None Better Than Brits: Why Britney Spears Is The Reigning Pop Queen

We asked our members if they thought Brittney Spears was still the reigning pop queen. Here’s our favourite answer.

“It’s Britney, b****.”

Instantly recognisable by almost everyone, these three words alone highlight just how substantially the impact of Britney Spears has seeped into our lives, consciously or not.

Undoubtedly the most iconic musician and pop culture symbol of the 21st century (so far), Britney has transformed the music industry, redefined genres and served us hit after hit, engraving her status as the reigning pop queen.

I was merely a fetus when Britney dropped her ground-breaking debut single “...Baby One More Time” in 1998, though the timelessness of this song and those that followed undeniably affirm how Britney has transcended the barriers of age and time.

She shook the world to its core, selling more than 100 million records over her decade-spanning career. It would be inappropriate to compare Spears to her fellow peers in the music industry, considering her presence in the public eye began long before she was even an adult, before the internet, before the digitisation of music. No other purported “pop queen” has had a more widely publicised and influential life than Britney.

What differentiates Britney from other pop stars is that her status as a “pop culture icon” unquestionably extends beyond her already enormous impact on music itself. Her underlying influence lies in her journey, hardships and ability to overcome adversities and transform for the better.

People often belittle the magnitude of her breakdown in 2007, reducing this excruciating period of time to a series of jokes.

People often forget that the entire world watched her helplessly fall apart, the media and paparazzi relentlessly documenting her every move and misfortune. We were dangerously close to losing her; losing someone that people seemed to forget was a human being just like everyone else.

Yet despite all this, she got back on her feet, continued fighting and most importantly, showed the world that you can recover and bounce back from anything. Almost ten years after her infamous performance at the 2007 MTV VMAs, she made her glorious return to that same stage last week to cement her status as the reigning pop queen.

Britney’s performance was about more than just her singing and her dancing. It marked her metamorphosis of self, her ability to overcome her struggles and past failures, and her physical and emotional revival. It is this confidence that continues to inspire me and others - that there is always hope things will get better.

Yes, Britney’s popularity may have faded and become overshadowed by the new wave of pop stars (her latest album debuted at #4 on the ARIA charts this week), but no one will ever be able to replicate her success, her achievements and her influence. The enduring impact she has made on the music industry, popular culture and the world can never be matched.

Britney is the reigning pop queen because there are no others like her. She did not enter the industry as an image of anyone else; she is a trendsetter - the first and the only Britney Spears.

I mean, who else can Instagram a stock image of corn and a blurry photo of bread and send the world into a frenzy? Only the legendary Miss Britney Spears.

Congratulations to Argus for winning this writing challenge, answering: None Better Than Britney. Argus wins a $50 Westfield gift card for his submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!

Photo: YouTube / BritneySpearsVEVO.