EXCLUSIVE: 5 Unforgettable Behind-the-Scenes Moments From Britney Spears' Lavish, Over-the-Top 'Private Show'
It’s not every day that you get to experience the inner workings of Britney Spears’ world, but that’s just what happened at an event for media promoting the launch of the pop star's newest fragrance, Private Show, in Las Vegas.
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Not only did I get an unforgettable peek into the lavish launch of one of her namesake products, but I also got to interact with her many teams. And let me tell you: the business of Britney is no joke.
1. LUXURIOUS TRAVEL
Team Britney sent a detailed travel itinerary -- typed up on turquoise-and-pink Britney letterhead! -- that included a first-class flight to Vegas. Once I landed, a car took me to Caesars Palace, where I was told I was already checked in and that a gift bag was placed in my room. The cleverly put-together pink bag was filled with champagne and portable speakers (which I used to listen to Britney tunes in my room, of course!), plus a hangover kit (that included Advil and a 5-hour energy shot), a Britney poster, and a box of chocolates.
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2. PERFUME REVEAL
A small group was given a first look at Britney’s new fragrance before the 34-year-old singer unveiled it to the world on June 17. After watching Britney talk about the fragrance in a pre-taped video, we were individually spritzed with Private Show, which won’t be available to the public until July.
I’m not saying this because they spoiled me with such a great trip, but seriously, the perfume smelled SO good!
And if you’re thinking Britney just slaps her name on anything, think again! I learned that she was very involved in creating her 20th fragrance, collaborating with the perfumer, Caroline Sabas of Givaudan, to make sure it featured some of her favorite flavors and scents, including her favorite desserts and fruits, plus her beloved iced coffee.
To come up with the final product, Britney’s team set out three bowls of scented ribbons that represented the three layers of the perfume, known as the top, mid, and base accords. Get this: each layer has its own scent name, too! The top accord, called “Opening Number,” features whipped crème coffee, nectarine, and clementine; the mid, “Ensemble,” has notes of dulce de leche, orange flower, and jasmine sambac; and the base, “Encore,” blends amber and musk.
After the reveal, Britney’s PR team took us to The High Roller at The Linq, a giant Ferris wheel that fits about 20 people per cabin and has an open bar.
3. PRE-SHOW EXTRAVAGANCE
The next morning, we were told to meet at the Caesars Palace pool at 10:00 a.m. for a day in the Vegas sun, complete with lunch and drinks. There were multiple cabanas reserved and each chair was decorated with a hot pink beach towel monogrammed with the words #TakeABow, the social hashtag used to tease Britney’s announcement. We were told not to mention #PrivateShow at all until Britney personally took to her Twitter to release her big news, which she did that afternoon.
As fun as that was, I couldn’t help but be excited for Britney’s Piece of Me residency that night, especially because we were going to meet Britney herself. Per the PR team’s suggestion, I got dolled up at the spa with a blow-out and partial makeup airbrushing. Then I met the group in the hotel lobby, where we were driven in an over-sized party limo to Planet Hollywood to dine at the upscale sushi joint, Koi.
Britney’s older brother, Brian, was eating a few tables away from us and kindly said ‘hello’ to everyone. After running out of spicy tuna on crispy rice, one of the PR girls requested more trays. It was just that kind of night -- and it was about to become even more magical.
4. MEETING BRITNEY
After dinner, we walked to the Piece of Me theater. Fe, Britney’s family friend turned assistant of over 17 years, greeted us, and I am not exaggerating when I tell you that she was a ray of sunshine with a Southern accent that she joked sounds just like Britney’s.
Fe was sporting a pair of black Dickies coveralls with her name embroidered on the back in leopard lettering and matching leopard shoes to match. When I commented on the fun ensemble, she immediately broke into the backstory: that because she changed Britney in and out of her costumes so much over the years in between numbers, all of her pants had holes in them in the knee area. Britney’s crew constantly teased her about it and playfully made her special coverall uniforms in a few different colors so she could avoid tarnishing any more of her clothes!
Fe told me that before shows, Britney is often backstage playing games with her sons, Sean and Jayden. Fe revealed that when it’s time for Britney to do start her show, her sons get sad and often tell Fe, 'No, please don’t make her be Britney Spears right now.’
Are you feeling all the feels right now or what?
Britney is so frequently viewed as famous and untouchable, we often forget that to her two boys she’s just ‘Mom.’
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After chatting with Fe, our group was escorted to the back of the theater, where we were given a rundown of what to expect when we met Britney. They told us she was shy but sweet, and that if we blinked in our pic with her, we could take another one. We went through extra security and had to put all of our purses and wallets in a bin, and were told they were taking extra precaution due to recent tragic events -- namely, the murder of Christina Grimmie during a fan meet and greet in Orlando, Florida, earlier this month.
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When it was my turn to head on stage for my time with Britney, she couldn’t have been kinder. I told her a story about my sister, arguably one of the biggest Britney fans on the planet who recently became a pilot. I shared that I wanted to do something special for her first out-of-state flight ever, so I surprised her with Piece of Me tickets for her birthday.
5. PIECE OF ME CONCERT
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After everyone had their moments with Britney, we headed to our seats which were practically in the front row. I didn’t sit down once during the show, except when security asked us to for two minutes during a specified number where our standing was a hazard to dancers… Whoops!
And Britney delivered! We all had our heels off by the end of the night, and it was so fun to see her facial expressions up close, like when her eyes got bigger as she laughed after walking a guy from the audience across the stage on a leash during “Freak Show.”
In fact, she laughed a lot throughout the show and seemed to enjoy watching us dance our booties off. Fe told us that Britney “feeds off energy,” and she wasn’t lying.
I’m sure the stakes were high for Britney’s various teams this weekend, but everything was orchestrated perfectly. It just goes to show just how much work, creativity, resources, and planning goes into the business of Britney Spears – and this trip was just for one perfume!
I know Britney is one of the best-selling artists of our time, but one of the biggest things I learned during my Vegas trip was that she’s also just human, and it was more fun to experience that than any of the extravagant, glitzy, perks of this trip – though those were pretty incredible too.
If you want to chat about Britney, let's do it on Twitter! I'm @Katie_Krause!