It’s no secret that Britney Spears has had a rough few years; in 2021, she successfully escaped a 13-year legal conservatorship where her father controlled every aspect of her life amid intense media scrutiny. The singer took a break from music after her 2016 album Glory while she searched for a way out of her conservatorship and recently made a musical comeback with “Hold Me Closer,” a collaboration with Elton John which promptly peaked at number six on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
If a top 10 single in 2022 isn’t enough to cement Spears’ legacy in the public consciousness, a clip of the Queen of Pop opening a huge outdoor concert recently resurfaced on Twitter, reminding fans of her expertise on stage. The clip shows the singer rising from a platform under the stage with her back turned to the audience. She turns around, landing perfectly on beat with the music while the audience screams as if they’re witnessing royalty (which, to be fair, they are). Spears makes her way down the stairs to a version of “…Baby One More Time” specially designed for the performance, headbanging and snapping her fingers as the beat cuts in and out to drive up anticipation.
It’s hard to believe the singer was only 18 in this clip as her stage presence is as developed as pop divas who have graced the stage for decades. Fans reacted to the powerful video, with one posting an image of The Office‘s Michael Scott captioned “It’s Britney, b***ch,” referencing the iconic opening of her song “Gimme More” from her 2007 album Blackout.
Another responded with pictures of Spears on stage throughout the years, writing the star “rocks the stage” like no other while calling her “invincible.” This comment started a bit of an argument as a different user replied with artists they thought were just as talented on stage as Spears, including Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and the boy band Hansen. This is seemingly not a common belief as another user responded, “Hansen 💀 ” to which the original commenter defended their choice by calling MMMBop “one of the greatest debut singles of all time.”
One commenter not only recognized Spears’ talent but also showed admiration for her shorter hairstyle.
Another wrote that Miss Spears was incomparable to her peers.
Some commenters chose to focus on Spear’s apparent lip-syncing in the short clip but others defended the Queen of Pop by listing her achievements.
Others expressed sadness over Spears’ difficult public life, lamenting how circumstances in her life bogged her down for years.
We’re not sure if we’ll ever see Spears return to the stage, but there’s no denying that she is an incredible talent. While we celebrate Spears’ achievements and new freedom, we can continue watching her past performances (like this Hawaii concert) and appreciating the decades-long successful career she has established.