Britney Spears's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A closer look at the biggest achievements of Britney Spears. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.

Britney Spears, the "Princess of Pop," is a highly influential American singer and one of the best-selling music artists globally, with over 150 million records sold. She is credited with spearheading the revival of teen pop in the late 1990s and early 2000s and became the best-selling teenage artist of all time. Spears remains a significant figure in popular music.

Sections (7)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals Legacy & Impact

February 1999: "...Baby One More Time" peaked at number one

In January–February 1999, Britney Spears' single "...Baby One More Time" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, topping the chart for two consecutive weeks.

2001: Best-selling Teenage Artist

As of 2001, before she turned 20, Spears had sold over 37 million albums worldwide, marking her as the best-selling teenage artist.

2001: Highest-paid female musician by Forbes

In 2001, Forbes listed Britney Spears as the world's highest-paid female musician.

September 2002: VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists List

In September 2002, Britney Spears was ranked number eight on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists list, acknowledging her sex symbol status.

November 2003: Release of "In the Zone" Album

In November 2003, Britney Spears released her fourth studio album, In the Zone. It sold over 609,000 copies in its first week in the US and debuted at the top of the charts, making Spears the first female artist in the SoundScan era to have her first four albums debut at number one.

2003: People's 50 Most Beautiful People

In 2003, People cited Britney Spears as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People, recognizing her physical attractiveness.

2004: FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World List

In 2004, Britney Spears was placed at number one on FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World list, solidifying her status as a sex symbol.

2007: Britney album named one of the best albums

In 2007, Britney album was named one of the best albums of the preceding 25 years by Entertainment Weekly.

July 2008: Regaining Visitation Rights

In July 2008, Britney Spears regained some visitation rights to her sons after coming to 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".

December 2008: Release of "Circus" album

In December 2008, Britney Spears' sixth studio album, Circus, was released, receiving positive reviews and debuting at number one in Canada, Czech Republic, and the United States. "Womanizer," the lead single, topped charts in multiple countries and earned a Grammy nomination.

2008: Worldwide Sales of Blackout

By the end of 2008, Britney Spears' album Blackout had sold 3.1 million copies worldwide.

2008: MTV Video Music Awards Appearance and Career Comeback

In 2008, Britney Spears' appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards marked a turning point in her career, signaling a comeback after a period of personal struggles.

December 2009: Ranked 8th Artist of the 2000s by Billboard

In December 2009, Billboard ranked Britney Spears as the 8th Artist of the 2000s decade in the United States.

2009: Guinness World Records Recognition

In 2009, Britney Spears was named as Most Searched Person in the Guinness World Records book edition, highlighting her significant online presence.

March 2011: Release of 'Femme Fatale' Album

In March 2011, Britney Spears released her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale, which peaked at number one in the United States, Canada, and Australia. In the US, Spears tied with Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson for the third-most number ones among women.

August 2011: Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award

In August 2011, Britney Spears received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.

2011: Lady Gaga's Recognition at the MTV Video Music Awards

During the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, Lady Gaga acknowledged that Britney Spears "taught us all how to be fearless, and the industry wouldn't be the same without her,", highlighting Spears' influence on the music industry.

December 2012: Complex's 100 Hottest Female Singers of All Time List

In December 2012, Complex ranked Britney Spears 12th on its 100 Hottest Female Singers of All Time list, recognizing her impact and sex appeal.

December 2012: Named Music's Top-Earning Woman by Forbes

In December 2012, Forbes named Britney Spears music's top-earning woman of 2012, with estimated earnings of $58 million.

2012: Ranked on VH1's Greatest Women Lists

In 2012, Britney Spears was ranked fourth on VH1's 50 Greatest Women of the Video Era list. VH1 also included her in their lists of the 100 Greatest Women in Music in 2012 and the 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons in 2003.

2012: Highest-paid female musician by Forbes and most searched celebrity

In 2012, Forbes listed Britney Spears as the world's highest-paid female musician for a second time. By 2012, she had topped Yahoo!'s list of most searched celebrities seven times in twelve years.

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 for Favorite Pop Artist

On January 8, 2014, Britney Spears won the Favorite Pop Artist award at the 40th People's Choice Awards.

2015: Named Sixth-Highest-Earning Female Musician

In 2015, Forbes named Britney Spears the sixth-highest-earning female musician.

May 22, 2016: Performance and Millennium Award at Billboard Music Awards

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.

2016: 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.

2016: "Comeback" Performance at MTV Video Music Awards

In 2016, Britney Spears' "comeback" performance at the MTV Video Music Awards was viewed as a partial success in her effort to regain pop superstardom.

January 2017: People's Choice Awards Wins

In January 2017, Britney Spears won four awards at the 43rd People's Choice Awards: Favorite Pop Artist, Female Artist, Social Media Celebrity, and Comedic Collaboration for a skit with Ellen DeGeneres for The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

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April 29, 2017: Icon Award at Radio Disney Music Awards

On April 29, 2017, Britney Spears received the Icon Award at the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards.

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 for the LGBTQ community, recognizing her status as a gay icon.

2020: Billboard Ranking

In 2020, Billboard ranked Britney Spears as the eighth Greatest Music Video Artist of All Time, emphasizing her creativity and memorable videos.

2020: Billboard Ranks Spears on Music Video Artists List

In 2020, Billboard ranked Britney Spears at number eight on its 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of all-time list.

2020: "...Baby One More Time" ranked #1 by Rolling Stone

In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the song "...Baby One More Time" at number one on a list of the 100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time, recognizing it as a pop manifesto that changed the sound of pop forever.

2020: "...Baby One More Time" named greatest debut single

In 2020, the song "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears was named the greatest debut single of all time by Rolling Stone.

June 2021: Spears Speaks Out Against Conservatorship in Court

In June 2021, Britney Spears spoke to the court calling the conservatorship "abusive". Her court statement received widespread media coverage, generating over 1 million shares on Twitter, over 500,000 messages using the tag #FreeBritney, and more than 150,000 messages with a new hashtag referencing the court appearance, #BritneySpeaks.

September 15, 2021: Named One of 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 for #FreeBritney Movement

In October 2021, Britney Spears thanked her fans and the #FreeBritney movement for "freeing me from my conservatorship", acknowledging their role in her personal liberation.

2021: Conservatorship terminated and Framing Britney Spears documentary

In 2021, Britney Spears' conservatorship was terminated, following her public testimony where she accused her management team and family of abuse. Also, the documentary Framing Britney Spears was released.

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2021: One of the 100 most influential people by Time

In 2021, Time named Britney Spears one of the 100 most influential people in the world, placing first in the reader poll.

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.

2024: Dream Within a Dream Tour Grosses

Britney Spears' Dream Within a Dream Tour reached $93.2 million in 2024, which was the second highest-grossing tour of 2002 by a female artist, behind Cher's Farewell Tour.