20 Years of the Original Doll Announcement

[27monster27 11,478]

1 hour ago, Windowlicker said:

Yes, she said she was taking a break from being told what to do, as she was still technically working on other things. But she wasn't actively working on an album. She said she took her injury as a sign that she needed to slow down and reiterated many times that she was focused on other aspects of her career and personal life:

"I am also going to take some time off to enjoy life. I’ve actually learned to say “NO!” With this newly found freedom, its like people don’t know how to act around me. Should we talk to her like we did when she was 16 or like the Icon everyone says she is? My prerogative right now is to just chill & let all of the other overexposed blondes on the cover of Us Weekly be your entertainment… GOOD LUCK GIRLS!! I’m sorry that my life seemed like it was all over the place the past 2 years, it’s probably because IT WAS! I understand now what they mean when they talk about child stars. Going & going & going is all I’ve ever know since I was 15 years old. It’s amazing what advisors will push you to do, even if it means taking a naive young blonde girl & putting her on the cover of every magazine.

I know now that my knee gave out on me this past summer so that I would have no choice but to stop. My body was shutting down and needed rest. It’s funny how the Man upstairs works"

https://britslettersoftruth.tumblr.com/post/96371123384/october-15-2004

And:

"I haven’t really thought a lot about work lately. What better time for a greatest hits album to come out? I can actually enjoy & reflect on my success at this point in my life. I may be disappointing some fans out there, but I don’t think I’ll do another tour for a couple of years. My priorities in life have changed. I am having fun again reading all the magazines that I enjoy (mainly because I am not on them). At this point and time, what I want is not my face on every cover, but someone else’s instead. I really want to help other people achieve their dreams and possibly even develop new artists. Everything is in the very beginning stages and it feels great to just think about different opportunities that I am interested in pursuing.

I’m not the type of person to put blame on other people, but I do feel that some things which were done for me were not always in my best interests. Looking back, I feel now that on my 4th album “less is more” should have been the way to go. As for me quitting the business for good, that is kind of harsh. As I said earlier, my priorities have changed and I am going to be focusing on three main areas of my life for the immediate future. Myself, my husband, Kevin and starting a family. When I really come back, things will be totally different."

https://britslettersoftruth.tumblr.com/post/96371200444/november-8-2004

These were both just a couple of months before she played "Mona Lisa" on radio and claimed she had an album almost finished.

After all this, in early 2006, she told People Magazine she needed a break so she could be hungry for music and performing again, and finally confirmed she was beginning work on an album:

But yeah, as far as Original Doll goes. I know the more interesting story amongst fans is that Britney had some deep, artistic statement album that the record label snuffed out becasue she rebelled against them by leaking one of the songs to radio, but it's very unlikely anything beyond a handful of rough demos existed and that she was workig on anything solid. Either way, I think the 2001-2007 period of her recording career is fascinating and truly peak for her creatively. She was really coming into her own before the conservatorship.

Interesting. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she gave up on "the" (or "an") album too. She did say that she was starting to work on new music again as early as late 2003, then she stopped. There are studio pictures from the Onyx Hotel tour, so honestly she probably was working on something but then she gave up on it. Reading her memoir, this seems like a good call for her because she was really overworked during that time. It's a shame though that she never got her true creative freedom, because that played a role in what eventually happened in 2006 - 2008.

[Windowlicker 3,110]

1 hour ago, 27monster27 said:

Interesting. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she gave up on "the" (or "an") album too. She did say that she was starting to work on new music again as early as late 2003, then she stopped. There are studio pictures from the Onyx Hotel tour, so honestly she probably was working on something but then she gave up on it. Reading her memoir, this seems like a good call for her because she was really overworked during that time. It's a shame though that she never got her true creative freedom, because that played a role in what eventually happened in 2006 - 2008.

I don't recall her saying she was in the studio at the end of 2003, but I do know her recording during Onyx was where "Mona Lisa" came from, as that demo was done with her live band. I believe one of her backing singers from the tour said they recorded a couple tracks with her. Bloodshy & Avant were travelling with her at this time as well, likely working on the final version of "Mona Lisa", in addition to "Do Somethin'" and "My Prerogative", since they were both recorded during this period too.

Edited Wednesday at 03:38 AM by Windowlicker

[27monster27 11,478]

10 minutes ago, Windowlicker said:

I don't recall her saying she was in the studio at the end of 2003, but I do know her recording during Onyx was where "Mona Lisa" came from, as that demo was done with her live band. I believe one of her backing singers from the tour said they recorded a couple tracks with her. Bloodshy & Avant were travelling with her at this time as well, likely working on the final version of "Mona Lisa", in addition to "Do Somethin'" and "My Prerogative", since they were both recorded during this period too.

I should probably specify, she was writing in late 2003, not recording. I always heard that Do Somethin' was an In The Zone track. My Prerogative was definitely from the Onyx Hotel tour.

Here is a snippet from the wiki (thankfully they made the Original Doll entry less biased) about Britneys late 2003 writing:

"As Spears ticks off some of what's on her to-do list now that she's back on her feet: resume hyping In the Zone; shoot another video; brainstorm with her "creative people" for the full-fledged performance tour she plans to kick off next March (she's organizing a group trip to Vegas for inspiration), work on her next album ("I'm already writing songs") and, if she can squeeze it in, start her own record label ("Maybe by next year," she hopes)." (Entertainment Weekly, November 2003)

[Windowlicker 3,110]

12 hours ago, 27monster27 said:

I should probably specify, she was writing in late 2003, not recording. I always heard that Do Somethin' was an In The Zone track. My Prerogative was definitely from the Onyx Hotel tour.

Here is a snippet from the wiki (thankfully they made the Original Doll entry less biased) about Britneys late 2003 writing:

"As Spears ticks off some of what's on her to-do list now that she's back on her feet: resume hyping In the Zone; shoot another video; brainstorm with her "creative people" for the full-fledged performance tour she plans to kick off next March (she's organizing a group trip to Vegas for inspiration), work on her next album ("I'm already writing songs") and, if she can squeeze it in, start her own record label ("Maybe by next year," she hopes)." (Entertainment Weekly, November 2003)

 

Ah yes, I do remember this. And "Do Somethin" was started during the same session as "My Prerogative" and "Mona Lisa" at Murlyn Studios in Sweden during the European leg of the Onyx Hotel Tour (they share largely the same tech crew and recording studios). She finished "Do Somethin" at Battery Studios while in New York that June, just before her knee injury, and "Mona Lisa" was finished post-knee injury at Conway Studios in Los Angeles.