Dodging A Bullet
Britney Spears was approached by Lou Pearlman about joining his female pop group “Innosense,” but he required a professional demo tape before he could pitch her to record labels. He sent her an unreleased Toni Braxton song via email. Britney recorded her voice in a studio, but three record labels turned her down, claiming that fans preferred pop groups like the Spice Girls and that solo singers had no market and that “there wasn’t going to be another Madonna, another Debbie Gibson, or another Tiffany.” Britney saved herself from a bullet by refusing to work with Pearlman. The svengali record producer behind *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys was convicted of running one of the largest Ponzi schemes in the world in 2008. The majority of his actions resulted in him being sued for deception and fraud. After pleading guilty to conspiracy, money laundering, and making false claims during a bankruptcy proceeding, Pearlman was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He died in federal custody in 2016.

Dodging A Bullet
Reuniting With A Friend
Britney was signed to Jive Records a few weeks later, and in March and April 1998, she traveled to Stockholm, Sweden, to record part of her debut album at Cheiron Studios. After returning to the United States to promote her new album, she went on a mall promotional tour. Her performance included a four-song set and two backup dancers. Before the release of her album, Spears reunited with her Mickey Mouse Club co-star Justin Timberlake when she opened for *NSYNC on a few tour dates. They started dating soon after and quickly became one of the most talked-about couples of the time.

Reuniting With A Friend