Britney Spears To Justin Bieber: I Understand

1999 was a crazy year. The Euro was established, SpongeBob SquarePants and Family Guy debuted, Napster came out, and Britney Spears dropped her debut album Baby One More Time. A lesser-known anniversary is that of V Magazine. The giant fashion glossy came out nine months after Spears’ debut and since then has been at the bleeding edge of the avant garde. This month, Spears smoulders in a trio of covers shot by Mario Testino for the magazine's 100th issue. (She previously appeared on the cover of the mag’s 70th issue.) But Spears does just more than just show up on the cover. She also dished on her upcoming album and why it’s taking so long to get right. “Honestly, I'm just particular with this record,” Spears tells V. “It's my baby, and so I really want it done right. I would much rather have it be completely how I want it to be, whether that takes another year for me to do, or two months. I have no idea at this point. But I just know that the direction I'm going in is so good. It's the best thing I've done in a long time. I'm proud of the work, and it's very different; it's not what you would think at all. But I'm not rushing anything. I just want it to be done right, so that my fans will truly appreciate it.” She also has some words of wisdom for Justin Bieber. “Whoever is in the spotlight, people are really quick to judge,” she said. “I mean, there are a lot of kids coming up who've experienced that. You know, Justin Bieber, he's huge, and he experiences that. It's just the way the world works, unfortunately. I've been doing this for 20 years. I kind of don't pay attention to it. I have my relationship with God and myself and that's what matters to me. I really don't care what most people think.” If Britney can survive 2007, as the meme goes, we can get through this. It’s refreshing to see her complete her recovery from her head-shaving worst to now projecting an image of the calm stateswoman of pop. She’s been there, seen it all, and lived to tell about it. Now if only she would drop that album.