Who Inspires Britney Spears?

The answers… well, no, they won’t surprise you at all. They’re pretty vanilla and middle-of-the-road, so let’s just reveal them: Beyoncé, Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake. I will say that Brit has been talking a lot about JT lately – is she regretting letting their romance go? We all know they are the OTP of ’90s pop, so it’s understandable, but that ship has unfortunately sailed…

From USA Today:

Spears pointed admiring fingers anywhere but at herself, telling USA TODAY that she “looks up to Beyoncé, what she did with her (surprise release) album was genius, really brilliant.”

And her admiration for the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, was made evident during her “favorite part of the show, where it’s just me in the spotlight (during Me Against the Music) with a hat on, which is really a tribute to Michael.”

She’s also a fan of New Zealand teen sensation Lorde, “who is really different and cool … This generation is hungry for new sounds. Bruno Mars is so different and fresh, and (ex-boyfriend) Justin Timberlake is, too. It’s inspiring for me, and it makes people eager to listen to music, which helps everyone.”

Well, fair enough. Also, that quote about the generation being hungry for new sounds… holy shit, is that ever scripted. I also love that they had to add in the thing about Justin being her ex. Hello, we all remember the ’90s! Do you think Britney really listens to this stuff?