 Is Spears' star falling? article | |
Is Spears' star falling?
Rolling Stone's Toure says Britney still shines
July 24, 2002 Posted: 8:16 PM EDT (0016 GMT)
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(CNN) -- Could her current U.S.
concert tour be Britney Spears' last
dance?
She may seem as popular as ever, but it
appears fans are not buying Britney like
they used to. Just compare her smash-hit
record, "Oops, I Did It Again" that sold
8.9 million co pies in 2000 with her
current release, "Britney," which has sold
3.7 million copies in the U.S.
A&M Records president Ron Fair seems
to have an explanation for the pop
princess' slump. "The same kids who two
years ago were buying 'N Sync and
Christina Aguilera records are responding to styles of music that are more song-
and artist-driven. They haven't heard that music sung by their peers before."
CNN anchor Arthel Neville talked to Rolling Stone Contributing Editor Toure on
Wednesday to get the inside scoop on Spears' status and those who may be in
position to take the lead in the fickle field of teen-driven music.
Superstar or not-a-star?
ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN ANCHOR: So is the
queen of teen still a superstar? I mean, 3.7 million
copies. That's not bad. So I'm saying, she's not
losing her steam.
TOURE, ROLLING STONE: I'm not willing to say
Britney's over, not yet. She didn't get the sympathy
vote out of her breakup with Justin, but the entire
record business is slumping a little bit. She still has
got this amazing showmanship. She is still as cute as she was before. Like last
night, right, we're sitting there thinking, how can we say Britney is over? That
"Slave For You" piece came on from MTV last year with the snake.
NEVILLE: That's hot.
TOURE: We couldn't stop watching. I'm not saying she's over.
NEVILLE: Let's just look at the whole group. Pink, that's my girl.
TOURE: Because she's black, right?
NEVILLE: I think Pink is...
TOURE: She is one of those white girls who is kind of black. I think so.
NEVILLE: And Christina Aguilera, let's see Destiny's Child, B2K, 'N Sync,
Backstreet Boys.
TOURE: The breakout star out of that
group is going to be Justin Timberlake. He
has got the Neptunes, Alicia Keyes [and
more] working on [his solo] album.
NEVILLE: He's from 'N Sync.
TOURE: Just to be clear, he's from
Memphis, Tennessee. He has got that soul
in him. He's been eating ribs all his life. He
talks about his grandmother's peach cobbler
that he loves.
NEVILLE: Not to get off subject, but do
you think there is anything to the Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake deal?
TOURE: I don't know. It's such a delicious rumor.
NEVILLE: I want to believe it. I say, go, Janet.
TOURE: How about go, Justin?
Who to keep an eye on
NEVILLE: Let's talk about who to keep an eye on.
TOURE: The Eminem record is selling like crazy. OK, and it's a really good record.
He's a truth teller. He's a rebel. He's anti-PC. That's a great record. Nelly is selling
some reports.
NEVILLE: I love Nelly.
TOURE: The Ashanti record is hot. Here's a record that I can't wait until
everybody hears it -- Cody Chestnut. This guy is from Atlanta. He made a reported
36 songs on $10,000 of equipment in his bedroom. It's total low-fi. It's totally
mellow. It's a good sound. Everybody in America is going to love it.
NEVILLE: Really? So he's got this whole crossover appeal going?
TOURE: He's accessible. He's fun. It's soul music, like we heard in the '70s. This
is going to be blockbuster. And it's a teeny-weeny label, so it's going to take a while
for people to discover it.
NEVILLE: Let's talk about Britney Spears again, because she's doing a little cameo
in the Austin Powers movie "Goldmember," and she also worked on the
soundtrack. She's diversifying.
TOURE: She's actually got a hot song on this soundtrack. You see her on the
[Pepsi] commercial. She's got a great new song, great new video with Pharell from
the Neptunes. She's had a long, long run so far. She doesn't go away like other
people. They do an album, then you don't see for a while. She's got the
showmanship. America loves its blondes.
NEVILLE: Ain't that the truth. | 
