A closer look at the biggest achievements of Britney Spears. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.
Britney Spears, often called the "Princess of Pop," is an American singer who significantly impacted popular music. Credited with reviving teen pop in the late 1990s and early 2000s, she has sold over 150 million records globally, establishing herself as one of the best-selling music artists worldwide. Her influence on the pop music landscape is undeniable.
2000: Most Searched Person of the Decade
From 2000-2009, Britney Spears was named as the most searched person of the decade.
2001: Spears recognized as best-selling teenage artist
Before turning 20 in 2001, Britney Spears had sold over 37 million albums worldwide and also marked for being the best-selling teenage artist.
2001: Highest-Paid Female Musician
In 2001, Forbes listed Britney Spears as the world's highest-paid female musician, highlighting her financial success and popularity at the time.
September 2002: VH1 Sexiest Artists List
In September 2002, Britney Spears was placed at number eight on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists list, recognizing her image as a sex symbol.
2003: People's Most Beautiful People
In 2003, People cited Britney Spears as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People, recognizing her physical appeal.
2003: VH1 cites Spears as one of the Greatest Pop Culture Icons
In 2003, VH1 cited Britney Spears among its choices on the 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons, highlighting her significant influence on popular culture.
2004: FHM Sexiest Woman
In 2004, Britney Spears was placed at number one on FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World list, highlighting her status as a sex symbol.
2007: Entertainment Weekly's Best Albums List
In 2007, Britney Spears' album Britney (released in 2001) was named one of the best albums of the preceding 25 years by Entertainment Weekly.
July 2008: Visitation Rights Regained
In July 2008, Britney Spears regained some visitation rights with her children after reaching an agreement with Kevin Federline.
September 2008: MTV Video Music Awards Wins
In September 2008, Britney Spears opened the MTV Video Music Awards and won Best Female Video, Best Pop Video, and Video of the Year for "Piece of Me".
2008: Album of the Year
In 2008, Blackout won Album of the Year at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
2008: Career Comeback
In 2008, Britney Spears' appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards was seen as a sign of professionalism and poise after a previous disastrous performance, marking the beginning of a career comeback.
2008: Performance Recognition
In 2008, MTV listed the August 2003 performance as the number-one opening moment in the history of the MTV Video Music Awards. Blender cited it as one of the 25 sexiest music moments on television history.
December 2009: Billboard ranks Spears among top artists of the decade
In December 2009, Billboard ranked Britney Spears as the 8th Artist of the 2000s decade in the United States, solidifying her place as a defining artist of the era.
2009: Guinness World Records
In 2007 and 2009, Britney Spears was named as Most Searched Person in the Guinness World Records book, confirming her immense popularity.
August 2011: MTV Video Vanguard Award
In August 2011, Britney Spears received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.
December 2012: Complex's Hottest Female Singers
In December 2012, Complex ranked Britney Spears 12th on its 100 Hottest Female Singers of All Time list, acknowledging her attractiveness and vocal talent.
December 2012: Forbes Top-Earning Woman
In December 2012, Forbes named Britney Spears music's top-earning woman of 2012, with estimated earnings of $58 million.
2012: Highest-Paid Female Musician & Most Searched Celebrity
In 2012, Britney Spears was listed as the world's highest-paid female musician by Forbes and topped Yahoo!'s list of most searched celebrities for the seventh time in twelve years, showcasing her continued relevance and popularity.
2012: VH1 ranks Spears as one of the Greatest Women
In 2012, Britney Spears was ranked as the fourth VH1's 50 Greatest Women of the Video Era show list and VH1 also cited her among its choices on the 100 Greatest Women in Music in 2012.
2012: VH1 Ranking
In 2012, VH1 ranked Britney Spears as the fourth Greatest Woman of the Video Era, recognizing her impact on music videos.
January 8, 2014: People's Choice Award Win
On January 8, 2014, Britney Spears won Favorite Pop Artist at the 40th People's Choice Awards.
2015: Spears named as a top-earning musician by Forbes
In 2015, Forbes named Britney Spears the sixth-highest-earning female musician, highlighting her financial success and continued relevance in the music industry.
May 22, 2016: Billboard Music Awards Performance and Award
On May 22, 2016, Britney Spears performed a medley of her past singles at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards and was honored with the Billboard Millennium Award.
October 2016: Marie Claire UK Cover and Interview
Britney Spears appeared on the cover of Marie Claire UK for the October 2016 issue, where she discussed her past anxiety and how motherhood helped her overcome it.
2016: MTV Video Music Awards Performance
In 2016, Britney Spears gave an MTV Video Music Awards performance that Billboard called her "comeback" performance at the show "an effective, but not entirely glorious, bid to regain pop superstardom".
2016: Spears ranked on Billboard's Greatest Of All Time Top Dance Club Artists list
In 2016, Britney Spears ranked at number twenty on Billboard's Greatest Of All Time Top Dance Club Artists list, recognizing her contributions to dance music.
January 2017: People's Choice Awards Wins
In January 2017, Britney Spears received four wins at the 43rd People's Choice Awards, including Favorite Pop Artist and Female Artist.
April 29, 2017: Icon Award at Radio Disney Music Awards
On April 29, 2017, Britney Spears was the first recipient of the Icon Award at the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards, marking a significant recognition of her impact on pop culture.
April 12, 2018: GLAAD Vanguard Award
On April 12, 2018, Britney Spears was honored with the 2018 GLAAD Vanguard Award at the GLAAD Media Awards for her role in "accelerating acceptance for the LGBTQ community".
2018: GLAAD Vanguard Award
In 2018, Britney Spears received the GLAAD Vanguard Award for her role in promoting acceptance of the LGBTQ community.
2020: Billboard Ranking
In 2020, Billboard ranked Britney Spears as the eighth Greatest Music Video Artist of All Time, acknowledging her creativity and impact on music videos over the past three decades.
2020: Billboard ranks Spears as one of the Greatest Music Video Artists
In 2020, Billboard ranked Britney Spears eight on its 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of all-time list, recognizing her contributions to the art of music videos.
2020: "...Baby One More Time" Named Greatest Debut Single
In 2020, Rolling Stone named Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" as the greatest debut single of all time, recognizing its lasting impact and influence.
September 15, 2021: Time's 100 Most Influential People
On September 15, 2021, Britney Spears was named one of Time's 100 most influential people of 2021, recognizing her impact and fight against her conservatorship.
October 2021: Gratitude to Fans
In October 2021, Britney Spears thanked her fans and the #FreeBritney movement for "freeing me from my conservatorship".
2021: Conservatorship Termination
In 2021, Britney Spears' conservatorship was terminated after her public testimony, in which she accused her management team and family of abuse. This marked a significant victory after a long legal battle.
2021: One of the 100 Most Influential People
In 2021, Time named Britney Spears one of the 100 most influential people in the world, recognizing her impact and influence beyond music.
October 2024: Billboard ranks Spears as one of the Greatest Pop Stars
In October 2024, Billboard placed Britney Spears at number six on their Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century list, recognizing her impact and contributions to pop music.