Britney Spears: A Life in Photos

When she was eight, Spears' mother brought her to Atlanta to audition for The Mickey Mouse Club, though Britney was too young to make the cut. For the next four years, Spears lived part-time New York with her mom, where she played the lead in the off-Broadway play Ruthless and performed on Star Search. When she was 12, Spears finally did join the Mickey crew, where she starred alongside Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake. Here, she poses with the cast.