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Britney Spears and the UK


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Old 18-11-2011, 12:04
LynxSoldier
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What went wrong? I find it ironic how her last biggest hit here was imo one of her worst singles (Womanizer) while songs that are exactly what the UK public likes at the moment (Till The World Ends, I Wanna Go and to a lesser extent, Criminal) flopped and recieved no support on TV/Radio, and has resulted in a huge decline in interest for her and her music.

I am just curious as to why radio just doesn't seem to want to play her songs at all. As an example, JLS' She Makes Me Wanna is a replica of I Wanna Go, yet the former went to #1 with huge radio support while I never heard the latter on any radio station during its release.

The songs are doing great elsewhere in the world yet the UK media have no love for Britney at the moment. Constructive comments please, not saying no negative opinions, but if you have never liked her coming in and posting "she has always sucked, the UK public are just smarter now" is just pointless.
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Old 18-11-2011, 12:20
AdzPower
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I have always loved Britney and her music, I think the problem is that a) she has been lost this year among all the huge names, Gaga, Rihanna, Jessie J, Katy B etc, b) I think the miming rumours really harmed her fanbase, people were acting as if it was something new but a lot of people were turned off by that, and finally c) I think there is a stigma attached to her after she had the breakdown, I dunno why, but Brits tend to shy away from that sort of stuff, you'd think a bout of depression would make her more relatable but whatever, oh i just thought of something else d) she does f all promotion here anymore, a couple of radio interviews and no tv performances results in no one even realising she has new music out!
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Old 18-11-2011, 12:36
glyn9799
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I seriously cannot believe that whilst she was in the UK last month she didn't book any interviews or tv appearances. Who the hell is managing her???

She doesn't get anywhere near the exposure of artists like Rihanna, KAty Perry, Lady Gaga etc. Having said that I saw her in Newcastle and she does seem to be away with the fairies. I just get the impression she doesn't really care anymore
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Old 18-11-2011, 12:36
Anika Hanson
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I have always loved Britney and her music, I think the problem is that a) she has been lost this year among all the huge names, Gaga, Rihanna, Jessie J, Katy B etc, b) I think the miming rumours really harmed her fanbase, people were acting as if it was something new but a lot of people were turned off by that, and finally c) I think there is a stigma attached to her after she had the breakdown, I dunno why, but Brits tend to shy away from that sort of stuff, you'd think a bout of depression would make her more relatable but whatever, oh i just thought of something else d) she does f all promotion here anymore, a couple of radio interviews and no tv performances results in no one even realising she has new music out!

I think you make a good point. Mariah Carey has also been blacklisted by the UK in general since her breakdown. It's strange because in the US they root for people to make a comeback but over here people seem to wash their hands of pop stars once they have fallen off the wagon.
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Old 18-11-2011, 13:06
cnbcwatcher
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I think the problem is that she's just not popular any more, especially in the UK. Lady Gaga (who I am also a fan of), Rihanna etc have taken over and seem to get more exposure than Britney. I thought the FF era would be her best comeback yet and it is a good album but it's a shame the singles have flopped
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Old 18-11-2011, 15:33
swaydeto12
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I seriously cannot believe that whilst she was in the UK last month she didn't book any interviews or tv appearances. Who the hell is managing her???

She doesn't get anywhere near the exposure of artists like Rihanna, KAty Perry, Lady Gaga etc. Having said that I saw her in Newcastle and she does seem to be away with the fairies. I just get the impression she doesn't really care anymore
dont blame it all entirely on her, im sure its her whos lazy not just her team, you can see she dont give a shite tbh, excuse my french,
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Old 18-11-2011, 15:35
LynxSoldier
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I have to say I think one of the biggest issues is the autotune. People assume Britney has always used it, yet up until Circus she had only used it on select songs on Blackout (Piece of Me, Radar).

I HATE autotune. It takes all the personality and feeling out of her voice.

She needs a new team. One that understands she IS talented and is at her best when she uses them.
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Old 18-11-2011, 16:03
MCA1992
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A lot of it is due to poor management - Jive couldn't handle Britney very well internationally with Circus or FF but they seemed to manage pretty well in the US - she had plenty of promo to launch the album and the hype seemed to continue with I Wanna Go but internationally she's done nothing except a couple of five minute talks on afternoon radio/TV which is really bad. I reckon if the promo was done properly then things could change for Brit.
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Old 18-11-2011, 16:22
O.Michel
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It's not about Britney as an artist, it's about the music she releases.After 12 years in the game, people expect something different from her.'Gimme More' and 'Piece Of Me' are her only top 3 hits in the UK from 2005 to date and that speaks volumes about how her music should be.She had a lot of momentum before 'Femme Fatale' was released, but she lost it all in a spectacular way when she released the video for HIAM and especially her 2nd single.The album was supposed to be her real comeback and the video showed that she was by no means serious about this era, while the 2nd single was rushed due to the leak and it sounded identical to every other song on the radio.That's not what people wanted from Britney!This whole era, from the cover of the album to the promo (the lack of thereof to be exact) is very sloppy, so it doesn't fully reflect Britney's future, but it was definetely not as good as it should have been.Her label shutting down was also a notable factor tbh...

When Britney comes back, she should REALLY focus on the quality of music.Her label wants to milk her out, but if they pledge some time to find some great innovative producers, if they find a new fresh image for her, if they really convince her to go ALL out for a REAL comeback, then Britney will be on top again
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Old 18-11-2011, 16:45
Monster101
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well i absolutly love the Femme Fatale album.
the overseas promotion for her has been dire to say the least.
but i agree with what others have said, other artists in the UK are overshadowing her.
shes also no longer a 'hyped' artist, shes been around over 10 years and she needs to be doing TV shows etc to show what sort of a person she is now.
can someone name one chat show britney has done in the UK in the past 5 years ?? (not including those press junket things)
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Old 18-11-2011, 16:49
glyn9799
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can someone name one chat show britney has done in the UK in the past 5 years ?? (not including those press junket things)
The last time I saw her on a UK interview was V Graham Norton and that was back when Toxic/In The Zone came out! Since then i've only seen her perform on X Factor in 2008
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Old 18-11-2011, 17:39
officialleafan
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I think Femme Fatale has been one of the best albums in recent years; I don't believe auto tune is to blame to be honest, majority of the songs that have got Number 1 have had some form of auto tune in them.

I honestly don't know why she hasn't had better success, I was sure when I heard the album her singles would be pretty successful, but I was wrong.
And I have seen her do interviews over here; she's been on Daybreak & Ok! TV this year, she filmed Criminal over here too, I think they've tried to get her some recognition in the UK, but It's failed miserably. Like I said, I don't understand why...
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Old 18-11-2011, 17:40
Star_Bright
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She doesn't do much promotion, maybe she can't be bothered?

And lets face it, she doesn't really need to, she's minted. Minimal effort = she still makes millions.

I'd do the same thing if I was her
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Old 18-11-2011, 19:37
SexiRokStarr
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More' and 'Piece Of Me' are her only top 3 hits in the UK from 2005 to date
Actually Womanizer got to #3 in 2008
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Old 18-11-2011, 21:02
TheChicagoBaron
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She's always been the popstar everyone loves to hate, buying and enjoying her music but mocking her at the same time. A bit like American Idol, I suppose.

But in the UK, she's not getting that anymore - because the personality is gone, there's indifference. Every popstar needs a personality, but since her recovery (apart from a few incidents) she's hidden it away.
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Old 18-11-2011, 21:18
Smerph
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She's just not very good any more. She doesn't engage with the audience, there's this incessant need to shock and her tunes have been unmemorable.
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Old 18-11-2011, 21:38
TheChicagoBaron
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She's just not very good any more. She doesn't engage with the audience, there's this incessant need to shock and her tunes have been unmemorable.
Where's the "incessant need to shock"? The only relatively controversial thing she's done from Femme Fatale is the Criminal music video.
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Old 18-11-2011, 21:51
Rooftopcowboy
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The promotion is very lazy, as others have pointed out she hasn't bothered to grace UK TV screens with her presence since 2008. Even the big sellers such as Coldplay, Adele and Madonna bother to come and do some interviews and promo...

the 2nd issue is that the miming has gone beyond a joke, and she can't even use the excuse of having to mime because of complex dance routines anymore (generally her routines are half-hearted stomps these days)

her contemporaries such as Rihanna and Katy Perry may not sing 100% live all the time, but generally they at least bother to sing live with a backing track.

lastly her work has got lazier and lazier since the excellent Blackout, Womanizer was a catchy hit...but since then we've had forgettable tracks such as '3', cheap innuendos like 'If You Seek Amy' and the generic dance/dub-step dirge we've had this year.

where is the artist that brough us 'Hit Me Baby' 'Oops' 'Toxic' 'Everytime' 'Gimme More' and other big tracks?
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Old 18-11-2011, 22:25
ItsTimmyTime
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I don't think it's one thing, I think it's a combination of factors, all of which are severely detrimental, and combined are career destroying!
1). Her management are not doing their job. They should be managing her career, lining up promo performances, interviews and public appearances. It is ridiculous. Europe is a fricking whole other continent/market for Britney and they've shunned it, so in turn, it is seeminly shunning Britney!

2). Poor planning of music videos/releases. HIAM had huuuuge momentum in week one of airplay - the world was taking notice. And yes, the UK release was scheduled for a month later, but it was brought forward due to fan release, but the month of waiting between initial release and video release was too long. Hype and interest had faded out. Even in the States it was negative, because, despite debuting at #1 with massive sales, its barely scraped over a million sales simply because it peaked with hype too earlier, then there was a massive period of silence. TTWE can be classified as the same scenario. IWG seemed like they'd done it right, but the lack of interest around the first 2 singles carried forward to IWG, and nobody knew when it was released. Criminal is suffering from a controversial video not being aired, and its uniqueness is alienating her.

3). A stigma definately surrounds Britney. She is still seen as either bubblegum pop or an absolutely crazy broken down person. People don't give her credit as an artist, and find it embarrassing to buy her music. Negative press is fueling this too. There wasn't much press coverage when she actually defied her critics and sang live on the FF Tour. Negative criticism is obviously better tabloid fodder, and Britney is an easy target.

4). Those rehearsed answers. They're awfully cringeworthy. I don't care that she likes Vanilla Candles, or how many costume changes she has on this tour, and Im a big fan, so the casual fan probably wont either. Bring back the old, fun, nerdy Britney who had no problem saying something silly or having a joke. She looks terrified that she'll forget her lines!


I still love her though...
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Old 18-11-2011, 23:24
LynxSoldier
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I really do hope that Britney and her team have their game faces on for whatever the next musical project she does is. I want to be able to play a new Britney song in a car with friends who know the song exists too! She has the potential to be the best. I think she just has no goal anymore, no motivation, no reason. She said herself she just does it for fun now, and has nothing to prove. That's a good attitude for her personally, but not for her career.
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Old 19-11-2011, 00:11
BadKid95
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It strikes me she needs to do more promo, she needs to either take the reigns or sack her team and start again
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Old 19-11-2011, 01:24
officialleafan
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I don't think it's one thing, I think it's a combination of factors, all of which are severely detrimental, and combined are career destroying!
1). Her management are not doing their job. They should be managing her career, lining up promo performances, interviews and public appearances. It is ridiculous. Europe is a fricking whole other continent/market for Britney and they've shunned it, so in turn, it is seeminly shunning Britney!

2). Poor planning of music videos/releases. HIAM had huuuuge momentum in week one of airplay - the world was taking notice. And yes, the UK release was scheduled for a month later, but it was brought forward due to fan release, but the month of waiting between initial release and video release was too long. Hype and interest had faded out. Even in the States it was negative, because, despite debuting at #1 with massive sales, its barely scraped over a million sales simply because it peaked with hype too earlier, then there was a massive period of silence. TTWE can be classified as the same scenario. IWG seemed like they'd done it right, but the lack of interest around the first 2 singles carried forward to IWG, and nobody knew when it was released. Criminal is suffering from a controversial video not being aired, and its uniqueness is alienating her.

3). A stigma definately surrounds Britney. She is still seen as either bubblegum pop or an absolutely crazy broken down person. People don't give her credit as an artist, and find it embarrassing to buy her music. Negative press is fueling this too. There wasn't much press coverage when she actually defied her critics and sang live on the FF Tour. Negative criticism is obviously better tabloid fodder, and Britney is an easy target.

4). Those rehearsed answers. They're awfully cringeworthy. I don't care that she likes Vanilla Candles, or how many costume changes she has on this tour, and Im a big fan, so the casual fan probably wont either. Bring back the old, fun, nerdy Britney who had no problem saying something silly or having a joke. She looks terrified that she'll forget her lines!


I still love her though...
She sang live? Do you have a link please? I can't believe I've not heard about this yet
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Old 19-11-2011, 01:57
ItsTimmyTime
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She sang live? Do you have a link please? I can't believe I've not heard about this yet
Yeah, like 70% is live. Backing tracks and pre-recorded vocals are present, but she is actually singing. People (her fans) were praising her, and I for one was like "Why didn't she do this all along? She seems so capable!"

Links:
HATLM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYz8h4pvZBI

Up'N'Down/3/Piece of Me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPAmm...eature=related
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Old 19-11-2011, 08:24
kieranyeah123
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It's pretty obvious what happened. Before all the crazy things happened when she was last around in 04/05 she danced well and sung a bit and everyone loved her. Her big comeback in 08 with Circus got everybody talking and people bought tickets for the circus show because they were excited to see a new Britney. If you look on Wikipedia I think she sold out all the tickets and did like 100 shows in America. When people went to see it and saw it was basically ALL mimed many lost all interest in her and now her FF show is bombing because of the last one. If she had come back on this show and sung and did more dancing it would be more popular!
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Old 19-11-2011, 11:28
Eric_Blob
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I don't think people really care that she mimes. Lots of people mime, and it's quite normal in pop music.

And she's still been popular in the US for example.

In the UK, Hold It Against Me got a lot of radio support from the big stations, but didn't really do that well, so the radio stations supported her follow-up single even less. That did even worse in the chart, so I Wanna Go got practically no radio airplay at all.

Mark my words, if Britney gets another song in the top 10 on iTunes again, you'll start hearing it on the radio. I think her next chance at doing that in the UK is when she releases a new songs that's not on the album though.
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