'Never before seen' picture of Britney Spears shows singer 'naive and innocent' laughing with friends in car
A newly-released photograph of Britney Spears that has ‘never been seen by anyone’ and was taken nearly thirty years ago shows the singer laughing with friends while singing along to Madonna in a car.
Taken by photographer Lisa Means in January 1999, Spears is pictured alongside her cousin Laura Lynne, and childhood friends, Jason and Courtney.
Released as part of BBC Arts documentary, Britney: In Ten Pictures, it captures the now 44-year-old singer in her hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana, just days before her debut album …Baby One More Time was released on 12 January 1999.
Photographer Means, who was on assignment for US publication People at the time, says the group were on their way to get ice cream.
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She explains in the documentary: “This didn’t get published, it’s not one that’s ever been seen by anyone. I was working for People magazine when I photographed Britney for the first home take that was ever done.”
She added: “They wanted to go get some ice cream, so we went to the local drive-in place. I was smushed in the back of the truck to get the images, so it was kind of challenging too.
“Jason is driving, a childhood friend, and Courtney. I think this is her cousin here. And we just had so much fun. They were singing to Madonna and Britney was like, 'I hope I get to meet her one day!' and we were like, 'Oh, that would be really cool.’
“She was so naïve, so innocent, and I don’t mean naïve in a bad way, I mean it in a really good way.”
In August 2003, Spears made headlines when she kissed Madonna on stage during the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), with her ex-boyfriend, NSYNC’s Justin Timberlake among the guests in the audience.
Known for hits such as '…Baby One More Time', 'Oops!… I Did It Again' and 'Toxic', Spears has two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, from her marriage to dancer Kevin Federline, which ended in 2007.
A 13-year conservatorship, set up in 2008, which had control of her career decisions and finances, ended in 2021. In 2023 she released her memoir, The Woman In Me, and reports have claimed it is being adapted for a film.
Reflecting on the kiss in her memoir, Spears said: “A lot was made of that kiss. Oprah [Winfrey] asked Madonna about it. The kiss was treated as a huge cultural moment - ‘Britney kissing Madonna!’ - and it got us both a lot of attention.”
The pair would also later go on to collaborate on the 2003 song 'Me Against The Music'.
Spears recently pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving involving drugs or alcohol after being arrested for driving under the influence in California.
At a hearing at Ventura County Court earlier in May, her lawyer pleaded guilty to the lesser charge on her behalf, allowing her to avoid a custodial prison sentence, a court spokesman said.
The plea offer allows the singer to carry out a year of probation and she will be fined. It is standard for defendants with no history of driving under the influence (DUI), road crashes, and a low blood alcohol level.
The charge came weeks after she voluntarily checked herself into rehab, having been arrested on 4 March after she was seen driving 'erratically' in a black BMW 430i.
Musically, she has also collaborated with Rihanna, Iggy Azalea and Backstreet Boys, and she released a collaboration with Sir Elton John in 2022, her first new music since the end of her conservatorship.
Britney: In Ten Pictures tells the story of Spears’ rise to fame through 10 key images and 'the controversies and media hysteria that shaped it'. The programme features interviews with former GQ editor Dylan Jones, Nigel Dick, who directed Spears’ famous '…Baby One More Time' music video, as well as members of the Free Britney movement.
Britney: In Ten Pictures airs on BBC iPlayer from 28 May and on BBC Two on 11 June.
Topics: Britney Spears, Music
Kerri-Ann Roper