Entertainment
Will.i.am defends friend Britney Spears after documentary: ‘She was a machine to her family’
Will.i.am has spoken out in support of his good friend Britney Spears following the controversial documentary about her life, criticising the ‘harsh treatment’ against her.
Framing Britney Spears focused on the pop star’s rise to fame from a small town, her mental health struggles and the ongoing conservatorship managed by her father Jamie Spears.
It also honed in on the sexism and misogyny she was subjected to at a young age during interviews with the likes of Diane Sawyer and Star Search’s Ed McMahon.
Will.i.am is a longtime friend of Britney after they worked together on the number one single Scream and Shout, released in 2012.
Sharing his thoughts on the documentary, Will.i.am told Metro.co.uk: ‘The treatment of women goes way beyond the music industry. It’s society and the lack of true support and lifting up of the female.
‘Britney has endured some pretty harsh treatment from her own and she’s an amazing person and her heart is pure.
‘Everyone’s had some downfalls and some choices that they’ve made personally but she’s awesome.’
Will.i.am fondly remembers ‘laughing’ and listening to Britney’s ‘dreams and passion points’ when they worked together.
‘We’ve had success together and she’s like the sweetest person in the world. The sweetest. Couldn’t hurt a fly. An amazing woman, amazing mum,’ he said.
However, the Voice UK judge feels that Britney’s spark became diminished as her success soared.
The Where Is The Love? hitmaker explained: ‘We’ve all had things that we’ve done in the past and because she’s such a machine, she was a machine to her family. It’s just sad how that force, that bright light, that energy and love she has shared to the world…
‘I remember when she was doing X Factor and I wanted to do Scream and Shout with her and people would say the things she would say about her – “she’s not there, she’s not all the way there” – and then we did Scream and Shout and she was there.’
The musician continued: ‘There’s this weird cloud around her that doesn’t truly believe in her and when you trust that cloud maybe that’s part of the reason why Britney is the way she is, is because that cloud around her, she trusts the people that are responsible for that cloud.
‘The person that I saw in the studio, the person that loves music. She loves the hell out of some music, she loves some dance. She loves it. That I love.’
Choosing to focus on the positive about Britney, the singer said: ‘If I think about the relationship between a music and a person that keeps them safe and vibration stable – love – that person is Britney Spears.
‘She’s dope. Say what you wanna say, I love Britney.’
Scream and Shout spent two weeks at number one in the UK almost a decade ago, becoming will.i.am’s fourth solo chart-topping single and Britney’s first in eight years.
Let’s face it, it’s definitely still a banger almost a decade later.
Meanwhile, Will.i.am has been keeping us dancing in lockdown with the Black Eyed Peas’ latest single, Shake Ya Boom Boom, featuring Israeli duo Static and Ben El.
You might have tried the TikTok challenge as it became a viral hit on the social media platform, inspiring the music video.
Were Black Eyed Peas and co. consciously chasing a TikTok trend?
Will.i.am admitted: ‘We wanted to have social engagement, that’s what the video is really based on. I was like, how do we make a video right now if I can’t come to Tel Aviv and [Static and Ben El] can’t come to LA? What’s the video?
‘I thought everyone was tired of that virtual performance thing because they never really looked enticing enough, so I was like why don’t we make a video that looks like what everyone’s been looking at everyday and that’s the screen on their phone so let’s go from TikTok feed, IG feed, texting feed, a regular camera, video calling and borrow from the feeds that people communicate through.’
‘So I’m so happy that that became a thing on TikTok,’ he added.
Static & Ben El’s single “Shake Ya Boom Boom” ft. Black Eyed Peas is out now.
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