How Britney Spears Felt When She Had to Be on Set With Madonna

Britney Spears made a music video with Madonna. She revealed that it was like working with the “Like a Virgin” singer up close and personal. Spears explained what she learned from the experience and what she thinks of Madonna.

Britney Spears said Madonna kept the focus on herself

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Queen of Pop was an island unto herself. During the 2000s, Madonna became much more open to working with other stars. That decade saw her collaborating with fellow icons such as Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Timbaland, and Pharrell Williams. One of her most beloved collaborations from that time was “Me Against the Music,” a duet with Spears. The song is remembered for a high-octane music video that shows the two superstars showing off their incredible dance moves.

In her 2023 memoir The Woman in Me, Spears discussed working with Madonna on the music video for  “Me Against the Music.” “During our shoot together, I was in awe of the ways Madonna would not compromise her vision,” she recalled. “She kept the focus on her. Going along with Madonna’s ideas and being on her time for days was what it meant to collaborate with her.”

What Madonna taught the younger star

Spears recalled what the Material Girl taught her by example.  “It was an important lesson for me, one that would take a long time for me to absorb: she demanded power, and so she got power,” the “Womanizer” singer said. “She was the center of attention because she made that the condition of her showing up anywhere. She made that life for herself. I hoped I could find ways to do that while preserving the parts of my nice-girl identity that I wanted to keep.”

The “I Wanna Go” star had a positive view of the music she put out during that era. “I was happy with my new album, In the Zone,” she remembered. “‘Me Against the Music,’ featuring Madonna, was the first single off the album. The next single was ‘Toxic,’ for which I won a Grammy Award. ‘Toxic’ was innovative as well as a massive success, and is still one of my favorites to perform.”

What Britney Spears thought of the Queen of Pop as an artist and as a person

Spears’ admiration of Madonna extends beyond “Me Against the Music.” In a 2010 Rolling Stone article, she said Madonna was the first female pop star to have total control over her career. Spears also opined that Madonna tracks like “Holiday” and “Live to Tell” are timeless. That’s debatable, as both of those songs are unmistakably from the 1980s, but they are incredible.

Spears went so far as to say she would rather spend time with Madonna than the President of the United States. At the time, the President of the United States was Barack Obama. Spears’ statement was provocative, to say the least! While Spears acknowledged that Madonna is a dive, she said the Material Girl is also very kind. She also highlighted the influence that the Queen of Pop has had on many younger artists. It’s easy to see her impact on many female pop stars and rappers who are prominent today.

“Me Against the Music” is a great song and it taught Spears a lesson.