Written by By Staff Writer
It’s “The Party of the Year,” or a “party of the month,” as Britney Spears puts it in her latest single. It could be a cautionary tale about celebrating not only when it’s well-deserved, but also when it’s not, too.
The pop star celebrated her birthday Friday, and, in true Britney form, no expense was spared in her elaborate bash — including her oversize marquee, a replica of her X Factor judging chair, her 20 security guards and a staggering $1 million.
So it’s perhaps no surprise that she also took advantage of the festivities to celebrate two big milestones: her 40th birthday and her 10th anniversary with her longtime manager, Larry Rudolph.
“Once in a lifetime birthday,” Spears said in a video posted to her Instagram feed. “Gonna put a f–king diamond ring on it.”
She also posted a cute childhood picture of herself with her five siblings, looking like a rather feisty fifth grader in the clip.
Asked by MTV News when it started happening, Spears replies, “Well, when I was like 15 or 16, I kind of knew I wanted to sing, but I was too afraid.
“And then a guy told me that he thought I could sing and I was like, ‘So does that mean I’m going to be in a band? I’m just gonna play the piano.’ “
The first part of Britney’s b-day wish was fulfilled, with the singer releasing a new track, “Make Me,” her first in three years, at midnight. The “Piece of Me” singer had been teasing her return with videos of her vocals over which she sounded like an oldie but a goodie.
This isn’t the first time Spears has teamed up with director Joseph Kahn to create a video for a song — in fact, it wasn’t the first time she and Kahn worked together.
Kahn was behind her two comeback singles, “Work Bitch” and “Slumber Party,” which featured two surprising cameos from fellow pop stars Iggy Azalea and PartyNextDoor. “Slumber Party” was a major hit, going gold, platinum and reaching No. 3 on the UK charts.
The two directors have already dropped a couple of songs from Spears’ upcoming eighth studio album: “Make Me,” which she wrote and produced, and “Make Me (Oooh).”
Spears’ last album was 2012’s “Britney Jean,” which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and did so with a haul of five Grammys, two ACM Awards and one MTV Video Music Award.