Britney Spears has said how the 13-year conservatorship she was under has left her “pretty traumatised” and as a result she will “probably never perform again”.
In a now-deleted message (which was seen by Rolling Stone) posted on her Instagram, the singer took aim at the lack of creative control she had during the majority of her career, deriding her father, Jamie Spears, and the photographers and designers who made decisions over her output. She explained the only visuals she liked during the time she was under the conservatorship was the video for 2013’s single ‘Work Bitch’. And despite her recent return to making music again, collaborating with Sir Elton John on the track ‘Hold Closer’ – a spin on John’s 1971 classic ‘Tiny Dancer’ – Spears also outlined how uncomfortable she felt with so many dancers onstage during her Las Vegas residency. That experience, she’s said, means she’s unlikely to perform live again – at least not anytime soon.
“I’m pretty traumatized for life,” she said in the message, “and yes I’m pissed as fuck and no I won’t probably perform again just because I’m stubborn and I will make my point.”
“Kiss my God damn mother fucking ass,” she signed-off with. Spears’ last live show came on New Year’s Eve, in December 2017.
Whilst this is not the first time Spears has suggested quitting live performances, it’s the first time she’s said it since her conservatorship. And, on the one hand, fans might be disappointed to hear such news; but on the other, who can blame her? After the ordeal of her fraught and frankly bizarre conservatorship, she’s free to do things on her own terms.
As Spears’ lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, who helped Spears bring her conservatorship to an end last November, has said about his response to anyone asking about the singer’s next steps: “My response [is] simple: ‘For the first time in 13 years, that is up to one person and one person only: Britney.’ Britney is a brilliant artist and iconic person.”
In a now-deleted message (which was seen by Rolling Stone) posted on her Instagram, the singer took aim at the lack of creative control she had during the majority of her career, deriding her father, Jamie Spears, and the photographers and designers who made decisions over her output. She explained the only visuals she liked during the time she was under the conservatorship was the video for 2013’s single ‘Work Bitch’. And despite her recent return to making music again, collaborating with Sir Elton John on the track ‘Hold Closer’ – a spin on John’s 1971 classic ‘Tiny Dancer’ – Spears also outlined how uncomfortable she felt with so many dancers onstage during her Las Vegas residency. That experience, she’s said, means she’s unlikely to perform live again – at least not anytime soon.
The #FreeBritney campaign helped bring an end to Britney Spears’ conservatorship last year. Photo: Kevin Winter
