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Cheiron Studios was a recording studio located at Kungsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden founded in 1992 by Denniz PoP and Tom Talomaa. Cheiron Studios was apart from being a recording studio, also a label Cheiron Records in affiliation with BMG for a while, and the music publishing service Cheiron Songs. However as a record company they did not experience any bigger success, they tried different styles like traditional pop and hard rock before Denniz re-shaped its concept to focus mainly on the songs Cheiron became solely a music-production company: Cheiron Productions.

Cheiron is now defunct and closed down its doors in 2000 only to be renamed as The Location. Much of its closing was due to the death of its headmaster Denniz PoP.

Cheiron was the new name of SweMix Records & Publishing after it was sold to BMG.^[1]

1986-1992: From Bootlegs to Worldwide Hits[link]

In 1986 a group of 10 of Sweden's most talentful discjockies founded "SweMix", a remix-service, as a response to DiscoNet, Hot Tracks and DMC.^{[disambiguation needed ]} Those included Dag Volle (Denniz PoP), René Hedemyr (JackMaster Fax), Sten Hallström (StoneBridge), Emil Hellman (SoundFactory) and Johan Järpsten (JJ). At the beginning they were producing and distributed remixes of tracks without permission, so-called "bootlegs", for the limited underground or only for DJs market on their newly founded Remixed Records.^[2] Though being an underground collective, Remixed Records got noticed by, not only Scandinavia, but also Germany, Italy and The Netherlands. Tom Talomaa, a nightclub owner, got involved and supported the studio with more sophisticated equipments. Artists were dropping by SweMix to get a deal or a production. As a result of the requests, two labels were started; Basement Division for the underground and SweMix Records via Swedish Sonet for commercial records.^[3]

SweMix Records signed Swedish dance-acts like Dr. Alban, Kayo, Dayeene, Leila K. and had their first biggest hit with Dr. Alban's Hello Afrika (produced by Denniz PoP). In 1991 the company was divided and sold their Remixed Records remix-service. The following year SweMix further split up into SweMix Productions and SweMix Records & Publishing. The latter was sold to BMG and taken over by Denniz PoP and Tom Talomaa who renamed it to Cheiron and began working in the studio in 1992. SweMix Productions however continued as a production company and a couple of months later StoneBridge makes it famous with his remix of Robin S. – “Show Me Love” which put Sweden on the international map of club music. "Dagge" had up to that time been awarded for Best Remixer and won many DJ competitions, his talent was undeniable.
The newly started Danish record company Mega Records sent the talented producer a demotape by an unknown synthgroup called Ace of Base. The song on the tape was called "Mr. Ace" and it got stuck in Dagge's car-stereo so he had to listen to it over and over until he said "I gotta do something with this" and the solution was to make a reggaetune out of it. The song was recorded at the SweMix Studio by Denniz PoP and the song was renamed to All That She Wants. The song was an unexpected hit and catapulted both Ace of Base and Denniz PoP into stardom. "Dagge" became the group's producer, friend and mentor who shaped their material into what they are known for today.

1992-2000: 8 Years of Incredible Joy[link]

The SweMix collective and Denniz PoP fell apart and so did their musical styles. Denniz PoP was more into commercial and traditional pop while most of the SweMix-members wanted to remain underground and experimental. When he started Cheiron he started to bring in influences from other musical styles than dance-music. He collaborated with partners Douglas Carr.^[4] Swedish artists like Leila K., Papa Dee, Rob'n'Raz and Herbie enjoyed success with him. They quickly realized that publishing records and albums was not their profession since most of the records were proven unsuccessful and financing music videos were too expensive, instead they started to concentrate on what they were really good at, to write and produce songs. The request for Dagge's talent, whose musical productions were proven successful, increased as more upcoming artists wanted his sound, skill and sense for what's working on the dancefloor. To handle the offers he started to hire more people with the same approach. It was in 1994, through Zomba owned by BMG who owned the Cheiron Records label, they began to work with foreign artists.

“… and in came a hard rocker”

"I didn't even know what a producer did, "I spent two years day and night in that studio trying to learn what the hell was going on." - Max Martin , March 19, 2001^[5]

While Cheiron was still a record label, Denniz was seeking a heavier style. Tom Talomaa had promised a Swedish glam-style metal band It's Alive a gig at Ritz, and offered a deal to release their second album Earthquake Visions and got Denniz Pop to shape up the sound on the songs before the album's initial release. The members, stepped into the studio, nervous about the meeting with the great producer it turned out to be an antiklimax. "Dagge", was never taught on any instruments, fumbled among his papers for chords and found instructions where to put his fingers on the keyboard. The members looked at each other, "the guy had no idea about chords at all." The album failed success but its frontman and singer, at that time, "Martin White" (Martin Sandberg) was encouraged to continue and write songs. "Dagge" had this ear for hitting tunes and thought Martin wrote great songs. He then asked Martin if he could write songs for them instead and soon Martin helped him on songs spending more time with Denniz at Cheiron than with the band. "Dagge", who always had an eye for talent, realized that here was a guy with the right musical skills that could compensate his own. Martin proved to be a musical wonder and beat everybody else on their fingers. Since school he was taught to write sheet music and entire partitures for violin for example. Cheiron hired Martin as an in-house producer. Since Denniz was more into traditional pop he changed his alias, like the ladder, to the more “poppier” Max Martin. He forgot to tell him and when Martin discovered there was another name on the sleeve of Herbie he asked Denniz; “Who’s that?”, "Dagge" responded “Oh, it’s you didn’t I tell you?”. "Dagge" became his mentor and after spending some time learning the basics, while doing that he figured the pipe-organic intro of E-Type's - “This is the Way” over a lunch, to prove he could handle the task. The first complete production collaboration between Dag Volle & Martin Sandberg a.k.a. "Denniz PoP & Max Martin" was the Rednex song Wish You Were Here. The song would mark the great start for the Cheiron Productions.^[6]

The duo of Amadin (John AMAtiello and Kristian LunDIN) were hired as songwriters and producers. They were already signed to Dr Alban’s Dr. Records label and had floor hits through the Cheiron/Pitch Control AB label. Duo David Kreuger (a discjockey) and Per Magnusson (a band member)^[7] joined the crew to produce music for various upcoming Swedish and major International artists.

1994 was a really great year for the new Cheiron posse. Denniz and Amadin helped Dr. Alban to produce his third album Look Who's Talking which was a success. Denniz PoP had set up a meeting with an ex-drummer and former host for ZTV Martin E-Type Eriksson. He agreed to produce the songs together with Max Martin and Amadin on his successful debut album Made in Sweden which included the No # 1 hits “Set the World on Fire” and “This is the Way.”

Backstreet Boys and Beyond

The success stimulated the Cheiron crew to progress and the following years would mark their initial era of greatness when foreign artists entered their studio as unknowns and world famous when leaving. Beginning in 1996 until its closure, Cheiron shared a joint production and publishing venture with the Zomba Group.^[8][9] In 1995, Zomba had sent 5 young American boys called “Backstreet Boys” into the studio. Never been to Europe, shy and uneven, they listened to the demo of We've Got It Goin' On written by Denniz PoP, Max Martin and Herbie Crichlow. They respected its mentor since Ace of Base had hit so big in the US. Kristian Lundin and John Amatiello did also collaborate on their self-titled debut album which was released in 1996. Including hits “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)”, which went platinum and landed on #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “We’ve Got It Goin’ On.” Following up with Ace of Base's second successful album The Bridge, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger produced DeDe’s debut album which became an instant hit especially in Japan. Denniz and Martin writes 2 songs with Robyn for her album Robyn Is Here, "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and Show Me Love. Pop/Martin produces Leila K.'s number one hit Electric with its chorus sung by young Jessica Folcker. Army of Lovers also came by the studio to remix their hit Sexual Revolution. One of "Dagge's" dreams was to work with Michael Jackson and got his chance to work with him on Jackson’s nephews 3T's debut album Brotherhood.

"Show Me Love" ended up on the Billboard top 10 and was the feature song in the Swedish movie Fucking Åmål (the English distribution borrowed the song’s title for the film because the original was too obscene for standards). The song is sometimes confused with Robin S's "Show Me Love", because of identical song titles and similar first names.

The #1 Hit Factory

In 1997 songwriter Andreas Carlsson was hired. He had a short career as an artist under the name "Andres" but was invited by Denniz PoP to join him and its incredibly creative milieu. ^[10] The members of Cheiron found themselves involved in projects with major international artists. It all became evident when Backstreet Boys came back to record their second album when screaming fans were hanging outside the studio. Interesting note is that one of the more successful songs Everybody (Backstreet's Back) sounds similar to It's Alive, Martin’s former group. The Irish group Boyzone approached Cheiron for material to put on their new album, "Where We Belong". Magnusson / Kreuger now teamed up with songwriter Jörgen Elofsson, former artist under the name “Shane”, to write the song, "Will Be Yours". Since then the trio have remained close and continue to collaborate on various projects.^[11] Magnusson/Kreuger produced two tracks for the Danish group, Michael Learns to Rock, that were included on their 1998 "Greatest Hits" album: a new version of The Actor and I'm Gonna Be Around.

In 1998, Cheiron Studios worked with new boybands 5ive, 'N Sync and girlband Solid Harmonie, and collaborated with Bryan Adams. This year Pop/Martin writes songs for Swedish starlet Jessica Folcker. Jessica was an aspiring debutee who began as a backing singer for tracks Dr. Alban and Ace of Base. Her debut album Jessica became an instant hit with singles like Tell Me What You Like and How Will I Know Who You Are. Both singles sold platina and got Jessica a Grammy nomination for Best Newcomer and Best Female Artist. "Dagge" was not only her producer, they were also dating til his death.
That same year Denniz PoP receives a Special Grammy Award, shared with Max Martin, with the jury's "Special Honor Award", for their great work and successes which had re-placed Swedish (Dance) music on the world map and have made Sweden the Third largest music exporting country in the world. Unfortunately "Dagge" was getting worse as the cancer continued to invade his body he was unable to be present.^[12] However, while laying in his bed in hospital Martin frequently visited his mentor to get feedback on his songs. One of the songs he performed to him was a song Martin had just came up with in a hotel room in Miami.^[13] The song was originally written with the group TLC in mind but they passed it because they were taking a time out. The song: ...Baby One More Time.^[14]

Cheiron Loses Its Soul

Cheiron's rise to international prominence was tempered by the death of its founder. Only 35 years old, Dag Volle succumbed to cancer on August 31, 1998. He never had the chance to see what his pupils had achieved that year. The studio lost a huge part of its core and music lovers around the world still miss him and talk about him today.^[15]

Max Martin took over as director of Cheiron Studios. The eight remaining songwriters/producers of the company, Max Martin, Rami, Andreas Carlsson, Kristian Lundin, Jake, Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger pushed on through the loss.^[16]

Britney Spears

The staff had this midas touch. Everything they touch on turned into gold. It was now they could seriously call themselves The Hit Factory.”
Martin started to work with writer/producer Rami Yacoub and Jay Orpin (main composer of such artists as Hawthorne Heights) in late 1998 to start production of the Backstreet Boys' next album Millennium. In the spring of 1998 Jive Records sends the studio and Martin a young American girl from Louisiana named Britney Spears who was 16 years old and unknown at the time to record a set of songs written for her including ...Baby One More Time. Little frighted of Martin’s hardrock outfit from his former days, he made her comfortable about the hard work and sound she requested. When she left the studio and Sweden she left it with a universal hitting debut album ...Baby One More Time which topped the charts all over the world. The album became the best-selling LP by a teenager in history and the debut hit single remains Spears' signature to this date. Both albums Millennium and ...Baby One More Time have been certified Diamond Status. Max Martin was the one who made it possible.

Celine Dion

"That's the Way It Is" was written by Max Martin and Kristian Lundin and Andreas Carlsson which Céline Dion gave her voice to. The song was included on her All the Way… A Decade of Song released on November 12, 1999. Prior to her power ballads this was a little more “poppier” song that was the leadoff single for the 7 new singles proceeded by a compilation of Dion’s most successful hits. All the Way… A Decade of Song sold 17 million copies worldwide. What is lesser known is that Celine listened to hundreds of songs sent to her before she choose theirs.

Westlife and Final Years

Magnusson & Kreuger teamed up again with Jörgen Elofsson to work on the debut album of the new Irish boyband, Westlife. Together they wrote three songs that appeared on the record, "Westlife". The song "If I Let You Go" was released in August and went immediately hit the #1 at the UK Singles Chart. "Fool Again", included on the same album, also opened at #1 on the charts.^[17]

In year 2000 was a busy one for Cheiron. They were working with Britney Spears and her second album, "Oops!… I Did It Again" the opening song with the same name was written and produced by Max Martin & Rami. The album broke another sales beyond the 15 millions for Spears' second straight mega success. Westlife's recorded songs for their second album, "Coast to Coast" and the track "My Love" written and produced by Per Magnusson & David Kreuger was released in October and went straight to #1 in the UK. The Backstreet Boys’s had recorded another hit for their "Black & Blue" album “Shape of My Heart” written by Lisa Miskovsky and Max Martin and Rami. The album became a huge international success and was certified platinum 8x over in the US alone.

The many worldwide hits at the Billboard that were recorded in the studio has been labeled as late 90's marks. ”Cheiron” was significant with immediate success and the chart hits, it did not only earn the name “the hit factory”, they WERE "The Hit Factory." Following the untimely death of its founder and head Denniz PoP in 1998 the company folded. Still the Cheiron team is legendary for its achievements in modern pop music.^[18]

"We became famous together, thanks to 'Hello Africa'. Then we did three albums together. Dag was really determined and could take the right, fast decisions. He is the biggest producer ever in Sweden and Europe when it comes to dance music. Without any doubt!" - Dr. Alban^[12]

There's an archived announcement by the crew at the studio's website. "Cheiron was created with the intention of having fun, making a few hits and not getting too serious about it. We feel the 'hype' of Cheiron has become bigger than [the studio] itself and it's time to quit while we're ahead." - Max Martin , September 13, 2000^[19]

The final lineup of company's songwriter/producer when Cheiron was closed are Max Martin, Rami, Andreas Carlsson, Kristian Lundin, Jake, Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson, David Kreuger, Alexander Kronlund and Alexandra.

Studio Equipment[link]

• Controlroom 1: Euphonix CS3000D - 3 - 64
• Controlroom 2: Soundtracs Jade 32
• Controlroom 3: Yamaha 02R
• Editingroom: Power Macintosh G3, Pro Tools, Sound Designer, Masterlist CD

• Main Monitors: "Snake Speakers" S802 ^[20]

2001-present: Closure and Split[link]

The spirit of Denniz PoP and the unique formula at Cheiron is not lost forever. It is kept alive and will be living in the hearts and minds of its former staff who split up so they could do what they wanted to do. Write songs for other artists and keep Sweden as one of the most successful music export countries in the world.

• Max Martin and Tom Talomaa started a new production company named Maratone in January 2001. Studio staff includes Rami Yacoub, Alexandra Talomaa and Arnthor Birgisson.
• David Kreuger and Per Magnusson started A Side Productions.^[21]
• Kristian Lundin and Andreas Carlsson started the production-company The Location and the publishing-company Location Songs at the same location as Cheiron Studios.
• Jörgen Elofsson is enjoying success as a multiawarded freelance songwriter who started the record label Planet Six.
• Herbie Crichlow is writing and producing songs for different artists with huge success.

Artists who have recorded at Cheiron[link]

Worldfamous artists such as 5ive, Ace of Base, Army Of Lovers, Backstreet Boys, Bon Jovi, Boyzone, Britney Spears, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, DeDe, Dr. Alban, E-Type, Gary Barlow, Jessica Folcker, Leila K, LFO, M2M, Meja, Michael Learns to Rock, *NSYNC, Rednex, Robyn, Solid HarmoniE, Vacuum and Westlife have recorded hits at the studio or had their songs written, composed and produced by the staff at Cheiron Productions.

The Cheiron staff[link]

• Denniz PoP (1992–1998)
• Max Martin
• Kristian Lundin
• Andreas Carlsson
• Jörgen Elofsson
• Per Magnusson
• David Kreuger
• Rami Yacoub
• Alexander Kronlund
• Alexandra Talomaa
• Jake Schulze
• Herbie Crichlow
• Douglas Carr
• John Amatiello

Awards and nominations[link]

• Swedish Dance Music Awards 1995 for Best Producer (Denniz PoP)
• Swedish Dance Music Awards 1996 for Best Producers (Denniz PoP & Max Martin)
• Swedish Grammis Special Award in 1997 (Denniz PoP & Max Martin)
• Swedish Grammis Nomination in 1997 for Composer of the Year (Max Martin & Andreas Carlsson)
• Swedish Grammis Special Award in 1999 (Cheiron Productions)
• ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year in 1999 (Max Martin)
• ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year in 2000 (Max Martin)
• ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year in 2001 (Max Martin)

References[link]

• Reportage about Denniz Pop "Pojken med Guldskivorna", by Christer Berglund for Café Magazine, January 1999, Nr. 1

External links[link]

• Official Website Archived
• HitQuarters article on Cheiron and its ongoing influence on modern pop

Coordinates: 59°19′55″N 18°01′34″E / 59.332°N 18.026°E / 59.332; 18.026

Denniz PoP
Birth name	Dag Krister Volle
Born	(1963-04-26)April 26, 1963
Origin	Sweden
Died	August 30, 1998(1998-08-30) (aged 35)
Genres	Pop Eurodance Teen pop
Occupations	DJ Music producer Songwriter

Dag Krister Volle (April 26, 1963–August 30, 1998), better known under the artistic name Denniz Pop (or Denniz PoP), was a Swedish DJ, music producer and songwriter.

Volle began as a DJ in the 1980s, started producing remixed records and later original releases, producing Dr Alban's single "Hello Afrika" in 1990. With Tom Talomaa he started the Cheiron Studios on Kungsholmen in Stockholm in 1991, and the next year recruited Max Martin (Martin Sandberg) to the studio. In the following years he produced and wrote songs for several successful Swedish and foreign artists, including Ace of Base, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, N'Sync, E-Type, Rick Astley, Robyn and 5ive.

Death[link]

In 1998, Dag died of stomach cancer at the age of 35. The video to The Backstreet Boys' "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" was dedicated to him. E-Type's album Last Man Standing commemorates Dag with a dirge, the final track PoP Preludium. Britney Spears dedicated her award for Best Song at the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards.

External links[link]

• Denniz Pop @ Disco-Disco.com
• SweMix @ Disco-Disco.com
• More Information

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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2009)

Martin Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, (born 26 February 1971) is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. He broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid-1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like Ace of Base, E-Type, the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, *NSYNC and Robyn. Some of his earlier hits include "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)", "...Baby One More Time" and "It's My Life".

His trademark during the second half of the 1990s and the early 2000s was a danceable, keyboard-laden pop sound that blended music styles such as funk, heavy metal and europop. However, with Kelly Clarkson's 2004 hit "Since U Been Gone", Martin stepped back into the spotlight after reinventing himself with a heavier, rock-tinged sound.

Since 2008, he has written and co-written more than 10 number-one hits, including "So What" by Pink, "Hot n Cold", "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry, and "My Life Would Suck Without You" by Kelly Clarkson. Since 2010, he has co-written ten top-10 singles, including "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz, "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" by Usher, "Whataya Want From Me" by Adam Lambert, "F**kin' Perfect" by Pink, and "Hold It Against Me" by Britney Spears.

Musical career and personal life[link]

Early life and career[link]

Martin grew up in Stenhamra, Ekerö Municipality, a suburb of Stockholm. As a teenager he sang in a variety of bands before joining a glam-style metal band called It's Alive in 1985 as their singer and frontman. It's Alive were formed by ex-LAZY members Per Aldeheim and Kim Björkgren on guitars, and John Rosth who had been a member of Lineout. Martin eventually dropped out of high school to pursue a career in music with his band under the nickname "Martin White". In 1988 they participated in the national rock championships and played as the in-house band at a disco in Cyprus. The band got a breakthrough in 1991, as Dave Constable of Megarock Records offered them to make a demo-record. The later debut album was originally pressed in 1,000 copies and later on given away as a free cover tape in the UK by the Metal Forces magazine.

The decision to focus on a music career paid off as they landed a record deal on producer Denniz PoP's label Cheiron Records, a BMG affiliate. After recording their second album Earthquake Visions, they released three singles in conjunction with the record and toured through Europe in 1994 supporting Kingdom Come. Earthquake Visions eventually sold a disappointing 30,000 copies, despite being released in as many as 30 countries. More importantly though, Martin also began collaborating on songs with PoP. Recognizing a talent for writing pop songs in the young rocker, PoP renamed his new protegé Max Martin and eventually became Martin’s mentor.

Working with Cheiron and Denniz Pop[link]

"I didn't even know what a producer did, I spent two years--day and night--in that studio trying to learn what the hell was going on." - Max Martin, March 19, 2001.^[1]

In 1993 Martin was hired by Cheiron Studios and spent some time learning the basics, before the first production collaboration between Pop and Martin: the Rednex song "Wish You Were Here" in 1994. They both worked on Ace of Base's second album The Bridge shortly thereafter, as well as on albums by 3T, Army of Lovers and Leila K. To date, The Bridge has sold more than six million copies worldwide, including one million in the United States.^[2] When Martin eventually left his band It's Alive in late 1995, he was replaced by Anders Jansson.

In 1995, the Cheiron Studios was hired by Zomba to work on Backstreet Boys' self-titled debut album Backstreet Boys. Zomba became the main working partner since the success in 1995. Martin took part in the production of "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)", co-written with Herbie Crichlow, a single which quickly went platinum and climbed to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the singles "As Long As You Love Me" and "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)". The album was not released in the U.S. until 1997, but was released overseas and caught on all across Europe, eventually selling around 8 million copies worldwide. This led to the Backstreet Boys being relaunched in their home country later on, this time more successfully. Later that year, Martin co-produced Robyn’s hit "Show Me Love" which ended up on the Billboard top 10.

In 1998, Cheiron Productions worked on albums by Five, Bryan Adams and Jessica Folcker. Jessica Folcker had first been hired as a backing singer for tracks with Ace of Base and Dr. Alban, and her debut album Jessica became an instant hit with singles like "Tell Me What You Like" and "How Will I Know Who You Are" which both sold platinum. After Denniz Pop died of cancer that same summer, Martin took over as director of Cheiron Studios. He soon started working with writer/producer Rami Yacoub, who has been his partner since.

Backstreet Boys[link]

1999 was a big year for Martin. He wrote, co-wrote and co-produced 7 out of the 12 songs on the album Millennium by the Backstreet Boys. "I Want It That Way", a hit song Martin co-wrote with Andreas Carlsson and co-produced with Kristian Lundin, became the group's biggest single to date and it is still popular today ("I Want It That Way" was voted #10 in the MTV/Rolling Stone list of the "100 Greatest Pop Songs."^[3]). A VH1 special, 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s, ranked the song at number 3, making it the highest ranked boy-band single and pop song. Millennium sold over 1.1 million units in its first week in the United States, setting a record for most albums sold in its debut week (that record was later beaten by 'N Sync's No Strings Attached), and was the #1 best-selling album in the world in 1999. When working on her own solo album, to be released in 2001 on Stockholm Records, Lisa Miskovsky wrote the text for Backstreet Boys new hit single "Shape of My Heart" with Max Martin and Rami. The song, originally written for Miskovsky’s own album, was passed along to the Backstreet Boys by Max Martin when Miskovsky determined it did not fit her style. The song became the first single off the group's new album Black & Blue. In the first week of release, "Shape of My Heart" immediately jumped into the Top Five in Sweden (#1), Norway (#1), Canada (#1), Germany (#2), Switzerland (#4), Austria (#5) and Holland (#5). Black & Blue, containing several songs produced and written by Martin, sold 1.6 million units in its first week in America. Martin again received ASCAP's award "Songwriter of the Year" both in 2000 and 2001,^[4] and is the first songwriter ever to receive the award three years in a row.

Britney Spears[link]

In 1998, Martin wrote Spears' hit "...Baby One More Time" for her album with the same name, (the hit single was originally offered to both the Backstreet Boys, who turned it down, and TLC, who passed because they were 'taking time off'^[5]). On Vh1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s", it was ranked at number 7, making it the third highest song by a female. ...Baby One More Time has sold over 15 million copies in the U.S., certifying Diamond Status. Also, within a year of its release, ...Baby One More Time had become the best-selling LP by a teenager in history, selling over 29 million copies. The single remains Spears' best selling single to this date. Martin was the first non-American citizen ever to win ASCAP's prestigious award "Songwriter of the Year" in 1999.

Martin worked on Spears' first three studio albums which were made in the style of teen-oriented pop. However, when Spears recorded her 2003 album In the Zone, she decided to move away from the that genre. The duo ended up parting ways, and Martin had no input on that album nor on her 2007 album, Blackout. At the request of Spears, Martin produced and wrote for Spears' 2008 album Circus, released that December. Martin co-wrote and produced the provocatively titled, "If U Seek Amy", which was chosen by fans to be the third single off the album. Different than Martin's previous produced tracks for Spears, "If U Seek Amy" is an electro-pop dance song, in which even the lyrics shows a different, more dance-oriented direction from Spears and Martin's previous work. In July 2009, Spears stated on her Twitter account, that she was in the recording studio in Stockholm, Sweden with Martin.^[6] Later, on September 29, 2009, it was announced that Martin had worked with Spears on her upcoming compilation album. Martin produced "3", the song debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Martin was the executive producer (along with Dr. Luke) of Spears' seventh album Femme Fatale, released March 29, 2011. During a 2011 interview with Rolling Stone, Spears stated that Martin "gets exactly what I am saying when I tell him what I want and don’t want musically. His melodies are incredible and he is always coming up with weird sounds, which I love." Adding; "There is nobody I feel more comfortable collaborating with in the studio."^[7] In January 2011, "Hold It Against Me" was released as the lead single off Spears' new album, the song later debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Becoming Spears' second single to debut at #1 and her fourth overall, Max also co-produced the album's second single "Till The World Ends", respectively peaking at #3. As well as co-producing "Hold It Against Me" and "Till The World Ends", Martin co-produced the songs "Inside Out", "I Wanna Go", "Seal It with a Kiss", "Criminal" & "Up n' Down". In May 2011, It was announced "I Wanna Go" would serve as the 3rd single from "Femme Fatale".^[8] On August 5, 2011, Spears launched a poll on her Facebook page asking fans whether her next single should be "Criminal", "Inside Out" or "(Drop Dead) Beautiful."^[9] After the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, she revealed to MTV News that "Criminal" was chosen as the fourth single, marking the first time Martin has produced four singles off a Spears album, beating out himself when he had produced the first three singles from Oops!... I Did It Again.

Céline Dion[link]

In late 1999 Céline Dion released "That's the Way It Is," a song co-written by Max Martin to promote her greatest hits album All the Way... A Decade of Song. The song became a hit, going to number 1 on the adult contemporary charts in the United States and Canada, and reaching top 10 all over the world. Since the song was released in November 1999, it has cycled 500,000 times on almost 1400 radio stations across Canada and the U.S. In 2003 Martin co-wrote and produced three songs for Céline Dion's album One Heart. One of them called "Faith" was released as a promotional single in Canada and reached number 4 on the Quebec Airplay Chart and number 37 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart.

Producer role for Cheiron[link]

The traditional division of work in the record industry typically has the artist writing the songs and then hiring a producer to help shape the sound. At Cheiron it was the other way around; the producers wrote the songs, played the instruments, engineered and mixed the recordings and the artist was only brought in near the end of the process to do the vocals. For example, on Britney Spears's second album Oops!… I Did It Again, Cheiron had already written seven songs and had proceeded to record the layers of music before Britney even arrived at the studios in early November 1999. It took her only one week to do the vocals. Martin and his team worked more like a band that alternated singers. Martin explained his working method:

Startup of Maratone[link]

Despite the success, Cheiron Studios was closed down in 2000. The reason behind the decision to close it down was, according to the press release on their homepage, that the heart and soul of the studio had been lost with the death of Denniz Pop. Another reason for closing the studio down was for the people at Cheiron Studios to be able to do more experimental music work without the weight of the now famous name Cheiron upon their shoulders.

Max Martin and Tom Talomaa started a new production company together named Maratone in January 2001 and moved in to the famous Cosmos Studios that had house the production team Kai Erixon and Kent (Gillström) Isaacs whom been very successful at the Swedish pop/hiphop-arena with numerous gold/platinum-selling artist. Also, David Kreuger and Per Magnusson started A Side Productions and Kristian Lundin started the production-company The Location and the publishing-company Location Songs together with Jake Schulze and Andreas Carlsson (both also members of Cheiron's production team) at the same location as Cheiron Studios. The first songs to be written and produced at Maratone were four tracks for Britney Spears' third album Britney. The Maratone production crew now consists of producers/songwriters Max Martin, Rami, Alexandra, Arnthor and young sensation Shellback. Following the work with Celine Dion on the album One Heart in 2003, few new hits appeared from Maratone until 2005. More recently 2009 has seen a string of hits from the studio including the hits "My Life Would Suck Without You" from Kelly Clarkson and "3" from Britney Spears.

Kelly Clarkson goes to Sweden[link]

In 2004, former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson traveled to Sweden to collaborate with Max Martin and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald on songs for her album Breakaway. They decided to create songs that were rockier than anticipated by the fans, as can be heard on the hit singles "Since U Been Gone" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes". "Since U Been Gone" became a huge hit and remains one of the biggest hits of Clarkson's career, and one of the biggest hits of 2005. The next single, "Behind These Hazel Eyes", actually reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 while the single "Since U Been Gone" was still on the chart. In 2009 he also co-wrote Clarkson's single "My Life Would Suck Without You", which has the record for the highest Billboard hot 100 jump to #1, jumping from #97 in its first week on the chart.

Collaborations with Marion Raven[link]

In 2005 Max Martin collaborated with the Norwegian singer Marion Raven for the release of her debut album entitled Here I Am on what may be his first mainstream Rock work, writing the song "Break You" and co-writing with Raven many songs, including "End of Me," "Here I Am," "Little By Little," "In Spite of Me," and "Six Feet Under." "End of Me" and "Break You" were big hits in Asia and Norway. In 2007 "Break You" was included again in Raven's North American and European debut album called Set Me Free. The American singer Megan McCauley did a cover of "Break You" in 2006 but the song are not included on any McCauleys albums.

Pink and Backstreet Boys[link]

In 2005, Martin collaborated on 4 of the 12 songs on Backstreet Boys' comeback album Never Gone, including "Climbing the Walls", "Just Want You to Know", "Siberia" and the melancholy love song "I Still...", a trademark song for the Backstreet Boys. Martin wanted the album to be more of a contemporary, alternative pop album with a little R&B. The resulting album had a more organic music style with more live instruments, and a departure from The Backstreet Boys' earlier work.

Martin also co-wrote and produced songs with Pink's very successful and critically acclaimed platinum selling fourth album I'm Not Dead. Worldwide the album was the sixth biggest selling album of 2006, going top 5 in the UK, platinum and top ten in the United States, and number one in Australia and Germany. In Australia the album had 5 top five singles, and spent a record 63 weeks in the top 10. As of July 2009 it is presently 10 times Platinum and has been charting in the Australian Top 50 for 146 weeks. Martin also collaborated with Pink for her fifth studio album, "Funhouse," released October 2008. Martin co-wrote the first smash hit single, "So What", plus the tracks "Please Don't Leave Me", "I Don't Believe You" and "It's All Your Fault".

Avril Lavigne[link]

Max Martin worked with Avril Lavigne on four songs for her fourth studio album Goodbye Lullaby; the three singles What the Hell, Smile, and Wish You Were Here, and the album track I Love You.

Katy Perry[link]

Max Martin worked with Katy Perry on several songs on two albums. On One of the Boys including the number-one single "I Kissed a Girl", and Top 5 hit single "Hot n Cold", and following-up album Teenage Dream, including the Billboard Hot 100 numbers-ones hits singles "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "E.T.", "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" and the Hot 100 top ten hit "The One That Got Away". Martin also wrote the song "Part of Me" which was topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Perry and Martin's current number-one single since Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F).

Christina Aguilera[link]

Confirmed by RCA Executives on December 18, 2011, Martin will be working on Aguilera's seventh studio album and is rumoured to be the producer on the lead single.

Others[link]

4th runner up of the eighth season of American Idol, Allison Iraheta has been collaborating with Max Martin on her debut album. Her first single, "Friday I'll Be Over U" is confirmed to be written by Martin.^[10] On August 17, 2009, American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert announced via Twitter that he was in New York City with Martin recording a song for his debut album. It turned out to be the song "Whataya Want From Me",^[11] that was also written by Pink.

Martin also co-wrote "Into the Nightlife", a popular club track recorded by Cyndi Lauper in 2008.

Martin also co-wrote "Loser Like Me" and "Light Up the World", two original songs for the popular TV series Glee.

Songwriting and producing[link]

Awards[link]

• Swedish Dance Music Awards 1996
• Swedish Grammis Award in 1997
• ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year in 1999
• ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year in 2000
• ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year in 2001
• ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year in 2011
• ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year in 2012

See also[link]

• Cheiron Studios
• Maratone Studio
• Andreas Carlsson
• Ace of Base

References[link]

External links[link]

• Maratone
• The Location
• A Side Productions

Britney Spears
Spears performing at her Femme Fatale Tour in Europe, 2011
Background information
Birth name	Britney Jean Spears
Born	(1981-12-02) December 2, 1981 (age 30) McComb, Mississippi, U.S.
Genres	Pop, dance
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, record producer, author, fashion designer, video director
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Jive, RCA[1]
Associated acts	The New Mickey Mouse Club
Website	britneyspears.com britney.com

Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album ...Baby One More Time in 1999, which became the best-selling album by a teenage solo artist.^[2] During her first decade in the music industry, she became a prominent figure in mainstream popular music and popular culture, followed by a much-publicized personal life. Her first two albums established her as a pop icon and broke sales records, while title tracks "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again" became international number-one hits. Spears was credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s, and became the 'best-selling teen aged artist of all time' before she turned 20,^[3] garnering her the honorific title of "Princess of Pop".^[4]

In 2001, she released her third studio album Britney and expanded her brand, playing the starring role in the film Crossroads. She assumed creative control of her fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003), which yielded chart-topping singles "Me Against the Music", "Toxic" and "Everytime". After the release of two compilation albums, Spears experienced personal struggles and her career went into hiatus. Her fifth studio album, Blackout, was released in 2007 and despite receiving little promotion, it spawned hits "Gimme More" and "Piece of Me". In 2008, her erratic behavior and hospitalizations caused her to be placed in a conservatorship. The same year, her sixth studio album Circus was released, with the global chart-topping lead single "Womanizer", and hits such as "Circus" and "If U Seek Amy". She embarked on her highest-grossing global concert tour,^[5] The Circus Starring Britney Spears, in 2009. In October of the same year, she released a chart-topping single, "3", which became her third single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Her seventh studio album Femme Fatale, released in 2011, has become the first of her albums to yield three top ten singles in the United States, "Hold It Against Me", "Till the World Ends" and "I Wanna Go". The same year, she also gained her fifth number one single when she featured on the remix of "S&M" alongside Rihanna.

Spears work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award, 6 MTV Video Music Awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award, 9 Billboard Music Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2009, Billboard ranked her as the 8th overall Artist of the Decade,^[6] and also recognized her as the best-selling female artist of the first decade of the 21st century, as well as the fifth overall.^[7] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) also recognized Spears as the eighth top-selling female artist in the United States, with 33 million certified albums.^[8] Nielsen SoundScan ranked Spears the tenth best-selling digital artist of the country, with more than 28.6 million digital singles as of January 2012.^[9] She has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.^[10] Rolling Stone recognized her instant success as one of the Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments of all time,^[11] while VH1 ranked her eleventh on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012.^[12] Forbes also revealed that Spears was the sixth most powerful celebrity, and the third best paid musician of 2011-12, having topped the list back in 2002.^[13] In Fall 2012, Spears will serve as a judge in the second season of the American version of The X Factor.^[14]

Biography[link]

1981–97: Early life, and career beginnings[link]

Britney Jean Spears was born on December 2, 1981, the second child of Lynne Irene (née Bridges) and James Parnell Spears. She is of English heritage through her maternal grandmother, Lillian Portelli who was born in London, and of distant Maltese and Sicilian (Sicani) descent.^[15][16][17] Her siblings are Bryan James and Jamie Lynn.^[18] At age three, she started to attend dance lessons in her hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana, and was selected to perform as a solo artist at the annual recital. During her childhood, she also attended gymnastics and voice lessons, and won many state-level competitions and children's talent shows.^[19][20][21] Spears made her local stage debut at age five, singing "What Child Is This?" at her kindergarten graduation. She said about her ambition as a child, "I was in my own world, [...] I found out what I'm supposed to do at an early age".^[20] At age eight, Spears and her mother Lynne traveled to Atlanta for an audition in the 1990s revival of The Mickey Mouse Club. Casting director Matt Casella rejected her for being too young to join the series at the time, but introduced her to Nancy Carson, a New York City talent agent. Carson was impressed with Spears's vocals and suggested enrolling her at the Professional Performing Arts School; shortly after, Lynne and her daughters moved to a sublet apartment in New York. Spears was hired for her first professional role as the understudy for the lead role of Tina Denmark in the Off-Broadway musical Ruthless!. She also appeared as a contestant on the popular television show Star Search, as well as being cast in a number of commercials.^[22][23] In December 1992, she was finally cast in The Mickey Mouse Club, but returned to Kentwood after the show was canceled. She enrolled at Parklane Academy in nearby McComb, Mississippi. Although she made friends with most of her classmates, she compared the school to "the opening scene in Clueless with all the cliques. [...] I was so bored. I was the point guard on the basketball team. I had my boyfriend, and I went to homecoming and Christmas formal. But I wanted more."^[20][24]

In June 1997, Spears was in talks with manager Lou Pearlman to join the female pop group Innosense. Lynne asked family friend and entertainment lawyer Larry Rudolph for his opinion and submitted a tape of Spears singing over a Whitney Houston karaoke song along with some pictures. Rudolph decided he wanted to pitch her to record labels, therefore she needed a professional demo. He sent Spears an unused song of Toni Braxton; she rehearsed for a week and recorded her vocals in a studio with a sound engineer. Spears traveled to New York with the demo and met with executives from four labels, returning to Kentwood the same day. Three of the labels rejected her, arguing that audiences wanted pop bands such as the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls, and "there wasn't going to be another Madonna, another Debbie Gibson, or another Tiffany." Two weeks later, executives from Jive Records returned calls to Rudolph.^[25] Senior vice president of A&R Jeff Fenster stated about Spears's audition that "It's very rare to hear someone that age who can deliver emotional content and commercial appeal. [...] For any artist, the motivation—the 'eye of the tiger'—is extremely important. And Britney had that."^[20] She then sang Houston's "I Have Nothing" (1992) for the executives, and got signed to the label.^[26] They appointed her to work with producer Eric Foster White for a month, who reportedly shaped her voice from "lower and less poppy" delivery to "distinctively, unmistakably Britney."^[27] After hearing the recorded material, president Clive Calder ordered a full album. Spears had originally envisioned "Sheryl Crow music, but younger more adult contemporary" but felt all right with her label's appointment of producers, since "It made more sense to go pop, because I can dance to it—it's more me." She flew to Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, where half of the album was recorded from March to April 1998, with producers Max Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, among others.^[20]

[edit] 1998–2000: ...Baby One More Time, and Oops!... I Did It Again

After Spears returned to the United States, she embarked on a shopping mall promotional tour to promote her forthcoming album. Her show was a four song set and she was accompanied by two back up dancers. Her first concert tour followed, as an opening act for 'N Sync.^[28] Her debut album, ...Baby One More Time, was released on January 1999.^[29] It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was certified two-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America after a month. Worldwide, the album topped the charts in fifteen countries and sold over ten million copies in a year.^[30] It became the biggest selling album ever by a teenage artist.^[21] The title track was released as the lead single from the album. Originally, Jive Records wanted its music video to be animated; however, Spears rejected it, and suggested the final idea of a Catholic schoolgirl.^[27] The single sold 500,000 copies on its first day, and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, topping the chart for two consecutive weeks.^[31][32] "...Baby One More Time" later received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.^[33] The title track also topped the singles chart for two weeks in the United Kingdom, and became the fastest-selling single ever by a female artist, shipping over 460,000 copies.^[34] It would later become the 25th most successful song of all time in British chart history.^[35] Spears is also the youngest female artist to have a million seller in the country.^[36] "(You Drive Me) Crazy" was released as the third single from the album. It became a top-ten hit worldwide and propelled ...Baby One More Time to sell 26 million copies.^[37]

The April 1999 cover of Rolling Stone featured Spears lying on her bed, clad with a bra, shorts and an open top. The American Family Association (AFA) referred to the shoot as "a disturbing mix of childhood innocence and adult sexuality" and called to "God-loving Americans to boycott stores selling Britney's albums." Spears responded to the outcry commenting, "What's the big deal? I have strong morals. [...] I'd do it again. I thought the pictures were fine. And I was tired of being compared to Debbie Gibson and all of this bubblegum pop all the time."^[38] Shortly before, Spears had announced publicly she would remain a virgin until marriage.^[21] On June 28, 1999, Spears began her first headlining ...Baby One More Time Tour in North America, which was positively received by critics,^[39] but generated some controversy due to her racy outfits.^[40] An extension of the tour, titled Crazy 2k, followed in March 2000. Spears premiered songs from her upcoming second album during the show.^[24]

Oops!... I Did It Again, her second studio album, was released in May 2000. It debuted at number one in the US, selling 1,3 million copies, breaking the SoundScan record for the highest debut sales by any solo artist.^[41] The album sold over 20 million copies worldwide.^[42] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone said that "the great thing about Oops! – under the cheese surface, Britney's demand for satisfaction is complex, fierce and downright scary, making her a true child of rock & roll tradition."^[43] The album's lead single, "Oops!... I Did It Again", peaked at the top of the charts in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and many other European nations.^[36][44] The album as well as the title track received Grammy nominations for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, respectively.^[45]

The same year, Spears embarked on the Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour, which grossed $40.5 million; she also released her first book, Britney Spears' Heart-to-Heart, co-written with her mother.^[21][46] On September 7, 2000, Spears performed at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Halfway through the performance, she ripped off her black suit to reveal a sequined flesh-colored bodysuit, followed by heavy dance routine. It is noted by critics as the moment that Spears showed signs of becoming a more provocative performer.^[47] Amidst media speculation, Spears confirmed she was dating 'N Sync member Justin Timberlake.^[21]

[edit] 2001–03: Britney, Crossroads, and In the Zone

Spears performing at the NFL Kickoff Live in 2003.

In February 2001, Spears signed a $7–8 million promotional deal with Pepsi, and released another book co-written with her mother, entitled A Mother’s Gift.^[21] Her third studio album, Britney, was released in November 2001. While on tour, she felt inspired by hip hop artists such as Jay-Z and The Neptunes and wanted to create a record with a funkier sound.^[48] The album debuted at number one in the Billboard 200 and reached top five positions in Australia, the United Kingdom and mainland Europe and sold over 12 million copies worldwide.^[36][49][50] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called Britney "the record where she strives to deepen her persona, making it more adult while still recognizably Britney. [...] It does sound like the work of a star who has now found and refined her voice, resulting in her best record yet."^[51] The album was honored with two Grammy nominations—Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Overprotected"— and was listed in 2008 as one of Entertainment Weekly's "100 Best Albums from the Past 25 Years".^[52][53] The album's first single, "I'm a Slave 4 U", became a top-ten hit worldwide.^[54]

Spears's performance of the single at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards featured a caged tiger and a large albino python draped over her shoulders. It was harshly received by animal rights organization PETA, who claimed the animals were mistreated and scrapped plans for an anti-fur billboard that was to feature Spears.^[47] To support the album, Spears embarked on the Dream Within a Dream Tour. The show was critically praised for its technical innovations, the pièce de résistance being a water screen that pumped two tons of water into the stage.^[55][56] The tour grossed $43.7 million, becoming the second highest grossing tour of 2002 by a female artist, behind Cher's Farewell Tour.^[57] Her career success was highlighted by Forbes in 2002, as Spears was ranked the world's most powerful celebrity.^[58] Spears also landed her first starring role in Crossroads, released in February 2002. Although the film was largely panned, most critics actually praised Spears's acting.^[59][60][61] Crossroads, which had a $11 million budget, went on to gross over $57 million worldwide.^[61]

In June 2002, Spears opened her first restaurant, Nyla, in New York City, but terminated her relationship in November, citing mismanagement and "management's failure to keep her fully apprised".^[62] In July 2002, Spears announced she would take a six month break from her career; however, she went back into the studio in November to record her new album.^[63] Spears' relationship with Justin Timberlake ended after three years. In December 2002, Timberlake released the song "Cry Me a River" as the second single from his solo debut album. The music video featured a Spears look-alike and fueled the rumors that she had been unfaithful to him.^[64][65] As a response, Spears wrote the ballad "Everytime" with her backing vocalist and friend Annet Artani.^[66] The same year, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst said that he was in a relationship with Spears. However, Spears denied Durst's claims.^[67] In a 2009 interview, he explained that "I just guess at the time it was taboo for a guy like me to be associated with a gal like her."^[67] Spears opened the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards with Christina Aguilera, performing "Like a Virgin". Halfway through they were joined by Madonna, with whom they both kissed. The incident was highly publicized.^[61]

Spears released her fourth studio album, In the Zone, in November 2003. She assumed more creative control by writing and co-producing most of the material.^[21] Vibe called it "A supremely confident dance record that also illustrates Spears's development as a songwriter."^[68] NPR listed the album as one of "The 50 Most Important Recording of the Decade", adding that "the decade's history of impeccably crafted pop is written on her body of work."^[69] In the Zone sold over 609,000 copies in the United States and debuted at the top of the charts, making Spears the first female artist in the SoundScan era to have her first four studio albums to debut at number one.^[21] It also debuted at the top of the charts in France and the top ten in Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands.^[70] In the Zone sold over 10 million copies worldwide.^[71] The album produced the hit singles: "Me Against the Music", a collaboration with Madonna; "Toxic"—which won Spears her first and only Grammy for Best Dance Recording; "Everytime" and "Outrageous".^[21]

[edit] 2004–07: Compilation albums, motherhood, personal struggles, and Blackout

Spears performing live on The Onyx Tour in 2004

On January 3, 2004, Spears married childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander at The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. The marriage was annulled 55 hours later, stating that Spears "lacked understanding of her actions".^[72] She began The Onyx Hotel Tour in support of In the Zone in March 2004.^[73] On June 8, 2004, Spears fell and injured her left knee during the music video shoot for "Outrageous". She was taken immediately to a local hospital, where doctors performed an MRI scan and found floating cartilage. The following day, Spears underwent arthroscopic surgery. She was forced to remain six weeks with a thigh brace, followed by eight to twelve weeks of rehabilitation, which caused The Onyx Hotel Tour to be canceled.^[74] During 2004, Spears became involved in the Kabbalah Centre through her friendship with Madonna.^[75]

In July 2004, she announced her engagement to American dancer Kevin Federline, whom she had met three months before. The romance received intense attention from the media, since Federline had recently broken up with actress Shar Jackson, who was still pregnant with their second child at the time.^[21] The initial stages of their relationship were chronicled in Spears's first reality show Britney & Kevin: Chaotic. They held a wedding ceremony on September 18, 2004, but were not legally married until three weeks later on October 6 due to a delay finalizing the couple's prenuptial agreement.^[76] Shortly after, she released her first fragrance with Elizabeth Arden, Curious, which broke the company's first-week gross for a perfume.^[21] In October 2004, Spears announced she would be taking another career break to start a family.^[77] Greatest Hits: My Prerogative, her first greatest hits compilation album, was released in November 2004.^[78] Spears's cover version of Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative" was released as the lead single from the album, reaching the top of the charts in Finland, Ireland, Italy and Norway.^[79] The second single, "Do Somethin'", was a top ten hit in Australia, the United Kingdom and other countries of mainland Europe.^[80][81] Worldwide, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative sold over 5 million copies.^[82] In late 2004, Spears went on KIIS-FM radio in Los Angeles, CA to play a new demo titled "Mona Lisa." The demo was to be the first single from an upcoming album called the "Original Doll." However, Spears' label later cancelled the album for unknown reasons.^[83][84] Spears gave birth to her first child, Sean Preston Federline, on September 14, 2005.^[85]

In November 2005, she released her first remix compilation, B in the Mix: The Remixes, which consists of eleven remixes.^[86] It has sold over 1 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling remix albums of all time.^[87] In February 2006, pictures surfaced of Spears driving with her son Sean, on her lap instead of in a car seat. Child advocates were horrified by the photos of her holding the wheel with one hand and Sean with the other. Spears claimed that the situation happened because of a frightening encounter with paparazzi, and that it was a mistake on her part.^[21] The following month, she guest-starred on the Will & Grace episode "Buy, Buy Baby" as closeted lesbian Amber Louise.^[88] She publicly announced she no longer studied Kabbalah in June 2006, explaining, "my baby is my religion."^[75] Two months later, Spears posed nude for the cover of Harper's Bazaar. The picture was heavily compared to Demi Moore's August 1991 Vanity Fair cover.^[21] She gave birth to her second child, Jayden James Federline, on September 12, 2006.^[89] On November 7, 2006, Spears filed for divorce from Federline, citing irreconcilable differences.^[90] Their divorce was finalized in July 2007, when the couple reached a global settlement and agreed to share joint custody of their children.^[91] Spears's aunt Sandra Bridges Covington, with whom she had been very close, died of ovarian cancer in January.^[92] On February 16, 2007, Spears stayed in a drug rehabilitation facility in Antigua for less than a day. The following night, she shaved her head with electric clippers at a hair salon in Tarzana, Los Angeles. She admitted herself to other treatment facilities during the following weeks.^[93] After completing a month-long program at Promises, she wrote on her website, "I truly hit rock bottom. Till this day I don't think that it was alcohol or depression. [...] was like a bad kid running around with ADD."^[21] In May 2007, she produced a series of promotional concerts at House of Blues venues, titled The M+M's Tour.^[94] Spears lost physical custody of her children to Federline on October 1, 2007. The reasons of the court ruling were not revealed to the public.^[95] Also, in 2007 Spears was sued by Louis Vuitton over her 2005 music video "Do Something" for pimping out her Hummer interior in counterfiet Louis Vuitton cherry blossom fabric. Which resulted in her video being banned on European TV stations.^[96]

Her fifth studio album, Blackout, was released in October 2007. It debuted at the top of charts in Canada and Ireland, number two in the U.S. Billboard 200,—held off from the top spot by Eagles's Long Road out of Eden— France, Japan, Mexico and the United Kingdom and the top ten in Australia, Korea, New Zealand and many European nations. In the United States, Spears became the only female artist to have her first five studio albums debut at the two top slots of the chart.^[97] Blackout sold over 3.1 million copies worldwide.^[98] Peter Robinson of The Observer said that "Britney has delivered the best album of her career, raising the bar for modern pop music with an incendiary mix of Timbaland's Shock Value and her own back catalogue."^[99] Dennis Lim of Blender commented, "Spears’s fifth studio album is her most consistent, a seamlessly entertaining collection of bright, brash electropop."^[100] Blackout won Album of the Year at MTV Europe Music Awards 2008 and was listed as the fifth Best Pop Album of the Decade by The Times.^[101][102] Spears performed the lead single "Gimme More" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. The performance was panned by many critics. David Willis of BBC stated her performance would "go down in the history books as being one of the worst to grace the MTV Awards".^[103] Despite the backlash, the single rocketed to worldwide success, peaking at number one in Canada and the top ten in almost every country it charted.^[104][105] The second single "Piece of Me" reached the top of the charts in Ireland and reached the top five in Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The third single "Break the Ice" was released the following year and had moderate success due to Spears not being able to promote it properly.^{[106][107][108]} In December 2007, Spears began a relationship with paparazzo Adnan Ghalib.^[109]

[edit] 2008–10: Conservatorship, and Circus

Spears performing "Freakshow" at The Circus Starring Britney Spears, 2009.

On January 3, 2008, Spears refused to relinquish custody of her sons to Federline's representatives. She was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, after police that arrived at her house noted she appeared to be under the influence of an illicit substance. The following day, Spears's visitation rights were suspended at an emergency court hearing, and Federline was given sole physical and legal custody of the children. On January 31, 2008, Spears was committed to the psychiatric ward of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and put on 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold. The court placed her under temporary conservatorship of her father James Spears and attorney Andrew Wallet, giving them complete control of her assets.^[21] Spears was released on February 6, 2008. Her parents expressed disappointment and concern at the decision to release her.^[110] The following month, she guest-starred on the How I Met Your Mother episode "Ten Sessions" as receptionist Abby. She received positive reviews for her performance, as well as bringing the series its highest ratings ever.^[111][112] In July 2008, Spears regained some visitation rights after coming to an agreement with Federline and his counsel.^[113] On September 7, 2008, Spears opened the MTV Video Music Awards with a pre-taped comedy sketch with Jonah Hill and an introduction speech. She won Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Video of the Year for "Piece of Me".^[114] A 60-minute introspective documentary, Britney: For the Record, was produced to chronicle Spears' return to the recording industry. Directed by Phil Griffin, For the Record was entirely shot in Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and New York City during the third quarter of 2008.^[115] Main shooting began on September 5, 2008, two days before Spears' appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards. For the Record was broadcast on MTV on November 30, 2008 to 5.6 million viewers for the two airings on the premiere night. MTV reported that Spears' documentary garnered on average, the highest rating in its Sunday night timeslot, in the network's history.^[116]

Her sixth studio album Circus, was released in December 2008. It received positive reviews from critics; according to the music review aggregation of Metacritic, it garnered an average score of 64/100.^[117] Circus debuted at number one in Canada, Czech Republic and the United States, and inside the top in many European nations.^[105][118] In the United States, Spears became the youngest female artist to have five albums debut at number one, earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.^[119] She also became the only act in the Soundscan era to have four albums debut with 500,000 or more copies sold.^[118] Circus became one of the fastest-selling albums of the year,^[120] and has sold 4 million copies worldwide.^[121][122] Its lead single, "Womanizer", became her first number one in the Billboard Hot 100 since "...Baby One More Time" and topped the charts in countries such as Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway and Sweden.^[123][124] It was also nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Dance Recording.^[125] In January 2009, Spears and her father James obtained a restraining order against her former manager Sam Lufti, ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib and attorney Jon Eardley—all of whom, court documents claim, had been conspiring to gain control of Spears's affairs. The restraining order forbids Lutfi and Ghalib from contacting Spears or coming within 250 yards of her, her property or family members.^[126] Spears embarked on The Circus Starring Britney Spears in March 2009. With a gross of U.S. $131.8 million, it became the fifth highest grossing tour of the year.^[127]