse Club, she signed a record deal with Jive Records in 1997 and created chart-topping hits. As Spears’ popularity continued to grow, so did the attention on her personal life. Spears married her backup dancer Kevin Federline in October 2004 after a whirlwind romance. The twosome later welcomed sons Sean Preston and Jayden James. In 2007, Spears made headlines for a very public breakdown, which lead her to temporarily lose primary custody of her boys. She was also placed under a legal conservatorship in February 2008, which gave her father, Jamie Spears, control over her finances and her person. In February 2021, Hulu released an episode of The New York Times Presents titled “Framing Britney Spears,” which renewed public interest in her conservatorship. A j