In 2007, pop detached from external reality, and withdrew into itself. Two conspicuous trends ruled that period, both revolving around female pop. One was the radicalization of the wild and liberated lifestyle that was celebrated in the beginning of the decade, to the point of excess and losing all restrain. The other was the transformation of your life into a nonstop reality show, through the web, sex tapes, and random provocations that were caught in the lenses of the hordes of paparazzi that followed you around and then immediately sensationalized in the tabloids. Not just the tabloids: even the "serious" media outlets were more concerned with the ordeals of Paris Hilton than anything else. But the woman who most embodied the new female consciousness, as she did throughout the decade, was Britney Spears.
I was worried about Britney for a while now. It was obvious that Christina and Beyonce were smart enough not to fall in the traps of wild lifestyle, and they indeed broke out of it when things started to get out of hand, toned things down, got married, and developed a more mature attitude. But Britney was the star which everything revolved around, a role that devastated even those whose talent was much bigger than hers (Elvis and Michael Jackson, for instance), and she didn't look like she had the faculties and the mental strength to cope. Torn between the need to be a role model for girls and her will to remain at the forefront of the increasingly wilder female pop; between the need to be a wife and a mother and a character that was still pretty childish; between enormous financial power and an education that didn't prepare her for it; surrounded by people who looked to exploit her in any possible way; and constantly under the watchful eye of the public, Britney went increasingly berserk. Two bizarre marriages, back-to-back pregnancies (disastrous for a pop star), irresponsible behavior with her kids and divorce via SMS were just the appetizer. After her divorce, Britney dove headfirst into the world of partying / drugs / paparazzi / madness, got separated from her children by court order, neglected herself, and started to lose her always abundant charm. She seemed to be gladly embracing this lifestyle, but every once in a while there would be a distress signal, and I feared for her life. Towards the end of 2007, it looked like all it took to finish her off completely was for her new album to flop, and I wasn't optimistic.
The first record out of the album was called 'Gimme More', and it was one of her best ever. Sexy, hungry and up-to-date electro, which showed that Britney still had it. It made me feel better about her. And when 'Piece of Me' came out, it quelled all my fears. Britney does here what a pop artist is supposed to do - took the ingredients of her life, and shaped an artifact out of them - and in so doing produced the record that best captured the spirit of the time, and should be considered a masterpiece. Furthermore, the record hinted that while we are busy gossiping and feeling sorry for her, Britney is looking at us from above and mocking us, and our obsession with her. It would have been an empty statement if it remained on the lyrical level, but the performance is so playful and teasing, the music so vital and edgy, that it seemed like Britney really had the ability to put herself in this place from which she's laughing at us and at herself. Now I knew that the spark is still there, and Britney can recover. Moreover: if she will recover, I thought, she would be in a much better place than Christina and Beyonce - they are in danger of becoming bourgeois and boring, while she is still provocative and fascinating.
Several months later, you could see the gleam returning to Britney's eyes, and to the eyes of pop in general. Her last album does not contain good records like 'Gimme More' and 'Piece of Me', but she's still with us, still interesting, still hot. This decade belonged to her. Her next big test will be her ability to survive through the next one.
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