Britney Spears’ ‘Baby One More Time’ Was REJECTED By THIS Boy Band

There are some songs that just put artists on that map, and for Britney Spears, that hit song was arguably "...Baby One More Time."

The hit song, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, almost didn't go to the pop star at all. Several artists, including one very popular boy band, actually rejected the iconic tune at first!

There are few songs as recognizable as "...Baby One More Time" but the song almost did not go to the Princess of Pop at all! Swedish music producer Max Martin was making a name for himself while Britney was only getting started on the pop scene.

He had worked with the Backstreet Boys on "Quit Playing Games" and Robyn on "Show Me Love" but both the 90s boy band and TLC turned down "...Baby One More" time, according to TMZ.

Britney signed her first music contract when she was only fifteen years old, and at age sixteen, she was flown out to Sweden to work with Max Martin on her debut album. He played her a demo of himself singing the song, and he recalled that she was hooked immediately.

During that trip to Stockholm, Britney ended up recording a total of seven songs, including "...Baby One More Time" for her debut album.

The song was a smash success, rising all the way to the number 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It even earned Britney her first Grammy nomination. Although she didn't win that one, she went on to win many more.

The song has since been listed on the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and has been covered countless times by artists. It ranks right up there with some of Britney's other commercial successes, including "Oops!... I Did It Again," "Lucky," "Stronger," "Toxic," and "Piece of Me."

In an excerpt from her memoir, “The Woman In Me,” released by People magazine last week, Britney recalled what it was like growing up on “The Mickey Mouse Club” from 1993 to 1994. Although she went back to Louisiana after the show ended, the “Overprotected” singer recalled how she was eager to get back in the entertainment industry because she “missed performing.”

“My mom had been in touch with a lawyer she’d met on my audition circuit, a man named Larry Rudolph, who she would call sometimes for business advice,” she wrote of her former manager. “He suggested I record a demo. He had a song that Toni Braxton had recorded for her second album that had ended up on the cutting room floor. This would become the demo that I would use to get in the door at record labels.”

She recalled, “Larry took me around [New York City], and I went into rooms full of executives and sang Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing,’” adding, “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.”

The label wanted an album from her right away, which led to her meeting with Max Martin in Sweden. “I worked for hours straight. My work ethic was strong,” Britney recalled. “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, ‘H--- yeah, I do!”’

To promote the release of her memoir on Tuesday, Britney's 2002 movie "Crossroads" is coming back to theaters for two nights only. Unfortunately for the pop star, she quickly learned that acting was not for her.

In another excerpt from her memoir, she explained why working as an actress was "messed up" and why she was glad that she didn't get a role opposite Ryan Goslingin his hit film, "The Notebook."

Britney Spears' memoir "The Woman In Me" is scheduled for release on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.