Britney Spears released ❝I’m A Slave 4 U❞ 20 years ago today...

Can you believe it's been exactly 20 years since Britney Spears released her iconic single, 'I’m A Slave 4 U'? The prospect of Britney experimenting with a more grown-up sound that had R&B influences was intriguing! At that point, it had become one of my favourite Britney songs. It was the most urban-sounding song she had ever done, courtesy of Pharrell Williams and the Neptunes (masters of R&B/Hip-Hop). Back in the early 2000s, the Neptunes were on fire with their productions and never failed to deliver the heat. Everybody wanted to work with them, and Britney wanted a piece of the action.

She was taking a massive risk with such an extreme switch-up in her music. She had choices to make. Does she stick to bubblegum pop music and maintain the shy and innocent girl next door, or does she completely reinvent her sound and image and reintroduce herself as a sexually confident woman? Britney knew which option she wanted to do, even if it meant losing much of her teenage fanbase. That fanbase was quickly replaced by a more mature audience of 20-something adults who would go on to show an interest in her music. This was more rewarding to Britney since she was going through a transitional phase in her career. When the video dropped, it was carnage! Britney was officially a WOMAN now. She sweats around in the video flaunting her killer body and wearing the lowest of low rise jeans you will ever see worn in a music video! 

The face licking, panting and groaning were all controversial pointers that garnered much discussion in this newer, sexier version of Britney Spears. Then when she performed it at the MTV VMAs with a snake, it was all over. All in all, 'I'm A Slave 4 U' is one of my favourite Britney songs, not just because it was more mature, funky, and sexy, but because it was just an overall hot song.