Home

[Lazarus]

In an embarrassment of midsummer manna from the pop gods, both Taylor Swift and Britney Spears will be gracing the New York area for five glorious days starting Friday.

First Swift will bring her massive Reputation Tour to MetLife Stadium for three nights bookending the weekend. Then, she?ll cede diva dominion to Spears, whose Piece of Me trek ? a road version of her Las Vegas residency show that ended in December ? hits Radio City Music Hall on Monday and Tuesday.

After getting their starts as teens, they have each ruled the music world at different times ? Spears as a dance-driven performer who has never pretended to be a traditional musician; Swift as a country-bred singer-songwriter who plays guitar, piano and even banjo. But they have more in common than being blond bosses in the game. In fact, they have employed the same secret weapon: Swedish superproducer Max Martin.

Martin wrote and produced (with Rami) ?? Baby One More Time,? the 1998 debut single by then-16-year-old Spears that became a No. 1 smash. In that song, he found the perfect way to play up Spears? chirpy charm ? and play down her limited vocal abilities ? while surrounding her with big hooks that were radio-ready ear candy. It was a winning formula that he repeated on more gems, including 2000?s ?Oops! ? I Did It Again.?

Although Martin hit Spears? sweet spot with dance-pop confections, he was also behind her best ballad, 2002?s ?I?m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman.? Then, after hardly working with Spears later in the ?00s, Martin returned as a producer for most of 2011?s ?Femme Fatale,? updating her sound with an electronic clubbiness that gave an edge to her formerly bubble-gum aesthetic. The result was arguably Spears? best album ever, but Martin has been woefully MIA for Brit ever since.

Meanwhile, Martin and his producing partner Shellback were the key additions to Team Taylor in her makeover from country darling to pop princess. It all started with her 2012 smash ?We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,? which kicked off with a twangy guitar line so as not to alienate Swift?s country fans before pouring on the pop crunch. It was a brilliant move.

And it demonstrated an uncanny ability to understand exactly how to keep and frame Swift?s singer-songwriter essence, letting Taylor be Taylor even as her sound shifted and expanded. As Martin kept the hit parade rolling with singles, such as 2014?s ?Shake It Off,? which boasted his unshakeable hooks, Swift?s distinct lyrical perspective remained at the core.

Whether it?s the hip-hop-inflected ?Bad Blood? (off 2014?s ?1989?) or the electro-infused ?? Ready for It?? (2017?s ?Reputation?), it?s clear that Swift is always driving the narrative ? and ultimately calling the shots.

Battle of the blondes

They?re two of the century?s biggest divas, and they?ve got the stats to back it up. From top singles to famous exes, here?s how Britney Spears and Taylor Swift stack up.

VMA drama

Spears caused a stir at the 2003 VMAs when she locked lips with Madonna. But that?s just a drop in the crazy bucket compared to Swift?s first VMAs, when Kanye interrupted her win with his feud-igniting ?I?mma let you finish? speech.

Celebrity exes

Spears and Justin Timberlake were quite the denim-clad It pair. But Swift?s got a long(er) list of ex-lovers, including Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal, Conor Kennedy, Harry Styles, Calvin Harris, Tom Hiddleston ?

Movie moment

Spears? made her big-screen debut in 2002?s ?Crossroads,? a coming-of-age flick that was heavily mocked but a hit at the box office. Later, Swift hammed it up in 2010?s celeb-studded rom-com, ?Valentine?s Day.?

Top albums

Spears? debut album has sold a whopping 14 million copies, getting the rare diamond certification. Meanwhile, Swift?s fifth studio LP sold nearly 1.3 million copies in its first week alone, going on to move over 6 million total.

[MelMel]

This is fucking disrespectful

[Kurama]

This was stupid.

[pCj]

This is accurate.

[Freemala Harris]

These satanic lies

[BAPHOMET.]

i actually agree.

[Kaeli.]

Msnxbx

Britney wins in all of these except the movie part...

No Taylor album has sold as much first week as Oops...

[Pearls Khan]

Perfect correlation

[RAY7]

So Taylor sold less albums, is a bigger whore, had a small role in an ensemble cast film
and Kanye interrupted her speech
and these things make her better than Britney?
Oh the caucasity

[MelMel]

So Taylor sold less albums, is a bigger whore, had a small role in an ensemble cast film
and Kanye interrupted her speech
and these things make her better than Britney?
Oh the caucasity

drag ha King