Britney Spears book: Secret behind her gravelly voice on Baby One More Time

Britney Spears has revealed the secret trick behind her iconic gravelly voice on her hit single ...Baby One More Time. The then-16-year-old singer announced herself to the world with the track in 1998 and it proved to be a complete smash. It topped the charts in 23 countries across the globe and set Britney well on her way to becoming a pop icon.

Spears has now lifted the lid on how she achieved the smoky vocals which helped the track become such a hit upon its release. The star has also spoken about an alternate version of the music video and how she vetoed it in favour of the uber-influential school set concept.

The revelations are from Britney Spears highly anticipated memoir - The Woman In Me - which was released around the world on Tuesday, 24 October. National World will bring you all the coverage of its release in the coming days.

In the book, Britney touches on her childhood in Louisiana as well as explaining the tragic origin behind her middle name. But what does she say about her debut single?

Secret trick behind ... Baby One More Time vocals

Britney Spears debut single proved to be a true blockbuster after it was unleashed on the world in 1998 - when she was just 16. It is one the best selling singles in history - with sales of over 10 million.

In her memoir, Britney writes: "The night before we record “... Baby One More Time,” I was listening to Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” and fell in love with that sound. I stayed up late so that I’d go into the studio tired, with my voice fried. It worked. 

“When I sang, it came out gravelly in a way that sounded more mature and sexier.” 

Original idea for the music video

Britney also reveals that her label's original concept for the ...Baby One More Time video would have seen her play "a futuristic astronaut". She adds: "The mock-up I saw had me looking like a Power Ranger. That image didn't resonate with me..."

She also claims to have come up with the idea for the now iconic - and influential - music video. Spears writes: "I told the executives at the label that I thought people would want to see my friends and me sitting at school, bored and then as soon as the bell rang, boom - we'd start dancing."

Spears lifts lid on what recording music is like 

Britney Spears goes into the gruelling year-long process for recording her debut album in the late 90s in her memoir. She explains: “We would drive to New Jersey every day and I would go into a booth and sing…” 

“The booth I sang in was underground. When you’re inside it, you can just hear yourself sing, nothing else. I did that for months. I never came out of the booth. 

Spears continues: “… I flew to Sweden to record songs, but I barely recognised the difference between there and New Jersey: I was just in another booth. I would never come out. If you knew me back then, you wouldn’t hear from me for days.”