Born Britney Jean Spears on December 2, 1981, an American recording artist and entertainer. Spears began performing as a child. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album. . . Baby One More Time in 1999. During her first decade within the music industry, she became a prominent figure in mainstream popular music and popular culture, followed by a much-publicized personal life. Her first two albums established her as a pop icon and broke sales records. Spears was credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s. In the 2000s, she released a few albums that yielded a number of chart-topping singles. In the period 2006-2008 Spears experienced personal struggles that and her career went under hiatus. In 2011, Spears returned with her seventh studio album, titled Femme Fatale, which is currently scheduled for release on March 29, 2011, including the lead single "Hold It Against Me" which has become Spears' fourth U. S. Number-one single. Spears has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists in the history of contemporary music. In June 2010, Spears was ranked sixth on Forbes list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential celebrities in the world; she is also the third most mentioned musician on the internet, according to Forbes.