Britney Spears has recalled "rooms full of men" looking her "up and down" as she auditioned for her first record deal.
The 41-year-old pop superstar was just 15 when - after moving on from the Mickey Mouse Club - she decided to record her own music, and her mother put her in touch with lawyer Larry Rudolph who in turn suggested she record a demo of an unused Toni Braxton song to "get in the door at record labels".
In an except from new memoir 'The Woman In Me' shared by People magazine, she wrote: "Larry took me around [New York City], and I went into rooms full of executives and sang Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing'.
“Gazing out at the rooms full of men in suits looking me up and down in my small dress and high heels, I sang loud.”
Once she signed the deal and her recording contract was in place, the label wanted her "in a studio immediately", as she set to work on her debut album '...Baby One More Time'.
She continued: “I worked for hours straight. My work ethic was strong. If you knew me then, you wouldn’t hear from me for days.
"I would stay in the studio as long as I could. If anyone wanted to leave, I’d say, ‘I wasn’t perfect.’
"When all the songs were done, someone said, ‘What else can you do? Do you want to dance now?’ I said, ‘Hell yeah, I do!' "
Britney is still keen to make new music after returning to the scene alongside will.i.am on their 'Mind Your Business' collaboration.
And she recently admitted she wants to team up with Jay-Z on a new version of his wife Beyonce's 2016 song 'Daddy Lessons'.
Sharing a video of herself dancing to the track on Instagram, she wrote: "So many people have done remixes to my songs without my knowledge … so I guess it’s safe to say I will be redoing this song eventually !!!
“Just need to meet Jay-Z and add a rap to it … what’s up ??? (sic)"
The song originally featured on Beyonce's 'Lemonade' album seven years ago, while a remix featuring The Chicks came out later that year.
