Pre Jive
Today -
Demo sent to labels that was recorded at a local studio in Louisiana. Written
by Darin Whittington.
Today is a cover of an unreleased Toni Braxton song recorded for her second album, "Secrets".
"For the pitch to the record labels, Britney needed a professional demo. Song writer Darren Whittington had written a song for Toni Braxton that didn't make it onto the Braxton album. Phone calls were made, and the unused song became available for Britney's demo. The tracks with Braxton's vocals were stripped from the pre-mix, and Britney's vocal tracks would be laid down instead. Britney listened to the original song with Toni's vocals, rehearsed every day for a week, and then went into a studio to record her vocals over the song. No voice coach in the studio, no producer, only one lone sound engineer in the booth. Toting what may have been one of least expensive demo tapes ever to lead to a major career, Britney was off to New York on a ticket paid for by Rudolph, since resources were tight for the Spears family."
"Larry Rudolph was impressed with what he saw and heard. He wanted Britney to record a professional demo and proposed a never heard Toni Braxton song. It was ideal for Britney's voice. She went into a studio in New Orleans and recorded this track for Larry. In June 1997 the lawyer sent this demo to the vice president of Jive Records. He liked it so much they immediately set up an audition for Britney."
In "Britney: The Biography", there is a small section of the book mentioning a demo that Britney recorded for an unofficial audition for Jive Records. It was an unreleased Toni Braxton song originally intended for Toni's second album, and was described as mid-tempo R&B. It was also described as Britney having deep vocals on it. Larry Rudolph sent them the tape, and even though the song was out of her range, they loved her voice and delivery.
"Initially, Britney and her family didn't have the resources to cut a proper demo, so instead Lynne held a tape recorder while Britney sang into it and the tape was winged off to Larry [Rudolph, her manager). Liking what he heard, he told Britney he would now need a proper demo to submit to record labels, but as the family didn't have the money to hire studio musicians, he called in a favour and asked a producer he knew to send him a tape of a song that had been cut from a Toni Braxton album he was working on. The track, "Today", was considered too pop for Braxton, but Larry reckoned it was perfect for Britney and he sent her two versions of the song, one with the instrumental and one with Toni's guide vocal. As soon as Britney had learned the song, she went into a local Louisiana studio and recorded her vocal over the instrumental track. Then, one Thursday, Britney was flown to New York where she and Larry visited four labels and two music publishers in one day." (From the book "Britney")
"And then came Britney. Jeff (Fenster, head of A&R at Jive Records) got a cassette from a lawyer, along with a composite photo card. The cassette was of Britney singing to a track written for Toni Braxton. It was in the wrong key. But Jeff HEARD something. And one of the pictures on the composite card. Of Britney sitting on a blanket stroking a dog. Jeff suddenly knew her innocence would appeal to young girls and OLD MEN! He flew her to New York. He'd never seen anything like it before. The sheer AMBITION! This wasn't a mother pushing her daughter, this kid WANTED IT!"
"Lunt still has the audio cassette an unknown 15-year-old singer from Louisiana called Britney Spears sent to a number of record companies 12 years ago. Lunt was on the A&R team at Jive Records in New York, responsible for finding and developing new talent. "I heard one of her demos - a cover of a [unreleased] Toni Braxton song," recalls Lunt, a boyish 58-year-old who is originally from Birmingham. "It had been done in one of these karaoke recording studios, and it was in totally the wrong key for her. But there was one part, when her voice went up into a higher register, and suddenly she sounded really soulful and appealing. I thought maybe there was something there." (June 7, 2009)
When Clive Calder, the head of Jive Records heard her demo of the song, he said, "she sounds too much like Toni Braxton".
"But he knew that he needed something more polished and so, with the assistance of a producer-client, he sent her an unreleased Toni Braxton song that had been discarded because it sounded too poppy. There were two versions: one instrumental, the other with Toni singing the lyrics. It was Britney's tasks to copy the way she sang it. Once she'd mastered that imitation, she hired a local music studio and recorded her vocals over the instrumental version. This would become the formal demo track that Larry submitted to record labels, with photos attached." (From "Britney: Inside the Dream")
I Have Nothing -
Demo of Whitney Houston's I Have Nothing sent to labels when looking for a record deal. She also sang it during her audition with Jive Records.
"In her VH1 Behind the Music special, Britney said she recorded a demo of the song before she was signed to Jive Records. Spears also later sang the song at her Jive audition at the age of fifteen."
"Demo tapes led to an audition for Jive Records in which she performed Jesus Loves Me and I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston, to amazed record executives, who signed her instantly."
Demo sent to labels that was recorded at a local studio in Louisiana. Written
by Darin Whittington.
Today is a cover of an unreleased Toni Braxton song recorded for her second album, "Secrets".
"For the pitch to the record labels, Britney needed a professional demo. Song writer Darren Whittington had written a song for Toni Braxton that didn't make it onto the Braxton album. Phone calls were made, and the unused song became available for Britney's demo. The tracks with Braxton's vocals were stripped from the pre-mix, and Britney's vocal tracks would be laid down instead. Britney listened to the original song with Toni's vocals, rehearsed every day for a week, and then went into a studio to record her vocals over the song. No voice coach in the studio, no producer, only one lone sound engineer in the booth. Toting what may have been one of least expensive demo tapes ever to lead to a major career, Britney was off to New York on a ticket paid for by Rudolph, since resources were tight for the Spears family."
"Larry Rudolph was impressed with what he saw and heard. He wanted Britney to record a professional demo and proposed a never heard Toni Braxton song. It was ideal for Britney's voice. She went into a studio in New Orleans and recorded this track for Larry. In June 1997 the lawyer sent this demo to the vice president of Jive Records. He liked it so much they immediately set up an audition for Britney."
In "Britney: The Biography", there is a small section of the book mentioning a demo that Britney recorded for an unofficial audition for Jive Records. It was an unreleased Toni Braxton song originally intended for Toni's second album, and was described as mid-tempo R&B. It was also described as Britney having deep vocals on it. Larry Rudolph sent them the tape, and even though the song was out of her range, they loved her voice and delivery.
"Initially, Britney and her family didn't have the resources to cut a proper demo, so instead Lynne held a tape recorder while Britney sang into it and the tape was winged off to Larry [Rudolph, her manager). Liking what he heard, he told Britney he would now need a proper demo to submit to record labels, but as the family didn't have the money to hire studio musicians, he called in a favour and asked a producer he knew to send him a tape of a song that had been cut from a Toni Braxton album he was working on. The track, "Today", was considered too pop for Braxton, but Larry reckoned it was perfect for Britney and he sent her two versions of the song, one with the instrumental and one with Toni's guide vocal. As soon as Britney had learned the song, she went into a local Louisiana studio and recorded her vocal over the instrumental track. Then, one Thursday, Britney was flown to New York where she and Larry visited four labels and two music publishers in one day." (From the book "Britney")
"And then came Britney. Jeff (Fenster, head of A&R at Jive Records) got a cassette from a lawyer, along with a composite photo card. The cassette was of Britney singing to a track written for Toni Braxton. It was in the wrong key. But Jeff HEARD something. And one of the pictures on the composite card. Of Britney sitting on a blanket stroking a dog. Jeff suddenly knew her innocence would appeal to young girls and OLD MEN! He flew her to New York. He'd never seen anything like it before. The sheer AMBITION! This wasn't a mother pushing her daughter, this kid WANTED IT!"
"Lunt still has the audio cassette an unknown 15-year-old singer from Louisiana called Britney Spears sent to a number of record companies 12 years ago. Lunt was on the A&R team at Jive Records in New York, responsible for finding and developing new talent. "I heard one of her demos - a cover of a [unreleased] Toni Braxton song," recalls Lunt, a boyish 58-year-old who is originally from Birmingham. "It had been done in one of these karaoke recording studios, and it was in totally the wrong key for her. But there was one part, when her voice went up into a higher register, and suddenly she sounded really soulful and appealing. I thought maybe there was something there." (June 7, 2009)
When Clive Calder, the head of Jive Records heard her demo of the song, he said, "she sounds too much like Toni Braxton".
"But he knew that he needed something more polished and so, with the assistance of a producer-client, he sent her an unreleased Toni Braxton song that had been discarded because it sounded too poppy. There were two versions: one instrumental, the other with Toni singing the lyrics. It was Britney's tasks to copy the way she sang it. Once she'd mastered that imitation, she hired a local music studio and recorded her vocals over the instrumental version. This would become the formal demo track that Larry submitted to record labels, with photos attached." (From "Britney: Inside the Dream")
I Have Nothing -
Demo of Whitney Houston's I Have Nothing sent to labels when looking for a record deal. She also sang it during her audition with Jive Records.
"In her VH1 Behind the Music special, Britney said she recorded a demo of the song before she was signed to Jive Records. Spears also later sang the song at her Jive audition at the age of fifteen."
"Demo tapes led to an audition for Jive Records in which she performed Jesus Loves Me and I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston, to amazed record executives, who signed her instantly."
...Baby One More Time
Love the Hurt Away (feat. Full Force) -
R&B ballad with strong vocals recorded for "Baby One More Time". Produced, written by and featuring R&B group Full Force, released on their official site as "Luv the Hurt Away" in May 2006.
The version with Full Force was a demo for another unreleased version recorded with Don Philip, who also had a duet with Britney on her debut album.
R&B ballad with strong vocals recorded for "Baby One More Time". Produced, written by and featuring R&B group Full Force, released on their official site as "Luv the Hurt Away" in May 2006.
The version with Full Force was a demo for another unreleased version recorded with Don Philip, who also had a duet with Britney on her debut album.