She's an Iconic Artist

And her name is Britney Spears. Those titular words were spoken by none other than the luckiest/most recognizable manager in recent pop music history: Larry Rudolph. To quote him fully, "She's an iconic artist...she's like Madonna. She's here to stay." While the first part of that statement is certainly true, I hope with all my heart that Brit is here to stay.

However, when I first read that bit, I found my emotions flickering between excitement and embarrassment. Why am I so sheepish about my love for Britney?...I mean, I'm not really; all of my best friends know that my iTunes contains a nearly complete archive of her musical catalogue. Yet, I am always initially hesitant to admit this.

Perhaps it's the pop-readiness/sell-out factor of her work...perhaps it's her 2007 head shaving incident...perhaps it's her cringe-inducing usage of the English language. But all of these things end up making her more likable, more relatable, and more human.

The woman is clearly business savvy, as she's been THE pop princess since 1998's "Baby One More Time." She has, albeit errantly, steered her career in the most lucrative of directions. Everyone wants to work with her, and we all want to be her too. She's one of the world's biggest celebrities, and she's been that way for over a decade. She's fought personal demons while the world watched, only to come back with another chart-topping record...and another.

It's easy to find celebrities otherworldly: they're incredibly beautiful, really rich, and driven by Texas-sized ambition. But, for some reason, Britney still seems kinda like the girlfriend who always has your back. Perhaps it's her very human missteps that make her seem real...I mean, who hasn't wanted to crack an umbrella through a windshield?...it's just that Britney CAN.

To drive home my point of Ms. Spears' appropriate place atop the pop-cultural mountain, here's what she's workin' with:

• 100 million album sales world-wide
• Estimated net worth of $150 million
• Production by the likes of Bloodshy & Avant, Max Martin, the Neptunes, Moby, and the Outsyders.
• Total concert performances entertaining more than 10 million spectators
• Really toned legs