Will Britney Spears case trigger a reckoning in the music industry?
Celebrity columnist Perez Hilton was visibly incensed as he spoke to Sky News today on the “exploitation” of Britney Spears.
He also apologised for the abuse he had given her over the years on his blog, saying he felt “deep shame and regret” for his part in fuelling the media circus that brought Britney to her knees in the noughties.
Justin Timberlake was also quick to tweet support for Britney following her court appearance in which she is trying to overthrow the controversial conservatorship in place since she had a breakdown in 2008.
Justin Timberlake’s support for his ex-girlfriend sits awkwardly
Timberlake’s words of support sit awkwardly next to the apology he issued to his ex-girlfriend after seemingly realising his own contribution to the damage done to the singer over the last 25 years. (He used his music video to brand Spears a cheat, and told the world he took her virginity.)
Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, via his lawyer, said he was sorry his daughter is suffering.
Entertainment journalist Ashley Pearson says the case has confirmed fans’ worst fears – that Spears has been living like a prisoner, but questions whether the conservatorship was needed in the first place and who ultimately is to blame?
“This is not just an overcontrolling dad,” says Pearson.
“He couldn’t do this on his own. There were judges, doctors and experts along the way who agreed to this. Why? What do they know that we don’t?”
Could this episode even trigger a reckoning in the music industry on a similar scale to that of Hollywood and MeToo?
Spears’s life change forever in 1998 when Baby One More Time became a worldwide hit
In the noughties – not unlike Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse – Britney Spears was tabloid fodder, judged not on her talent, but her private life and subsequent collapse of her marriage to Kevin Federline, the father of her two children.
After her breakdown in 2008 she was placed under the conservatorship, with her father assigned her legal guardian – the measures she is currently trying to have lifted.
It seems then Britney did need ‘saving’. Saving from the pressures of fame, the paparazzi, addiction, the people who might exploit, steal from her, use and abuse her.
Music manager Jonathan Shalit understands the harm that can be done when the entertainment industry and media are reckless. He managed Charlotte Church and Tulisa among others.
Shalit finds the Britney case deeply uncomfortable.
The case has put the singer firmly back into the media spotlight. Pic: AP
“In 1998 the world embraced Britney in a manner which would now be regarded as entirely inappropriate. Britney was globally sexualised with endorsement of even her own parents at the age of 17.
“As to whether Britney’s affairs need controlling for reasons alleged they do, the courts need to decide.
“But what I find immensely concerning is that all these years later, it is her father who continues to be the one in control, with so many issues of seemingly legitimate concern about his suitability,” Shalit told Sky News.
If the overriding concern aside from her mental health was that she would end up losing her money, so what?
She wouldn’t be the first star to go broke or file for bankruptcy, Michael Jackson, 50 Cent and MC Hammer have all been there.
Could it be that they were saved from having their assets and finances taken over by a conservatorship because they are men?
A conservatorship is usually reserved for people with dementia and at serious risk of making damaging decisions.
We can only assume the judge who granted this conservatorship had the singer’s best interests in mind, and that most likely her dad did too. But the conservatorship has lasted 13 years, and many question why Spears has only now been permitted to speak publicly about it.
With so many people around her, where was the duty of care? Rock and roll might revel in a reputation for chaos, but the well-oiled machine driving it is anything but chaotic.
Jamie Spears, pictured in 2012, says he saved his daughter from financial ruin. Pic: AP
The priority is understandably ensuring the ‘talent’ is protected so they can continue to be profitable. So you might assume their best interests are guaranteed.
But as this case proves, that’s a dangerous assumption.
And while the world of red carpets, private jets and decadence might seem a long way from most people’s reality, Britney’s story resonates.
By comparing her situation to being “sex trafficked” says it all.
Spears says contraceptives and lithium have been forced on her. That she is a slave. And that her father should be in jail.
The singer’s case is an ’emblem’ for the toxicity of fame, says one PR agent
Having just had her backstory packaged by the revealing New York Times documentary Framing Britney, we were prepared to be shocked by this court appearance, but still this is truly shocking.
It says so much about the controlling nature of the music industry and misogyny in entertainment.
Mark Borkowski, a PR agent and author who worked with Michael Jackson among others, concedes we’d be foolish to write off the case as an isolated or unique situation.
He describes it as a “cypher” and “emblem” for the toxicity of fame.
“There is a dark side of fame… There is currently a state of unhinged acceleration towards a… culture of hyper-egocentrism. These conditions have a profound effect on mental wellbeing. For many, the residue of fame in the 21st century is a pressurised life defined by the crowd,” says Borkowski.
So who next should apologise to Britney? Will all be revealed in the end on Oprah? Will any lessons be learnt about treating women in the spotlight with basic respect and human decency? Watch this space.
Taylor Swift has announced her 12th studio album during an appearance on her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s podcast.
The pop megastar, appearing on New Heights, did not say when the record, titled The Life Of A Showgirl, will be released.
Fans can pre-order the album in various formats now and Swift’s website says physical copies will be shipped by 13 October.
Pic: New Heights
On Monday, Taylor Nation – an official branch of the singer’s marketing team – teased the release on TikTok with a slideshow of 12 images alongside the caption: “Thinking about when she said ‘See you next era…'”
Swift is seen wearing orange in every picture.
A special limited vinyl edition of the album will be released in “Portofino orange glitter”, according to a pre-order page on her site. A special cassette edition is also available for pre-order.
Taylor Swift’s website features The Life of a Showgirl pre-order options. Pic: Reuters
A brief clip from the New Heights podcast, hosted by Swift’s NFL star boyfriend, Travis Kelce and his brother Jason, a former NFL player, was posted on Instagram early on Tuesday.
The video showed Swift pulling a copy of the album from a briefcase with the cover blurred.
The full podcast episode will be released at 11pm on Tuesday, UK time.
Swift is living up to her reputation as pop’s hardest-working star
You might think that after pulling off the highest-grossing tour in history, all while writing and releasing an unexpected record-breaking double album at the same time, Taylor Swift would be happy to take a little break.
But no. The singer-songwriter has announced her 12th album, her sixth in six years.
Since her self-titled debut in 2006, the longest period Swifties have had to wait is just three years, between 2014’s 1989 and 2017’s Reputation; the period in which the star took time out following her public feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
Over the past few years, Swift has also re-recorded and re-released four of her early albums in a (now resolved) battle over the rights to her master recordings.
With the new announcement, she’s living up to her reputation as the hardest-working star in pop.
Album number 12 is titled The Life Of A Showgirl, hinting at inspiration drawn from spending the best part of two years on the road – and perhaps a return to pop after embracing folk and her more gothic side.
Fans are now eagerly waiting to find out what Swift’s new era will bring.
New Heights had previously teased Swift’s appearance by posting an orange image on social media with a mysterious silhouette, which many correctly identified as the pop star.
The Life Of A Showgirl follows Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, released last year during her record-breaking Eras tour, which generated more than $2.2bn (£1.6bn) across two years and five continents, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time.
Read more about Taylor Swift:
Swift’s final London show was the ‘best’
The impact of the ‘excruciating’ Era’s tour
Her new chart record
It marks her first release since she took back control over her entire back catalogue from private equity firm Shamrock Capital for an undisclosed amount.
In an effort to regain control over her music in recent years, Swift has been re-recording and releasing her first six albums. The move was prompted by Hybe America CEO Scooter Braun’s purchase and sale of her early catalogue.
Some of the ‘Taylor’s Version’ releases have included new songs as well as Easter eggs and visuals to offer a deeper understanding of her work.
The four re-recorded albums released so far have been massive commercial and cultural successes, each one entering the Billboard 200 US album chart at number one, helping her become the woman with the most number one albums in history.
Harry and Meghan have signed a new “multi-year, first-look deal” with Netflix, following the deal they struck with the streaming giant five years ago.
Described by the Sussexes as “extending their creative partnership”, while the news quashes rumours the relationship might not be renewed, it would appear to be a less prestigious deal than their first.
With Love, Meghan, has a second season out later this month. Pic: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix
As a “first-look deal” rather than an overall deal, the entertainment giant will be able to say yes or no to their content before anyone else, but they will not be under an obligation to stream it.
Several US outlets have suggested it is a downgrade from the Sussexes’ previous contract, which saw the streaming giant pay for exclusive rights for the content and was thought to be worth more than $100m (£74m).
British PR expert Mark Borkowski described the deal as a “downgrade” and suggested Netflix was “pivoting away” from Harry and Meghan.
Read more: Some call the deal a demotion – but the company still sees them as a power couple
Harry and Meghan set up their media company, Archewell Productions, after quitting as senior working royals in 2020.
Their partnership with Netflix had promised documentaries, docuseries, feature films, scripted shows and children’s television, but has so far only delivered documentaries and docuseries.
These include Harry & Meghan, a six-part series about their departure from the royal household, which is Netflix’s fifth most popular series of all time, and most recently, the lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, which is the streamer’s most-watched culinary show since its release earlier this year.
Speaking about the new deal, Meghan said: “We’re proud to extend our partnership with Netflix and expand our work together to include the As ever brand.”
As ever is Meghan’s lifestyle brand, launched in 2024, and rebranded this year, selling products including jams, shortbread and wine.
Meghan went on: “My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally and celebrates our shared vision.”
(R-L) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Mindy Kaling. Pic: Netflix
Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria called the Sussexes “influential voices” and said their stories “resonate with audiences everywhere”.
New output includes the second season of With Love Meghan later this month, and a Christmas special in December.
Archewell Productions is also working on a documentary about orphaned children in Uganda’s Masaka region, an area heavily hit by the HIV/AIDS crisis, titled Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within, and is developing a feature adaptation of the bestselling romantic novel by Carley Fortune, Meet Me At The Lake.
It comes as Harry has cut ties with his Sentebale charity but has said he still intends to do what he can to help young people in Lesotho, Botswana and Southern Africa.
Entertainment
Some call the Sussexes’ Netflix deal a demotion – but the company still sees them as a power couple
While we’re all desperate to know what this new deal is really worth in dollars and pounds, one thing I can tell you for certain is that Prince Harry and Meghan want us to know they’re delighted that Netflix again wanted to get a deal done.
“Absolutely over the moon” is how it was described to me.
But they’ll also be aware of the attention it’ll attract as we all try to pick apart what it means.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Pic: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix
Firstly because of that ongoing fascination in how they’re making money since stepping away from royal life and losing financial support from the King, but also because of the recent reports that Netflix were intending to cut ties.
Yes this is a different type of deal from their original one in 2020. Some have argued that a “first look deal” looks like a demotion from what they previously signed up to.
With no real clarity on how much their original deal was worth, and no numbers being publicly thrown around this time, that is hard to judge.
But talking to those who know something about these kinds of deals you do get a sense it could potentially be more lucrative than it looks on face value.
With first look deals, yes there is often financial commitments from the likes of Netflix to get that first exclusive look at projects and first refusal.
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Harry claims: War of words continues
But there could be other significant monetary incentives for the Sussexes to sign.
For example, when the Obamas signed a first look deal with Netflix, the streaming service agreed to pay the operational costs for their production company “Higher Ground”.
Could it be that Netflix are also now covering the costs of Archewell Productions?
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
It’s stating the obvious to say that Harry and Meghan continue to divide opinions, some wanting to watch their programmes from a place of respect and fondness, others as a reason to grumble about them.
But signing on this latest dotted line shows Netflix still sees them as a power couple, who attract significant attention and are worthy of investment, whatever that really adds up to.
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