Britney Spears through the years
Despite some hiccups along the way, Britney Spears has been a force on the pop scene for more than two decades. With the pop star turning 31 on Dec. 2, let's take a look at her career so far.
Pop singer Britney Spears burst upon the music scene in 1999 at the age of 17, including her first hit and sizzling video "... Baby One More Time."
Pop singer Britney Spears burst upon the music scene in 1999 at the age of 17, including her first hit and sizzling video "... Baby One More Time."
The cover of Spears' debut album, 1999's "... Baby One More Time"
Spears poses with two of her four trophies backstage at the 1999 MTV Europe awards on Nov. 11, 1999. Spears won Best Female Singer, Best Pop Act, Best Song and Best Breakthrough Act.
Spears performs at the 42nd annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 23, 2000. Spears was nominated in the Best New Artist category, but lost to Christina Aguliera.
"Oops!... I Did It Again" (2000)
Spears and Christina Aguilera appear at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards in New York on Sept. 7, 2000.
Spears performs at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York on Sept. 7, 2000. She was nominated for four awards during her first VMAs, but left empty-handed.
Spears sings during the first night of her U.K. tour at London's Wembley Arena on Oct. 10, 2000.
Spears poses with the two awards she won at the 2000 Billboard Music Awards on Dec. 5, 2000.
Aerosmith's Steven Tyler sings with Spears during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXV on Jan. 28, 2001.
Spears speaks with a fan before the running of the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race on July 7, 2001, at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida.
Justin Timberlake and Spears watch from the sidelines during a charity celebrity basketball game in Las Vegas on July 29, 2001.
Spears performs with a snake during the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards in New York on Sept. 6, 2001.
"Britney" (2001)
Spears in a Pepsi commercial ran during Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002.
Spears made her move debut in 2002's "Crossroads."
Spears with co-star Kim Cattrall in "Crossroads"
U2's Bono kisses the hand of presenter Britney Spears as he accepts the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 27, 2002.
Spears and Timberlake arrive for the Hollywood premiere of "Crossroads" on Feb. 11, 2002.
Spears dances during a sold-out show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas as she kicks off the second leg of her "Dream Within a Dream" tour on May 24, 2002.
Spears accepts her award for Choice Female Artist at the 2002 Teen Choice Awards on Aug. 4, 2002, in Los Angeles.
Spears presents the Performer of the Millennium award to Michael Jackson at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 29, 2002.
Spears gets a kiss from Madonna as they open the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards at New York's Radio City Music Hall on Aug. 28, 2003.
Spears sings during the opening number at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 28, 2003.
"In the Zone" (2003)
Spears at the unveiling ceremony for her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Nov. 17, 2003.
Spears, wearing South Korea's traditional Hanbok costume, poses for photographers during a photo session in Seoul on Dec. 8, 2003.
Spears performs during the Zurich stop of her "The Onyx Hotel Tour" on May 20, 2004, in support of her "In the Zone" album.
Spears and Kevin Federline arrive for the 2004 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2004.
Spears and her sister Jamie Lynn Spears watch a Los Angeles Lakers home game on Dec. 17, 2006.
"Blackout" (2007)
Spears exits her Mercedes Benz as she arrives for a child custody hearing with her ex-husband in Los Angeles on Oct. 26, 2007.
Spears performs during her much-panned "comeback" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 9, 2007.
In the midst of a series of bizarre behavior that had fans scratching their heads, Spears shockingly shaved her own in 2007.
Spears is pictured with an unidentified man on Barrigona beach north of San Jose, Costa Rica, on May 17, 2008.
Spears accepts the award for Best Pop Video for "Piece of Me" at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 7, 2008.
Madonna performs with Spears during her "Sticky and Sweet" tour stop at Dodgers Stadium on Nov. 6, 2008.
"Circus" (2008)
Spears arrives at the Teen Choice 2009 Awards in Los Angeles on Aug. 9, 2009.
Spears' most recent album, "Femme Fatale," came out on March 25, 2011.
Spears performs on ABC's "Good Morning America" at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on March 27, 2011.
Spears arrives at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on Aug. 28, 2011.
Spears is seen here again at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, this time with her former agent-turned-boyfriend Jason Trawick. In December 2011, she announced that she had accepted a marriage proposal from Trawick.
Spears joins fellow "The X Factor" judge Demi Lovato in leaving their signatures in cement at the show's season two premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on Sept. 11, 2012.
