Entertainment

Brit's New Album Is Incredibly Personal

by Lindsay Mannering

You know what's so great about Britney Spears? You just root for the girl no matter what. She's like your little sister, only she's older, and way richer. Sure, sometimes she's a little sad to watch if only because she seems so overwhelmed and mostly thwarted by any task put in front of her, but she's Britney. And we love her. The latest news surrounding everyone's favorite 31-year-old pop star and mother of two is that Britney Spears' new album is called Britney Jean . Jean is her middle name (as if you didn't know), and she told Capitol FM that she went with this title for her eighth studio album because it's a "personal album."

She told the radio program: "It's a personal album and all my family, they always call me Britney Jean. It's a term of endearment and I just wanted to share that with my fans."

Listen, I love the fact that Britney wants to share more with her fans, but perhaps knowing less about her personal life wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. There's very little mystery when it comes to Britney — we know all about her children, her ex boyfriends, ex husbands, ex fiancés, who manages her finances, where she lives, what jobs she takes, where she vacations, we even know what she eats — maybe staying a bit more private, if that's even possible in this day and age, could benefit the album.

But! That's neither here nor there. What's done is done. Britney is back, bitch, and if she wants to tell us more about her life, awesome. So far, Britney Jean has kept Britney Jean under wraps, but here's what we know so far.

The album will come out Dec. 3 (the day after Britney's 32nd birthday, but again, pretty sure I didn't have to tell you that), and will feature "Work Bitch", the song you already love, as well as a ballad possibly called "Perfume" and a song called "Aliens."

It's unclear who will guest star on her album, but Us Weekly confirms will.i.am was a producer on the project and that Madonna and William Orbit also collaborated. When asked whether or not Britney super fan Miley Cyrus will appear on a track, Ms. Spears said, "you'll have to wait and see!"

The last time Britney put out an eponymous album, 2001's Britney, it reached quadruple platinum status, selling over 15 million copies worldwide. Her last project, 2011's Femme Fatale, sold about 769,000 copies in the U.S. Quite a difference 10 years makes.

Who knows how Britney Jean will do, but her Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood and the fact that "Work Bitch" reached number 12 on the Billboard charts bodes well for the project. But can Britney Jean do what Britney once did? Maybe, but probably not.