Britney Spears felt she was “on top of the world” when she filmed the I’m a Slave 4 U clip.
The powerful visuals of the video underscored her transition from a teenage pop sensation to a more grown, provocative icon, and dancer Brian Friedman—who choreographed the 2001 video—still cherishes memories of collaborating with Britney on that project.
Brian told People: “Britney in 2001 was unstoppable.”
I’m a Slave 4 U appeared on her third studio album, Britney, and the collection captured a period where a young woman embraced independence and a sense of freedom.
Brian recalled: “She was the best of the best. She was on top of the world, which is crazy to think that. She was 19 years old. She was just a baby at that time.”
The choreography was developed by Brian with input from Wade Robson. Yet Britney herself was eager to leave her own unmistakable stamp on the routine, too.
Brian said: “With me, she didn’t really choreograph, but she knew how to make things look her own. And I think the gift of a great choreographer is when you give choreography to an artist, you choreograph it for them, and you have them in mind. So when they do the work, it should look like them, and it shouldn’t look like they’re trying to be someone else.”
“I think Wade and I both always wanted everything to look like it was her improv or her freestyle.”
Brian remembers the process unfolding very naturally and easily.
He explained: “I remember the process was easygoing. It flowed really fast. It wasn’t the way I choreograph now, which is methodically and I’m in my head and I second-guess everything.”
“It was that blind naivete that you have when you’re younger: healthy delusion where you think everything you do is going to be epic and you don’t second-guess things. And I think that was why it was so magical.”
Britney had previously explained that the music video reflected her own love of dancing.
Speaking to MTV, Britney explained: “We’re in Los Angeles shooting my first single off my new album.”
“It’s basically saying ‘I’m a slave for the music.’ Like, when you go into a club, you can’t help yourself; you’re enraptured in it. When I go to a club, I can’t just sit there and chit-chat. I’d much rather be on the dance floor, just dancing. And that’s what the song’s talking about.”
