Entertainment
Britney Spears Video Mom Talks Going Viral
All pregnancy announcements are special because all new life entering the world is reason to celebrate. But some pregnancy announcements are so epic they deserve to win a Webby Award for the category I just now invented (you're welcome, International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences). Mom Machel Green is pregnant with her second child and in the mood to shake things up (literally) this time around, so she decided to release a musical pregnancy announcement that will slay every Millennial — scratch that — every human being who has ever heard a Britney Spears song. "I've loved Britney since I was 15, driving around with my learner's permit singing along to her songs in my Kia Rio," Green says. "Our friend Harrison (Uncle Harry to our 3-year-old son, Noah) might just have me beat with his love for Brit Brit. Together we came up with the idea. He wrote the brilliant lyrics and I recorded the vocals I'd been practicing since I was a teenager."
Green, a professional dancer from Myrtle Beach, S.C., who met her drummer husband, Jerrad, 13 years ago when the two were working at a theater, had absolutely no professional experience creating a video prior to the making of this one. But they shared a great love for Spears and, well, sometimes that's all you need.
With "Uncle Harry's" help, the final product was shot on their iPhones and edited in iMovie and features original, pregnancy and baby-related lyrics that correspond to Spears' best songs, including "Oops!... I Did It Again", "Toxic", and "I'm a Slave 4 U". Did I mention Green dances throughout the video, looks incredible in outfits reminiscent of Spears', and that the couple's actual heartfelt gender reveal is also featured in the vid? It has a little bit of everything.
"The hubby and I knew we wanted to do something special to announce this pregnancy," Green says. "I didn't have any social media with my last pregnancy and was actually not that into social media back then. I'm now in charge of our business Vintage Marquee Lights' social media and have been quite obsessed with it for a few years now. I love how you can share wonderful news like this and all of your friends and family see it in an instant! We like the idea that the kids can look back on it one day, like a modern day scrapbook, and hopefully see that we worked really hard, but also remembered to play. Just because you're an adult doesn't mean you can't still play."
The couple and their friend took about two weeks to shoot the video, during which Green says her respect for Spears and her "glam squad" grew exponentially. Her due date is November 15, but that isn't keeping her from planning to make another video — Spears Part II, I hope.
For now they say they're thankful they've received so much attention for their video, which has 300,000 views in two days. "So many friends, family, and total strangers are showering our family with love and support," she shares. "You know what they say, 'It takes a village' and we've found that to be totally true. Our hearts are full. I can't believe that people actually want to watch our silly shenanigans!"
No word on whether Spears has viewed the video yet, but I can imagine it making her squeal with delight.
"We haven't heard from Britney," Green tells me. "I would be over the moon if she watched it and enjoyed it. I'm a huge fan and hope I made her proud. We love Britney and think her songs are so universal and transcend generations."
Images: YouTube