Teen People: Hottest 25 under 25 (2001)
She's sold more than 22 million records in the U.S. alone. Her mix of sweetness and not-so-innocence helped to launch a teen-girl pop music renaissance. Madonna sleeps in a T-shirt bearing her likeness. Is there anything Britney Spears of Kentwood, La., has yet to achieve? Why, of course. But first, here are the things she's already ticked off on her 2001 to-do list: Host the American Music Awards; pen her first young-adult novel, A Mother's Gift, along with her mom, Lynne; and land a multimillion-dollar endorsement deal with Pepsi. Next stop: Hollywood. This spring, Britney is making her first movie, an as-yet-untitled dramedy. In it, the pop princess plays a straight-A student who travels with two friends to a singing competition hoping to win a recording contract. (Staying close to her musical roots, Britney will also reportedly sing in the film.) After that wraps, she'll headline a world tour in support of her third album -- the follow-up to the 9-million-selling Oops!...I Did It Again -- which she is currently recording. "Everyone is always like, 'What image are you going to have for your next album?'" Britney says. "But it's not something you say or do. I'm just going to grow as a person and as an artist." -- M.R.
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