Why did Britney Spears decide to become a judge this season on “The X Factor?”
—Lisa Owens, Tucson, Ariz.
First off, Spears was intrigued by the fact that Simon Cowell wanted her, but she says that her decision was also based on the fact that she was a fan of the show.
“My makeup artist was the makeup artist for Simon,” she explains. “We talked about it a couple of times when I was on tour, but really never took it seriously until she went back and started working for him. Then we just all met up, and it made sense. I adore Simon, and it was something I really wanted to do.”
The pop princess, 30, says she is a fan of many kinds of music—rap, hip hop, cabaret, bands—so she feels that gives her an added edge when it comes to being a judge.
“This show has been really good for me to do because I’ve been able to help this talent come in and achieve their dream,” she says. “I can relate to them because I started out at such a young age. I know the foundation and the depth of what you go through in achieving your dream. So being able to do this has been, if anything, a great, great experience for me.”
The McComb, Miss.-born Spears launched her career at age 8, but became famous as a member of “The Mickey Mouse Club” at age 11, following which her music career soared. Even so, she remembers having to go through the audition process and how nerve-wracking it can be.
“I was a Mouseketeer, but it’s quite similar in the fact that we did have a big call for all of us together. We got in line, and we each auditioned,” she recalls. “I actually didn’t get to see the other auditions—we went in individually—but it was a lot of fun. I think this is a little bit more on the upscale of things because it’s, of course, a TV show, and we weren’t on television when we were doing our auditions.”
