GMA: Britney Spears Interview

Jan. 8, 2001 -- Britney Spears comes across in her performances as a self-confident and sexy force of nature. Her form-fitting outfits have led observers to describe her as Lolita on aerobics. But in person, ABCNEWS’ Don Dahler says he found her to be a small, polite, and sweet young woman.

Subhead Text“Are you really that nice?” Dahler asks.

“Yeah, I guess. All of my friends are like, you never get mean man, probably I should, but … ” Spears says, shrugging and laughing.

Spears will surely be smiling tonight as she hosts the 28th annual American Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The show will broadcast live at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on the ABC television network.

Her 1999 debut album, Baby One More Time, shook things up with its combination of school girl sexiness and hip hop dance beats. But critics wondered if Spears had it in her to hit the charts one more time.The title of her follow-up album was either coincidental or a bold prediction. Oops … I Did it Again has already sold 7 million copies in the United States.

After the success of her first album, the pressure was on for Spears to put out a second album that would also be a big hit — and it is. “I don’t think it really proves anything,” Spears says. “It’s just me, basically, doing my thing and me just having fun. It’s not something where you say I’m gonna do this so it will be big; or I’ll do that, you know. I just go in the studio, do what happens, you know, and just sing and do what you feel at that moment and just pray, that everything falls into place and everyone likes it, you know.”

Among Her Fans: MadonnaMusic industry watchers say part of her success is because she can attract a wide demographic — from pre-teen girls to teenage boys to even some of her pop music competitors.

In fact, one of her fans is none other than Madonna. Dahler points out that the Material Girl was spotted wearing a Britney Spears T-shirt. Spears says she was as surprised as anyone when she heard about her celebrity fan.

“Well, my managers, they called me and they told me. I was like what?” she says. “It’s just really weird because since I was like a little girl, when I was 8 years old, I’ve always listened to her. And then to open up a magazine and see Madonna wearing a Britney Spears T-shirt, I was like this is cool.”

Spears brushes aside reports that Madonna was “obsessed with her,” saying “She probably didn’t say that…but it’s very flattering if she did.”

Will The Real Britney Please Stand Up?

Like Madonna, Spears has been criticized for her suggestive performances and appearance.

Spears says that when she is a performer on stage, she gets into a certain “zone.”

“Well, I can always relate to the songs that I’m singing, definitely, but when as a performer, a true artist, I think they get on — they get on the stage and they just get to this zone that they’re in.”

“Like say as far as ‘Stronger’ goes when I get on the stage, I go to this zone where I’m just mad and I’m angry at my boyfriend. I’m not going through that right now, but when as a performer I get on stage and I go there and I do that. And that’s what true performers do, you know, ” says Spears.

But now that she’s 19 years old, has her attitude about sexuality changed? Is there a part of her that just wants to say why is it wrong if I feel this way, if I’m thinking these things and feeling these things, and want to dance this way?

“Well, really, I mean, everybody’s gonna have an opinion and you can’t please everybody, but I mean, as long as you are comfortable, wear what you want to wear,” she says. “You know what I mean? It’s all in how you carry yourself and how you live and, you know, that’s what it boils down to.”

And if you think this nice girl from Louisiana resents the bevy of blond Britney look-alikes who’ve been compared to her, think again.

“I think it’s totally flattering and even that — I don’t even, um, look at it as imitating me,” Spears says. “They’re doing their own thing. We’re all individuals and doing our own thing, and I think it’s cool that, you know, the younger generation coming up and it’s like girl power. I think it’s cool, man.”