Britney Spears wants to get rid of her father’s curatorship. The American singer said this by telephone on Wednesday during a hearing in a court in Los Angeles.
Spears first spoke about her situation. “She did that in a long and emotional speech,” says correspondent Lucas Waagmeester. He was one of the few journalists present in the courtroom, where no audio and video recordings were allowed.
“Her voice really trembled with emotion at times. It was a fiery and combative Britney Spears we heard. She begged the judge: set me free, let me dispose of my life.”
Spears’ curatorship came about after she had a public breakdown in 2008. The 39-year-old star has been under her father’s tutelage ever since, leaving her with no control over her finances, her property or other aspects of her life. She’s fighting that now. “She called herself a slave to the people around her,” says Waagmeester. “She said she was angry. That she cries every day.”
The session concerned a status hearing. A hearing in which one of the parties may discuss its own situation. Spears set aside half an hour for this. She spoke quickly; the judge had to ask her several times to speak more slowly.
No more performing
In her speech she discussed her life. Something she had never dared to say before. “I feel completely alone and abandoned. I can’t decide who I have contact with. I’m not allowed to see friends who live nearby. Everyone around me says ‘no’, and exploits me.” She has previously said that she is happy, but now she is coming back to that. “I hoped I’d be happy if I shouted it loud enough to myself.”
In recent years, Spears has refused to make music and perform. She doesn’t want others to make money from her, and she doesn’t want anything left of it. “She uses that as a kind of pressure,” says Waagmeester. However, the question is whether she succeeds in doing so.
“She doesn’t stand a chance. These laws in California are very strict. Once you’re in, you really can’t get out.” The judge said at the end of the hearing that she cannot rule on the case yet, as no formal petition has been filed yet.
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