For the third episode in our five-part series on Britney Spears, The New York Times pop music editor Caryn Ganz makes her Pop Pantheon debut to parse through a period in which tabloids covered Britney’s every move like a national news story. Caryn and Louie discuss how a turbulent time in Britney’s personal life led to what’s now considered a pop classic and one of the most prescient and influential albums of the period, 2007’s Blackout. From there, they tackle the start of Britney’s conservatorship and the album that brought her back to number one under perhaps dubious behind-the-scenes circumstances, 2008’s Circus.

Join us next week for Part 4, in which we’ll discuss Femme Fatale (2011), Britney Jean (2013), Glory (2016), #FreeBritney, the end of the conservatorship, The Woman in Me, as well as Britney's enduring legacy in pop.

Check out Pop Pantheon's Britney Spears Essentials Playlist

Come to Main Pop Girls: BRITNEY VS. GAGA on 3/21!

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