Max Martin, the man behind 73 Billboard Top 10s and 22 Number 1s opens up about the legendary Ms Britney Spears as he promotes his upcoming musical & Juliet.

Max Martin has produced some of the biggest songs of the past 25 years, from Backstreet Boys ‘Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) to Ed Sheeran’s recent Justin Bieber collaboration, ‘I Don’t Care’. Now he’s ready to turn 30 of these hits into a brand new jukebox musical title ‘& Juliet’.

& Juliet

The story is a new take on Shakespeare classic ‘Romeo & Juliet’, and asks the question “What if” Juliet hadn’t killed herself? Just like the song choices in Mamma Mia, the inspiration behind his move into musical theatre, you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know the full soundtrack to this fun-loving new musical. The show crams in 30 of his biggest hits including Robyn ‘Show me Love’, *N’Sync “It’s Gonna Be Me’, Bon Jovi ‘It’s my Life’, Katy Perry ‘Roar’ and Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling’. Of course the soundtrack wouldn’t be complete without songs from his longtime collaborator, the Princess of Pop, Britney Spears.

The pair have worked on 23 songs together including 7 Billboard Top 10s and 3 Number 1s. Five of these hits have made it to the musical; ‘Overprotected’, ‘I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman’, ‘Oops!…I Did It Again’, ‘Stronger’ and of course the song that created this match made in heaven, ‘…Baby One More Time’.

Britney Spears

“She’s a genius” Max Martin says as he opens up to The Guardian about the worlds biggest pop star, Britney Spears. Whilst acknowledging that she “isn’t a songwriter per se” he echoed what others have said about her creativity. “We had conversations with her about what she wanted to do and what she wanted to say.” He said of her input into their hit songs.

Whilst the majority of publications prefer to focus on her private life, her talent in the studio if too often overlooked. Max Martin isn’t the first producer to talk about Britney Spears input, everyone she has ever worked with praises her work behind the scenes. Julia Michaels who collaborated with her on her most recent album Glory, told Fader “I don’t think people realize how involved she is in the studio. Pop instincts are so ingrained in her brain that you play a guitar and she will sing the most incredible melody. She’ll have a concept ready, she’ll have lyrics ready. I don’t think people give her enough credit.”

…Baby One More Time

The new musical arrives just as the …Baby One More Time celebrates it’s 21st birthday. Last years anniversary plans were scrapped as Britney focused on taking back control of her life (#FreeBritney) but that didn’t stop her thanking her fans through her Instagram account. “It’s hard to put into words what today means to me. … 20 years ago, the world heard my music for the very first time! So much has happened since then. … but what I really want to say is thank you to my amazing fans who have been there for me since day 1. Your support over the years has meant the absolute world to me!! Love you all!” Spears, wrote alongside a behind-the-scenes clip from the song’s video shoot.

Once Upon A One More Time

‘& Juliet’ isn’t the only musical to bring the Britney Spears/Max Martin collaborations to stage. It was announced earlier this year that Britney Spears has her own jukebox musical coming to Broadway in 2020. Using songs like “Stronger,” “Toxic,” and “Oops I Did It Again,” Once Upon a One More Time is the story of a group of famous fairy-tale princesses—challenged by way of a The Feminine Mystique-wielding fairy godmother—on the quest for a new kind of narrative: one in which they can let their hair down, smash the glass slippers, and claim their own kingdom. The show will kick off it’s pre-Broadway show in Chicago April 14–May 17, 2020.

& Juliet begins at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London on 2 November followed by the cast recording release on 15 November.