Skip to main content

Home Culture Culture Film & TV

Britney Spears says she had to be ‘selfish’ to make ‘Glory’ a success

By Will Stroude

With appearances on Carpool Karaoke, the VMAs stage and a first UK gig in almost half a decade planned at the Apple Music Festival next month, it’s fair to say the Brit-naissance is well and truly underway.

The 34-year-old superstar’s latest studio album Glory has become her most critically-acclaimed record in a decade, but as Britney reveals in this week’s issue of NME, it took her putting her foot down after a bumpy start in order to get there.

Asked what made the record different to 2013’s commercially underwhelming Britney Jean, the ‘Make Me’ singer admits that the beginning of the project “wasn’t that great”, but after changing members of her team she “turned it around and gave it a profound new direction”.

“Honestly, this is the first project where I’ve been really hands-on. I was really specific about who I worked with and I’ve been learning to say no,” Spears says.

“I’m a people-pleaser, so that’s hard for me – even if I don’t like something, I’ll do it just to make a person happy.

“I made sure this album was everything I wanted it to be. I was really selfish with it.”

Despite her continued status as a one-name-famous global superstar however, its seems that Spears has no desire to make like Madonna and continue performing for decades to come.

Asked it she could envision herself living the pop star lifestyle at Madge’s age, she seems resolute:

“Nope. Nah. Give me five – two? – more years, and yeah.”

Looks like we better bask in Brit’s glory while we can.

The latest issue of NME is available to pick up now.

britney

More stories:
Troye Sivan jokes he ‘looks good’ as nearly nude photo leaks
Get the look for less: You guide to this season’s best puffa jackets