Oh, baby, baby: Britney Spears has made the big time with her debut album, but will success hit her one more time?

March 24, 1999
Web posted at: 11:47 a.m. EST (1647 GMT)

By Donna Freydkin
Special to CNN Interactive

In this story: From Mouseketeer to megastar Double-platinum debut Diversified darling in demand Just your average teen tycoon? RELATED STORIES, SITES

(CNN) -- You might remember one female icon who was brushed off by critics in the mid '80s as a flash in the pan, but who firmly announced to a bemused Dick Clark on "American Bandstand" that she wanted to rule the world.

In a musical sense, Madonna certainly more than made good on her prophecy, so why shouldn't teen tune-queen Britney Spears, who entered the Billboard charts at No. 1 a few months ago and pretty much hasn't left since, do the same?

"I want to conquer the world," laughs Spears, all of 17 years old and in New York for one day after being cooped up at home in Louisiana with a leg injury.

If astronomical album sales of her debut "...Baby, One More Time" and the fervid adulation of her teen audience are any indication, she's well on her way. After all, the unbearably cute, unstoppably perky little pubescent popster's chart-topping funky pop debut has sold some 2 million units and was simultaneously certified gold, platinum, and double-platinum.

Spears may cater to an audience of adolescents, but there's nothing childish about the solid numbers she's racked up so far. "...Baby, One More Time" debuted at No. 1 in late January and, according to Billboard, is the first album in the SoundScan era to post gains in the second, third, fourth, and fifth week. The R&B/pop single of the same name is currently No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts after 19 weeks, perched just above "Stay The Same," the single from former New Kids on the Block darling Joey McIntyre and just below "All I Have To Give" by fellow heartthrobs and label mates the Backstreet Boys.

But despite the very adult album sales of "...Baby, One More Time" and all the mounds of cash at stake, for now Spears comes across as little more than a sweet, quiet little teen with a very breathy voice who happens to love to sing and dance and shop and travel.

"The best part of doing all this is when the fans are touched by you and know the words to all your songs," gushes Spears. "You get so pumped and it's so awesome and you get so much energy."

In her much-played video for "...Baby, One More Time," Catholic schoolgirl Spears dances and sashays through a high school, bemoaning a lost love.

But Spears, whose childhood was unconventional at best, spent exactly one year (at age 14) at a regular high school rubbing elbows with the regular teen-agers who now make up her fan base.

Her gargantuan ambition belying her humble roots, Spears has been groomed for the big time since wee childhood. Her early years seem to have consisted of local dance reviews and church choir performances until the age of eight, when she first auditioned for the Disney Channel's "Mickey Mouse Club" series but was rejected for being too young. She did land a talent agent in New York, where she spent the next three summers studying at the Off-Broadway Dance Center and at the Professional Performing Arts School. She starred in commercials and had a part in the 1991 comedy "Ruthless."

Finally, at the ripe old age of 11, Spears snagged a coveted spot on the "Mickey Mouse Club," where she spent the next two years cavorting on the same show that launched the likes of JC Chasez from 'N Sync and "Felicity" star Keri Russell. In 1994, the show was cancelled and she returned home, where for one year she played typical teen-ager and attended her local high school.

"When I was at home it was weird, it was the same thing every week," recalls Spears. "God gave me a talent to perform and I know I have it in me. I can't just coop it up."

Bored out of her gourd (or so she says), Spears returned to New York a seasoned 15 years old. She auditioned for an all-girl group, but ended up a solo performer who continued her high school education through tutors.

Spears eventually signed a record deal with Jive Records, also home to the Backstreet Boys and R.Kelly, and was shipped off to Sweden last spring to work with producer Max Martin (Robyn, Backstreet Boys, Ace of Base), and to New Jersey to record with producer Foster White (Whitney Houston, Hi-Five).

Last fall, to get her ready and America primed before the release of her album, Spears opened for 'N Sync on a national tour.

And the rest, as they say, is Spearstory. Because unless you've been stranded on a desert island these past few months without -- gasp! -- MTV, you couldn't have missed "...Baby, One More Time"'s astonishing vault directly to the top of the charts -- as much on the strength of Spears' bubbly, glossy pop songs as her adorable, irresistible sexy girl-next-door persona.

"I'm so happy that it's been up on the charts for so long," laughs Spears. "I mean, so many albums don't stay up there that I hope mine does, and it's great."

So far, she has quite a bit to celebrate. Spears is the first artist since 1992's Kriss Kross to have a debut single and album simultaneously hit first place on the Billboard 200. Just last week, her album sold another 175,000 units to finish third in the Billboard album charts.

Her album, every bit as bubbly as Spears, is crammed with potential hits, including the reggae-tinged "Soda Pop," the sweet little "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" and the buoyant "Sometimes," the album's next single, due out in April.

It would be so easy to hate the squeaky clean teen, but almost despite yourself, you gotta like her. During the interview, you compliment her on the success of her album, and she interrupts you to blurt out "Awwww, that's so sweet!" In that moment, she sounds as impetuous, as enthused, as any other teen-ager.

So, at the age when most teens worry about getting in to college, Spears finds herself the hottest commodity around in a teen market primed by such acts as the Backstreet Boys, Hanson and Brandy.

Spears just finished shooting a campaign for Tommy Hilfiger, and just signed a development deal with Columbia TriStar TV to star in three episodes of "Dawson's Creek." And she's been in featured in such publications as "Newsweek," "Rolling Stone" and "Entertainment Weekly."

So far, Spears says she's rarin' to go. Right now, she's stuck at home in Kentwood going to daily physical therapy sessions to overcome a leg injury. Sure, she's bored and sick of being cooped up, but there's far more at stake than her short attention span: In two weeks, she's set to start dancing again and will begin shooting her second video for the single "Sometimes."

"What I'm doing now -- performing -- is a break for me and I'm so ready to get on the road again," says Spears. "I'm so thankful."

When she's on the road or in the middle of promotional activities, she goes home only every six weeks, and the separation from her family can be tough on someone so young. But she insists an early retirement or even a hiatus are out of the question.

"I don't do normal things due to the travel, and the biggest sacrifice is being away from my family," acknowledges Spears, "but I wouldn't change anything in my life."

Her alluring life -- which on its face seems to consist of shopping sprees followed by MTV appearances and romps with heartthrobs 'N Sync -- may seem the envy of every ecstatic teen girl. In reality, Spears insists that being on the road and doing the media circuit is about little more than the daily grind and plain hard work.

"Most of the time when I'm on the road it's crazy. I'm doing photo shoots and interviews," she says. "But I'm always trying to make time for a little shopping."

And even though her life is light-years removed from her teen fan base, she denies being out of touch.

"I totally have friends my own age," she says. "When I go home and go out with my friends, it's completely normal."

And she considers herself a role model.

"It's inevitable because I'm out there so much," she says. "You have to watch what you do ... because you want what you do to be really wonderful."

Overly ardent fans, especially the ones that hound her for dates, can be a problem, but Spears says she tries to have a positive image and be nice to all her listeners, "even the freaky ones, but they're not so bad - it's worse for the boy bands, I think."

As far as her sexy attire in her video goes, Spears insists that "It was my idea because at first we were wearing boring Catholic outfits and I didn't want it to be boring and cheesy. I mean we were dancing and I wanted it to be edgier."

Everything may be coming up roses (or, more appropriately, platinum) for Spears now, but her long-term prognosis is far from certain. After all, not every Tiffany and Debbie Gibson ends up an Alanis. Too often, they burn out and wash up, like former idol Leif Garrett. But for now, Spears is psyched, to say the least, and seems to love doing her thing on stage and in the studio.

"I'm working hard every day and I feel truly blessed," concludes the pop princess.