Britney Spears

With an entertainment-driven career already burgeoning, the then-16-year-old Spears performed for the group of execs at the offices of Jive Records in New York. She was signed on the spot.

Fueled by the epidemic popularity of such contemporaries as the Backstreet Boys, Robyn and ‘N Sync, Spears has since become a virtual overnight success in the pop world.

Across the country, teen-agers — and generous parents, alike — have flocked to purchase Spears’ hit single, “… Baby One More Time.” Without an album on store shelves, her hit song has rocketed up SoundScan’s chart. During the first week of the new year, the song reached No. 1 on the singles chart, knocking the superstar duet of R. Kelly and Celine Dion from the top spot.

Needless to say, radio has consumed Spears’ single, and her charming looks and fancy dance steps make her a prime candidate for the MTV market as well as the live arena.

But in spite of the apparently instant star status achieved by Spears, years of consistently performing have helped to mold the teen-ager into a seasoned entertainer beyond her years. “I just think of it as though I’m going through college at an early stage,” Spears, now 17, told POLLSTAR. “This is something that I think of as my job.”

Spears started singing in church choirs during her early childhood and at eight years old, she attempted to make her show business debut via Mickey Mouse. “I went to an open call in Atlanta for the ‘Mickey Mouse Club,’ but the casting director was like, ‘Well, you’re too young,'” she said. “So I went to New York for two years to get experience.”

In the Big Apple, Spears took her next few steps down the path of stardom. In between the occasional commercial, she honed her skills at the Off-Broadway Dance Center and the Professional Performing Arts School. Spears’ training paid off as the star of the Off-Broadway comedy “Ruthless,” based on the classic story “The Bad Seed.”

Following her stint in New York, Spears returned for a triumphant audition for the Disney show. “That’s basically when I got back on my training of singing, dancing and acting,” she said. Spears was a regular member on the show for two years, enjoying her singing and dancing duties as well as the chance to be at Disneyworld. “I look back and it was like I had no worries,” she said. “[Being a recording artist] is a lot harder than that, but this is what I want to do. This is my dream.”

Unfortunately, it seems Mickey and his club lost the interest of children; the show was subsequently canceled and Spears returned home. “I was like a normal kid,” said Spears, sounding more like a suburban teen-ager than a native of the bayou. “I went to prom, homecoming and the whole deal.”

But the idea of living the everyday teen life didn’t float with the young performer. “After I went home, I was getting so itchy,” Spears said. “I was bored and I just wanted to get back into the business.”

So, with the assistance of entertainment lawyer Larry Rudolph, who would soon become her manager, Spears pursued the life of a pop singer following a return visit to New York and that fateful audition with Jive Records.

After Spears recorded her self-titled debut, released in stores last week, a clever marketing campaign sent the young singer on a mall tour. “That was really good because it got me prepped up for the major tour [and] because my single wasn’t even out yet, it was nice to see people enjoying the music without really knowing it,” she said.

Spears’ next calculated move, spurred by the label, was the opening slot on ‘N Sync’s headlining U.S. tour, where she performed a 30-minute set. Renaissance Entertainment agent David Zedeck’s future plans for Spears include international dates following the ‘N Sync shows.

Spears understands the importance of having a strong presence at radio in addition to her concert performances. “They mostly kind of go together. You have to be on radio a lot for [concert-goers] … to enjoy themselves because you want them to be familiar with the music,” she said.

But the budding teen super star says she is not concerned with all of the hype surrounding her. “It’s not something I’m worried about getting caught up in. I just think about the music.”