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With a voice like Mariah Carey's, one might wonder why she or her label bothers with any kind of imagery at all. It would have been easy to go down the Susan Boyle route and focus exclusively on Mariah's famously breathtaking vocals, to the exclusion of how she looks; and indeed, it may be that very line of reasoning that accounts for the live performances that double as official music videos for tracks like 'I'll Be There', 'Open Eyes' and 'If It's Over'.

Luckily for us, Mariah for the most part has gone a different route, appearing to spend as much time on her film clips as she has on the songs themselves. More than showing off her acting chops or developing complex storylines within her music videos, Mariah's clips instead tend to act as a showcase for her image, visually communicating the things that she may have been unable to open up about in interviews. Through her music videos, Mariah has transitioned from an innocent girl next door with wild curly hair in 'Vision of Love' to a chic city girl in 'Anytime You Need A Friend' to a sun-kissed Malibu goddess in 'Honey' and then to an opulent Vegas showgirl in 'Infinity'; and each of these image makeovers has coalesced with pivotal moments in Mariah's life, from her difficult childhood to her abusive marriage to Tommy Mottola to her ultimate escape into adult independence to her childbirth and beyond.

With such an emphasis on her image, it's understandable why Mariah and her various labels have displayed a level of perfectionism when it comes to her music video output. From video treatments that got to the final stages of planning before being called off to music videos that were completely filmed and edited before being unceremoniously scrapped, Mariah has had at least thirteen different film clips over the years that have been scrapped. In this list, we'll look at all we know about these videos so far, and just what our chances are of seeing them in the future.

1. Vision of Love

Mariah's first music video is ingrained in the minds of many who grew up during her prime - which is why it may be shocking to find out that it wasn't in fact her first. According to Rolling Stone, 'Vision of Love' was first filmed in early 1990 on a budget of $200 000, but after the first take failed to impress record label executives it was scrapped. Columbia Records then spent a further $250 000 on a second music video for the song directed by Bojan Bazelli with a brand new plot and imagery, which was released to huge success and became the classic we all know today.

This major amount of overspending on a totally unknown artist didn't go over well internally, however. One Columbia employee called favouritism, stating that, "The special treatment really upset me" - probably not an unjustified claim given the burgeoning relationship between Mariah and Columbia top dog Tommy Mottola. To this day, no information about the original music video has leaked to the public.

2. I Don't Wanna Cry

'I Don't Wanna Cry' was directed by Larry Jordan in 1991 and features Mariah living out her full Tennessee Williams fantasy, exploring a midwestern ranch and running through fields of maize while she broods over her partner. Initially, the video featured several takes in which Mariah's dress creeps dangerously up her thigh, as well as multiple shots of a shirtless male posing seductively in a bed. However, following feedback from the label - who wished to continue to market Mariah as family friendly and innocent - a majority of these scenes were cut, only to be replaced with a sepia-toned setup of Mariah singing in a white dress. Record label interference such as this would later be an instrumental part of Mariah's ultimate divorce from Tommy Mottola and departure from Columbia. The original video went unreleased until eight years later with the release of Mariah's DVD #1's, where it was labelled as the 'Director's Cut'. Mariah herself has expressed her preference for this version, stating in 2015 that the original "really wasn't good" but that "the director's cut is actually a really good video".

On the home video release The First Vision, which was released just a day after the single's official release, a shorter alternate video was featured. Despite having a similiar sepia tone to the reshot scenes, this video features all new footage of Mariah singing the song while wearing a black top in a recording studio, and features only a 1:40 portion of the full song.

  3. Anytime You Need A Friend

Like 'Vision of Love' before it, 'Anytime You Need A Friend' is notable for having two completely different music videos: one which was shot and then scrapped, and another which was reshot and released due to Mariah's teams displeasure with the original. The first music video for 'Anytime You Need A Friend' was directed by Diane Martel, who had previously directed the music video for 'Dreamlover' the year before. Like the released music video, it featured Mariah singing in solo scenes and with a choir; but unlike the finished product, this version features a strong medieval theme, with Mariah wearing a long flowing dress while she sings in front of something she debates is a "castle or a fortress". 

It is unknown why the original music video was scrapped, but fans have speculated that it may be due to Mariah or Columbia Records displeasure with her image in the clip. On the one hand, Mariah's dress in the original music video is quite revealing, with a low bust and a large slit, something that surely would have piqued Tommy Mottola's interest; but on the other hand, the released version is famous for being the first music video in which Mariah appears with straightened hair, in a subtle step away from her "girl next door" persona (and a behind the scenes look at the original video did feature Mariah joking about her "hideous" curly hair). With this video yet to see the light of day twenty-six years later, we wouldn't be surprised if we never got to see it at all.

4. Underneath the Stars

'Underneath the Stars' was released as the sixth and final single from the Daydream album in 1996, but it's lack of a music video remained a mystery until 2012. In February of that year, Mariah revealed that she had shot an official video for the track in Europe that went unreleased, with no mention of the video's concept or why it had been scrapped.

The reasoning behind why Columbia chose not to release the 'Underneath the Stars' music video is unknown, but it's possibly related to a disagreement between the label and Mariah over the single's release at all. This would also explain why the single only received a limited amount of pressings compared to the album's previous five releases. Daydream was Mariah's first album on which she had a modicum of creative control, but the label was still famously reluctant to let her choose her single releases. Controversy over the song would reignite two years later regarding the song's inclusion on Mariah's first greatest hits album - Mariah wanted all of her favourite songs to make an appearance including 'Underneath the Stars', but Columbia only wanted to include the hits, hence their settling on the #1's concept. Mariah would even allude to a disagreement several years later when 'Underneath the Stars' appeared on her second compilation Greatest Hits, with Mariah stating that she "always kind of fought for" the song.

5. Heartbreaker (Feat. Jay-Z)

'Heartbreaker' is one of Mariah's most iconic songs, with many fans remembering it's Brett Ratner-directed music video fondly for it's introduction of her raven-haired alter-ego Bianca. With a complete plot, dance choreography and even fight choreography, the video seems to have everything fans could want from a Mariah clip - everything, that is, except for featured rapper Jay-Z, whose verse on the song is instead accompanied by an animated sequence of Mariah acting out his lyrics.

Bizarrely, Jay did actually film a relatively elaborate scene for the music video which featured him bathing in a hot tub inside a luxury mansion while Mariah strutted around behind him. However, it was soon discovered that his part in the video would have to be cut due to a contractual agreement with Epic Records, who stipulated that he would not be allowed to appear in a music video for two weeks after shooting the clip for his track 'Girl's Best Friend'. This led Mariah and and Ratner to scramble to create the animated sequence for the video, which alluded to the drama through Mariah's animated persona holding a sign saying "Jay-Z coming in 2 weeks". This version of the video would later premiere during MTV's Making the Video, and can be found online.

6. Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)

'Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)' was released as the third single from Rainbow in June of 2000, with a video directed by Sanaa Hamri, who had previously worked on music videos for 'Thank God I Found You' and 'CryBaby'. In an early example of the crowdsourced music video, Mariah asked fans to send in clips of themselves discussing their hardships via her website, a handful of which were implemented into the finished product. The first half of the clip began with Carey lounging in front of her television watching her fan's videos, while the second half featured her throwing open the doors in her apartment to sing on her balcony while the rain poured down around her.

When the music video was first released, it received immediate criticism from the press. A major complaint was that the captions detailing some of her fans struggles were difficult to read due to their dark colouring against dark backgrounds. Others pointed at the continuity errors in the video's second half, which alternated back and forward between showing Mariah with dry hair and a dry top and showing Mariah with wet hair and a drenched top.

As a result of the criticism, Mariah rushed back to New York to reshoot portions of the music video with Hamri. While the majority of the footage in the first half remains the same, changes were made in editing to make the captioned text lighter and easier to read. All of the scenes involving Mariah in the rain were also completely scrapped, to be replaced by scenes in which Mariah dances in front of a closed window while the rain pours down outside. Ironically, this would lead to it's own continuity issues, as while her outfit remains the same the apartment in which Mariah dances in is completely different from the one she watched the TV in. Both versions of the video can be found online.

7. Never Too Far

'Never Too Far' was released as the second single from Mariah's ill-fated Glitter soundtrack, and continued the downward trend of disappointing releases for Mariah after it's parent album suffered from a release date of September 11, 2001. In large part due to the exhausting workload and disappointing response to the Glitter project as a whole, Mariah suffered a "physical and emotional breakdown" in August of 2001, leaving her in a rehabilitation centre for two weeks and unable to film a music video for the track or promote the project in any way.

"When I was asked about the video I said, 'I can't do it today'," she would later tell Matt Lauer. "And nobody could accept that answer. And that's when I started to get mad. I was, like, look, I am too fatigued. I'm overly-tired, I can't do it as a human being. And nobody was hearing those last two words — human being. They were used to the Mariah that always says, 'Come on, let's fight, let's go'. They just weren't used to me ever saying no. I never said no before."

While no video was filmed for 'Never Too Far' - or for the 'Never Too Far/Hero Medley' which was released as a single the month afterwards - a collection of clips from the film was compiled together to form a makeshift music video for the track. While the original treatment for the 'Never Too Far' music video is unknown, the fact that Mariah said "I can't do it today" possibly suggests that the video had a fully-fledged concept and was ready to be filmed when Mariah pulled the cord. 

8. Through The Rain

'Through The Rain' was directed by Dave Meyers and filmed in New York in September and October of 2002. One of Mariah's most personal music videos, the clip is loosely based on Mariah's own parents experiences with racism at the time of her conception. Originally, however, the music video was to have a totally different plot, which according to an interview Mariah gave to MTV was changed just days before the music video was shot.

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Originally it wasn't going to have anything to do with that, but people were looking through my photo albums this year. My father and I had made some photo albums together of his relatives and different people in the family. A couple people saw [the albums] and they were like, 'This is amazing that you have this.' I guess everybody was like, 'How would you feel about this type of concept [for a video]?' So I guess I thought if someone's going to do it might as well be me.

The change to the plot was so last minute that the actress playing Mariah's mother in the video, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, was only asked to appear in the video several days before shooting. "We just got a call a few days ago and they said, 'You know Mariah would like you to play her mom in her video,'" she told MTV. "I was like, 'What? Okay!' Not a phone call you expect to get." It's currently unknown what the original music video was intended to look like, although given how late the change was made it's likely that development for the video was in close to final stages.

9. It's Like That (Feat. Fatman Scoop & Jermaine Dupri)

'It's Like That' was the fourth choice of lead single from 2005's The Emancipation of Mimi. 'Stay the Night' was Mariah's first choice, but that song was shunned in favour of Snoop Dogg and Pharrell collaboration 'Say Somethin'', which in turn was leaked online and briefly replaced by the newly-recorded 'Shake It Off'. Mariah then reverted back to her original decision of Fatman Scoop and Jermaine Dupri collab 'It's Like That', a "special" song that she had a "great feeling" about. By January of 2005 Mariah confirmed to MTV that she hadn't settled on a video treatment for the song yet, but that Paul Hunter - who had previously directed music videos for 'Honey' and 'Honey (Bad Boy Remix)' - was her first choice of director.

Ultimately, the music video that was filmed the next month was directed by 'I Still Believe', 'Heartbreaker' and 'Thank God I Found You' director Brett Ratner, who would later go on to direct X-Men: The Last Stand, where he would be accused of sexual harassment. Mariah didn't have to wait long to work with Hunter, however - he would later direct the music videos for 'Don't Forget About Us' and 'Say Somethin'' just months later.

10. Shake It Off

After being scrapped as a lead single, 'Shake It Off' was later chosen as the third single from Emancipation, to be followed by 'Say Somethin'' as the fourth. Prior to these releases, 'It's Like That' and 'We Belong Together' had been released as the first two singles from the project, notable for two interconnected music videos directed by Brett Ratner which featured a story involving Mariah's ex-lover played by Wentworth Miller. Both 'Shake It Off' and 'Say Somethin'' were originally meant to be directed by Ratner as well, suggesting that they could have originally been intended as extensions of the 'It's Like That' plot.

However, Carey later chose director Jake Nava for 'Shake It Off', coming up with a new plot for 'Shake It Off' disconnected from the Wentworth Miller saga which focused on her calling out a cheating lover. It's unknown how similiar this was to the treatment that Carey had planned to develop with Ratner, who she did not work with again until three years later on 'Touch My Body'.

11. Fly Like A Bird

'Fly Like A Bird' was released as the sixth single from The Emancipation of Mimi in February of 2006, but it was only sent to radio in March of that year, less than twenty days before seventh single 'Say Somethin''. While 'Say Somethin'' was serviced to mainstream pop radio stations, 'Fly Like A Bird' received a more limited release and was only sent to adult contemporary and gospel stations, even with critics like Billboard's Tom Ferguson stating that the song was a "classic" and the superior track.

Despite being released as a single before it, the music video for 'Fly Like A Bird' had still not been shot by the time Mariah was in Paris to work on the clip for 'Say Somethin'' in March of 2006, although MTV confirmed that it would be shot later that month in New York. By early April, however, the video had still not been filmed, with Mariah still actively working on a concept which she was "hoping to keep basic with the main guest stars being her pastor and church choir". "We don't have a lot of time to do it," she said at the time. "It's not a big-budget thing. But it doesn't need to be. It just needs to be about the song, capturing the song and the emotion of it."

Ultimately, a music video for 'Fly Like A Bird' was never released, and there's no evidence to suggest that any footage for the clip was ever actually filmed. That didn't stop the track from becoming a fan favourite, with Mariah performing it on every concert tour up until 2019's Caution World Tour.

12. Say Somethin' (Feat. Snoop Dogg & Pharrell)

'Say Somethin'' had several false starts as a single before it was ultimately released as the album's seventh in April of 2006. At one point, the track was planned to be released in November of 2004 as the lead single from Emancipation, with planning already having begun on a music video. However, after being postponed to January of 2005, the song leaked around it's original release date of November, and ultimately the entire release was cancelled.

Later, 'Say Somethin'' was scheduled to be released as the fourth single from the album. Like 'It's Like That' and 'We Belong Together', it was meant to be shot alongside third single 'Shake It Off' as a double video directed by Brett Ratner. However, Mariah replaced Ratner with Jake Nava for 'Shake It Off' shortly after planning begun, coming up with a concept for the track which involved her leaving Voicemail messages to a cheating lover in front of futuristic, stylised visuals. A treatment for 'Say Somethin'' was also developed, with Mariah saying that the two videos included some "really technical" but "cool concepts". Before shooting began, Mariah also confirmed that like the album's first two singles, these music videos would be linked in some way; and that while she was hoping for a "cohesive narrative storyline", she predicted that the videos might end up "having a 'slight' link that only comes across on a subliminal level".

Ultimately, however, the release of 'Say Somethin'' as the fourth single was scrapped. When it was later released as the album's seventh single a year later, the music video was directed by Paul Hunter, and predominantly featured Mariah seducing duet partner Pharrell in different locations throughout Paris, before he ultimately takes her back to his room. While it's possible that this was one of the "double video" treatments Mariah developed alongside 'Shake It Off', the lack of any real "subliminal" connection between these two videos suggests that this was a new concept entirely. It's currently unknown what any of the other three 'Say Somethin'' music videos could have looked like.

13. #Beautiful (Remix) (Feat. Miguel & Young Jeezy)

Mariah Carey wearing a cast after her rib and shoulder injury at the premiere of The Butler

While it's not uncommon for many of the videos on this list to feature two versions, '#Beautiful' is one of the rare exceptions which has three. The original and most well-known music video for the track was directed by Joseph Kahn on April 21st and 22nd, 2013, and debuted the next month on the Carey-judged American Idol. In June, a totally different music video was filmed for the Spanglish version of the song, which features Mariah and Miguel rollicking around Capri, Italy.

The third and most "elusive" of the '#Beautiful' videos was intended to be for the "urban" remix of the track featuring Young Jeezy. Again shot a month later by Carey's husband Nick Cannon, the music video was filmed at Avenue and Artichoke Pizza in Chelsea, New York. Midway through the shoot, Carey suffered an injury which put production of the clip temporarily on hold. "She was in this nice, beautiful gown, heels on and everything, and was kind of on this platform and reached and slipped and fell on her whole side," said Cannon later. "It was pretty serious. Not only did she dislocate her shoulder, she actually cracked a rib, and chipped her shoulder bone". Despite the injury, Mariah continued to shoot the music video.; and even after eventually going to hospital to have her shoulder realigned, she returned to the set early the next morning to complete filming.

Despite all the hard work and suffering that went into completing the music video, however, no clip was ever released for the '#Beautiful' remix. Mariah confirmed on the 23rd of July that editing on the video had been completed, so it's likely that a final cut does exist; but there has been no word on the video ever being released, or on why it was scrapped in the first place.

Which scrapped music video would you most like to see from Mariah? Let us know in the comments section down below!

In December 2004, a 22 year old Britney Spears walked into the KIIS FM offices in Burbank carrying an unmarked CD to meet radio host Jesse Lozano. The meeting was pre-planned, but only barely; Spears had called about an hour before to ask whether she could play her new song live, a phone call that Lozano had immediately thought was a prank. “Usually, you don’t believe that,” he would later state. In other words: usually, this kind of meeting would have to be cleared by layer upon layer of managers, PR agents and radio executives before it could ever come to fruition.

But on that particular day, Britney had gone rogue. Following the worldwide success of her 2003 album In The Zone, Britney had gone on to release Greatest Hits: My Prerogative the month before, and was still promoting the titular Bobby Brown cover as the album’s first single when she showed up at KIIS. But that wasn’t all that had happened in her life recently. In 2004 alone, Britney had joined the religion Kabbalah on recommendation of her friend Madonna; eloped to Vegas with childhood friend Jason Alexander only to annul the marriage 55 hours later; cancelled The Onyx Hotel Tour after breaking her knee and having to go through arthroscopic surgery; married backup dancer Kevin Federline after five months of knowing him; and been writing new material for an album since at least November 2003, when In The Zone was released. Somewhat contradictorily, she had also announced an extremely short-lived career break through her official website in order to start a family.

Later, Britney would backtrack from her planned “break” in a letter posted to her official fansite. “I think I should rephrase myself from my previous letters when I was talking about taking a 'break'. What I meant was I am taking a break from being told what to do [...] It's cool when you look at someone and don't know whether they are at work or play since it's all the same to them. The things I've been doing for work lately have been so much fun, because it's not like work to me anymore.” After a year of huge career highs and personal lows, Britney was headed to KIIS to take control of a situation and prove her own independence, despite what her management team may have wanted.

The song that Britney played on that day was ‘Mona Lisa’, a strangely introspective and prophetic song which would go on to launch a thousand fan theories. Using da Vinci’s famous artwork as it’s subject, the song discusses a character on the verge of a nervous breakdown. “Now see everyone's watching as she starts to fall/They want her to breakdown, be a legend of her fall,” Britney sings, her voice unusually shaky, sharp and unpolished; before launching into an unexpected hymnal during the bridge. "It definitely has the raw thing going on," Brit mentioned during her radio appearance. "My band, we didn't use ProTools or anything with it. It's all live [...] It will get better — this is a really, really rough mix."

Britney’s choice to compare herself to ‘Mona Lisa’ is an interesting one, and one that she would maintain when she directed her next music video for ‘Do Somethin’’ under the pseudonym ‘Mona Lisa’ a few months later. "I kinda think she's like my alter ego whenever I feel like being mean or possibly like bustin' people around to get stuff right," she told TRL at the time. "It's kinda easier to be called 'Mona Lisa' instead of Britney."

But as much as Britney stated that Mona Lisa was an alter ego, in many ways it seemed as though that was the real her. da Vinci’s artwork is one of the most well-known images in the world, yet with its with it’s enigmatic smile and mysterious backstory it's also one of the most hotly debated. Moreover, it’s one of the most commonly reproduced artworks in history, with innumerable copies being made for placement on office walls, handbags and phone cases. Britney related to ‘Mona Lisa’ as a public figure who was ready to tear down her reproductions and let people finally see the real her.

This interest in “originals” and “copies” was one Britney clearly intended to explore more, as she let slip in a short interview prior to the ‘Mona Lisa’ premiere. "[The album is] probably going to be called Original Doll," Britney told Lozano on air. She hoped to release it by summertime, and had clearly been working on it in earnest given that it was "halfway done". The title of the album - as well as the subject matter of 'Mona Lisa' itself - was a sly dig towards Britney’s management, who at the time was in the process of seeking “Britney Spears types” for an up-and-coming girl group, The Pussycat Dolls. Later, it would be used by fans in dark corners of the Internet as evidence that the “original” Britney had been replaced with an emotionless clone around this time to fulfil the rest of her career duties.

But despite the excitement Britney expressed during her impromptu announcement of the album, her record label was adamant that there were no concrete plans to release anything officially. At the time, no one involved in the recording of the song had even been paid yet. “No album is scheduled at the moment, but Britney is in the studio working on some material,” Jive Records said in a statement to Billboard. “There are no plans to service ‘Mona Lisa’ to the radio.”

Ultimately, ‘Mona Lisa’ was the only song that was ever officially confirmed for Original Doll, and when that album didn’t come to fruition it was reworked for the Chaotic EP, the soundtrack to Britney and Federline’s short-lived reality show. Also on the EP was 'Chaotic', which was recorded with Bloodshy & Avant, Henrik Jonback and Michelle Bell; and ‘Someday (I Will Understand)’, which Britney wrote herself. Of all the songs that have been speculated to appear on Original Doll, these two are the most likely choices: Henrik Jonback confirmed that he had written with Britney on her German Onyx Hotel Tour bus in 2004, which was around the same time that ‘Mona Lisa’ was recorded, and  the Guy Sigsworth-produced ‘Someday’ was written in early 2005 before Spears learned of her first pregnancy, just a month or two after the Original Doll announcement. The EP’s bonus track ‘Over To You Now’, shares a producer with 'Someday' and is another possible inclusion for the album, although many fans speculate that the album was instead an In The Zone outtake due to its sound.

It’s also possible that the new recordings on Greatest Hits: My Prerogative had at one point been considered for Original Doll. ‘My Prerogative’ and ‘Do Somethin’’ were both recorded on different legs of the Onyx Hotel Tour, around the same time as ‘Mona Lisa’, and feature a similar percussive R&B style. Some fans have speculated that as both of these songs were produced by Bloodshy & Avant (the producers of 'Mona Lisa'), they were at one point intended to have produced the whole album - in interviews in early 2004, Britney stated that she wanted to work with one producer on her next album, and she worked with them in spring of that year. Another Bloodshy & Avant production 'I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)', which was also on the album, had already been released nine months earlier alongside 'Don't Hang Up', 'The Answer' and 'Girls and Boys' as bonus tracks on Britney's DVD for In The Zone; but as these were all recorded pre-Onyx Hotel they are generally considered to be from a different era.

On top of this, there’s several songs which have leaked in recent years which fans attribute to Original Doll, even though in reality they were recorded prior to In The Zone. These songs include ‘Look Who’s Talking’, a song about Britney’s ex Justin Timberlake; ‘Like I’m Fallin’', a country inspired song; ‘Take Off’, an anti-war and pro-gay rights anthem; ‘Money, Love, and Happiness’, produced by a young RedOne; ‘Welcome to Me’, a sex kitten anthem which asks Britney’s lover to "take control"; ‘Peep Show’, which we’ve only heard a snippet of; ‘Ouch’, a song about heartbreak; and ‘Conscience’, known alternatively as ‘Conscious’. While all of these songs in their demo form are quite stripped back and could sit nicely alongside ‘Mona Lisa’, there’s no suggestion that they were ever brought out of the vault to be reworked after In The Zone.

With fans eagerly awaiting the 2005 release date of Original Doll, the hot dry summer days seemed so stretch on endlessly with only the announcement of B In The Mix: The Remixes Vol. 1 to keep them satiated. Despite this, Britney continued to write and record songs around this time that matched the Original Doll style, including 'Pulse', which was later repurposed for English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark; 'Sippin' On', which was allegedly originally recorded for In The Zone; 'Welcome To Me', written by Britney alongside her tour choreographer Wade Robson and Carole Bayer Sager; 'State Of Grace', a lush mid-tempo written by Steve Anderson, Lisa Greene and Steve Lee; ‘For My Sister’, a soulful guitar track written entirely by Britney; 'Untitled Lullabye', an eerie ballad written and produced by William Anderson; and 'To Love Let Go', written by Britney, Tom Craskey and Devo Springsteen. While all of these songs explored variations on the R&B genre, most are notable for featuring intensely personal lyrics about love, family and fame.

Fan-made album artwork for Original Doll 

Although all of these songs would have made sense on an album alongside 'Mona Lisa', it's impossible to predict where planning for that project truly ended and recording began to morph into what would ultimately become Britney's next official release, Blackout. The only clue we have to Original Doll being totally scrapped is a comment by 'Everybody' producer J.R. Rotem, who met Britney in March of 2006 and stated in April that she had just begun recording a new album and "doesn't have too much" material for it.

Similiarly, it's unknown exactly why Original Doll was cancelled, although some fans speculate that the album became the centre of a dispute with Jive Records, who was unhappy about Britney premiering new unreleased music in the middle of the promotional cycle for Greatest Hits: My Prerogative and who recognised the criticism Britney launched their way with 'Mona Lisa'. This was alluded to in a BBC Entertainment UK article which stated that Jive put the album on hold as punishment for Britney playing the song without permission - a viewpoint shared by KIIS host Clarence Barnes, who stated, "In the back of my mind I’m thinking, 'No signed artist would ever do that because [Jive CEO] Barry Weiss would cut them in half with a cleaver'". According to the BBC, Spears allegedly also backtracked on Original Doll during the TRL interview, stating that there was no album in the works; however, video footage of this can not be found.. Even if Britney was persisting with the album, 'Mona Lisa' was already dead in the water by January 2005, when Britney confirmed that the song would no longer appear on any album but would instead be repurposed for Chaotic.

Regardless of the reasoning, by 2007 it seemed as though Britney had officially given up the fight for Original Doll. By this point she had instead turned her full attention to recording Blackout, which had a markedly different sound. While ‘Mona Lisa’ focused on the raw vulnerability in Britney’s voice with percussive, funky production, Blackout cuts like ‘Gimme More’ used Spears’ voice as just another processed instrument to layer atop heavy EDM beats, and their lyrics were for the most part a world away from any of Britney’s earlier more personal cuts. Despite being a revolutionary album, Blackout lacked the emotional connection that Spears had teased two years prior with ‘Mona Lisa’.

Of course, Blackout wasn’t the only thing to happen to Spears in 2007. Britney’s mental breakdown is at this point stuff of legend, with images of her shaving her head, wielding an umbrella as she smashes car windshields and crying in a British accent all taking a permanent place in pop culture history.

A bald Britney Spears wields an umbrella

Looking back at Original Doll retroactively, we can’t help but wonder: would Spears’ breakdown have even happened if she’d been able to release the album of her dreams? Celebrities nowadays have unprecedented allowance to express themselves however they want, with social media like Twitter and Instagram allowing them to speak directly to fans without interference from management. But Britney didn’t have that luxury: the only way she could tell the world how she was feeling was through her music, and, if she was up for the risk, through impromptu KIIS FM interviews. With both of those avenues taken away from her, it seems like it was almost inevitable for Britney to crack under pressure the way she did.

With the Britney Spears of 2018 more overprotected and inaccessible than ever, it seems likely that fans yearning for information on Original Doll will only intensify. But it’s not just the music that has them hungry for more; it’s the promise of a Spears who was breaking out of her shell to be exactly who she wanted to be for the first time in her life. In October of 2004, around the time she became engaged to Federline and two months before she premiered ‘Mona Lisa’, Britney wrote a letter to her fansite alluding to the release of Greatest Hits: My Prerogative. It’s charming in a “little girl writes in her diary” kind of way, but it’s also an incredible insight into Britney’s mindset at the time.

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Dear Fans,

I am going to start writing this column now as often as possible. The reason is so I can talk directly to you, my fans, who have stuck by me & who continue to support me. Also, I’m not going to be as busy as my Mom. She’s running behind my sister like crazy! I am also going to take some time off to enjoy life. I’ve actually learned to say “NO!” With this newly found freedom, its like people don’t know how to act around me. Should we talk to her like we did when she was 16 or like the Icon everyone says she is? My prerogative right now is to just chill & let all of the other overexposed blondes on the cover of Us Weekly be your entertainment… GOOD LUCK GIRLS!! I’m sorry that my life seemed like it was all over the place the past 2 years, it’s probably because IT WAS! I understand now what they mean when they talk about child stars. Going & going & going is all I’ve ever know since I was 15 years old. It’s amazing what advisors will push you to do, even if it means taking a naive young blonde girl & putting her on the cover of every magazine.

I know now that my knee gave out on me this past summer so that I would have no choice but to stop. My body was shutting down and needed rest. It’s funny how the Man upstairs works. Right now, I have to go– I really want to watch “Saved” with Mandy Moore and re-runs of Sex and the City. I want to enjoy all of the simple things that I missed over the past few years due to working way too much.

Being married is GREAT and I can’t wait to start my family! There is so much change going on right now… not only with me, but in the world, as well. So, the next time you see my face, hear one of my songs or even if I’m the topic of your next conversation, please remember that times are changing & so am I.

Love always,

Britney

Editor's Note: This is an updated version of an article that was originally posted on 22/11/2018.

When Britney Spears received the MTV Video Vanguard Award in 2011, she was praised for her iconic music videos like the schoolgirl-themed '...Baby One More Time', the intergalactic 'Oops, I Did It Again...', the sweaty and sexy 'I'm A Slave 4 U' and the film noirish 'Toxic'. But what went unmentioned was the multitude of music videos that Britney has planned throughout her career that have been cancelled for one reason or another. From music videos that were entirely filmed and edited before being scrapped (such as 'Make Me...') to others which were edited heavily after their themes proved to be problematic (hello, teen pregnancy in 'Born To Make You Happy') to mere concepts that never even saw a day of filming (like 'Hot As Ice'), Britney has had at least twenty four music videos in her career that have been scrapped. In this article we'll look over everything we know about these videos so far, and explore some of the iconic moments that could have been if they'd been released.

1. ...Baby One More Time

'...Baby One More Time' is the song that propelled Britney into stardom, and it's music video is an undeniable part of it's appeal - but if it hadn't been for Britney herself, the video could have turned out very differently. Jive initially hired Joseph Khan - who would later go on to work with Britney on music videos for 'Stronger', 'Toxic', 'Womanizer' and 'Perfume - to direct, and he got to the storyboard stage with a sci-fi inspired concept involving 2D animation, monsters and Britney as part of a hero group alternately described as "Power Rangers" or "Transformers". "They had this really bizarre video idea, this animated Power Ranger-y thing," Britney explained in her first ever Rolling Stone cover story. "I said, 'This is not right. If you want me to reach four-year-olds, then OK, but if you want me to reach my age group...'"

Ultimately, Jive scrapped the projected $800 000 Khan video and opted to go with Britney's much more simple vision which featured her as a bored schoolgirl dancing with her friends, which was made for around $250 000. Even then, Britney was continually making changes, especially when it came to wardrobe. When director Nigel Dick brought in jeans and a t-shirt for her to wear, Britney instead suggested, "'Why don't we have knee-highs and tie the shirts up to give it a little attitude?' - so it wouldn't be boring and cheesy." Britney ultimately had these pieces purchased from Kmart, and her first iconic outfit was born.

2. Born To Make You Happy

Although it can't be confirmed, rumour has it that the original Billie Woodruff-directed music video for 'Born To Make You Happy' was to feature a sleeping Britney dreaming about her ex-lover, with whom she was secretly pregnant. Allegedly, once the idea was leaked to the press and received a negative reception, Jive cancelled the idea and instead went with the dance-heavy version of the video we ultimately received. Interestingly, reviewers have pointed out that the scenes that frame the beginning and end of the video feature a sleeping Britney who appears to be heavily pregnant in at least one shot. It's possible that these scenes, and others involving the same bedroom set and Britney and her lover having a pillow fight, were leftovers from the original music video.

3. When Your Eyes Say It

'When Your Eyes Say It' was originally considered as the fourth single from Oops!... I Did It Again, to the extent that a music video was shot for the song in January 2001. The video was shot by directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who would later go on to direct films such as Little Miss Sunshine and Battle of the Sexes. Ultimately, 'Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know' was instead chosen to be the album's last single, and no elements of 'When Your Eyes Say It' have been seen by the public since it's filming.

4. Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know

After 'When Your Eyes Say It' was scrapped, a music video for 'Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know' was filmed in early 2001. Britney was inspired to choose American photographer Herb Ritts as the director following his work on Janet Jackson's 'Love Will Never Do (Without You)'. In February of 2001, however, MTV.co.uk posted a story claiming that, "Britney Spears will re-shoot the video for her next single, 'Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know' because she is unhappy with the final edit." Ultimately, it appears as if the video was not reshot, as the MTV article explicitly states that the original video was shot on a Miami Beach with Ritts in the last week of January and featured a French model - all of which is also true for the released version.

Despite this, cuts were made to the music video to remove some of the raunchier scenes. Amidst reports that her boyfriend at the time Justin Timberlake was bothered by her kissing scenes in the music video, The Philadelphia Enquirer reported that Britney's mother Lynne asked for certain shots to be removed from the video to avoid some of the more explicitly sexual content, to which Britney agreed.

5. I Love Rock N Roll

'I Love Rock N Roll' was recorded for the Crossroads film in which Britney stars, before making the tracklisting for her third album Britney as the album's fourth single. Directed by Chris Applebaum, the music video was shot in New York and was one of Britney's raunchiest yet. The raunch factor was pushed to the next level in a director's cut of the video that leaked online which featured Britney licking a puddle of oil from the floor, amongst other unseen shots. These scenes was not featured in the original video, or in the alternate cut that appeared on the Greatest Hits: My Prerogative home release, but can still be found online.

6. Me Against The Music (Feat. Madonna)

It's possible that 'Me Against The Music' was originally meant to be directed by Madonna's filmmaker husband Guy Ritchie, known for directing films such as Sherlock Holmes and Aladdin. After People.com first announced his involvement, IMDB confirmed this saying that Madonna will play a "kinky leather-clad dominatrix" and "scary nightclub owner with a string of luscious ladies on leashes" who "lures innocent scantily-clad Britney into a private room filled with other beauties". However, when asked about these rumours at an Italian press conference, Britney stated, "No, that isn't true"; and Madonna's representative Liz Rosenberg explicitly stated, "Guy Ritchie is not directing".

Even so, MTV confirmed that there are at least some deleted scenes from 'Me Against The Music'. Describing their first look at the music video, MTV described specifics about it's plot while mentioning "cool kids, flaunting pink and purple hair while taking whiffs from an oxygen tank". While most of the scenes MTV described were present in the finished product, the oxygen tank scenes are nowhere to be found.

7. Everytime

Like 'Born To Make You Happy' before it, 'Everytime' originally had a much darker video concept which was altered after it was leaked to the press and received a negative reaction. In March of 2004, MTV reported an exclusive first look at the video concept, which explicitly described Britney dying due to an overdose before being reincarnated in some form, as well as a mysterious final shot.

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Directed by David LaChapelle, the video will use "saturated, but low and naturalistic lighting" to give a cinematic feel, taking a cue from the 1995 Nicolas Cage film Leaving Las Vegas. According to the clip's treatment, Spears arrives at the supposedly secret but paparazzi-swarmed back alley of an exclusive hotel, boyfriend in tow. Though it's common for the singer to be mobbed by the press, this time, people go to extremes, exaggerating the chaos as her bodyguards try to protect her and fights break out.

The camera cuts back and forth from the action to find Spears in an extreme close-up, performing directly to the camera as the story unfolds around her. She and her date are shuttled into the hotel, having been roughed up a bit, and exchange a look expressing that what was supposed to be a vacation is no fun for either of them. They end up in the high-rollers suite, but it doesn't help calm them down. Spears tries to put her angry boyfriend at ease, pouring two glasses of wine from the gift basket, but he lashes out, smashing the bottle at her feet.

Spears then gets quiet and walks away, heading to the bathroom, where the camera angles start to add a bit of mystery. A hand lays down a glass of red wine, water trickles around the cracks of tile, the bathtub overflows, and on the ledge stands a bottle of pills, the cap removed. Spears' head slips under water, and only then does her boyfriend, who had been watching television, start to notice. As he tries to revive her, the camera tracks a new Britney, alive and unharmed, walking past him, out of the room and out of the hotel. The paparazzi, still swarming at the back entrance, don't seem to register this Britney, and she disappears into the night.

Ambiguity is all that remains — is Britney alive? Dead? A ghost? Did she kill herself off before the tabloids could? Did she kill herself so that she could be reborn? The final shot — which shouldn't be revealed here so as not to spoil the surprise — doesn't answer any of these questions, but should give fans plenty to talk about.

Director David LaChapelle, who had previously shot Britney for Rolling Stone, confirmed later in 2019 that the death theme had been Britney's own idea, saying, “For the video ‘ever time’ [sic] the only direction Britney gave me for the video was that she wanted to die, that she wanted to die in the video." After the press picked up on the video and the suicide concept began to receive negative attention, Britney's team released a statement stating that there was never any intent for her character's overdose to be viewed as intentional and that she had changed the music video to make this apparent. "Britney Spears was uncomfortable with these treatments due to the potential for a fictional accidental occurrence to be misinterpreted as a suicide," said Jive representatives. "Ms. Spears revised the treatment to ensure the video for 'Everytime' will not have a scene in it that could in any way be perceived as a reference to a suicide."

Ultimately, the final version of 'Everytime' plays out relatively similiar to its original treatment for it's first half, although the scene in which Britney pours wine from the gift basket was cut. In the final version, however, Britney's brush with death comes from a head trauma presumably caused by her violent interactions with the paparazzi, and all hints towards a drug overdose are removed. Furthermore, Britney walks through a hospital and witnesses a child being born in the final cut of the video, instead of walking past her boyfriend trying to revive her. The final version of 'Everytime' ends with Britney emerging from the bathtub with a smile on her face, as if her death was simply a fantasy; it is unknown if this was the final scene that was planned to appear in the original video.

8. Outrageous

Possibly the most infamous of all of Britney's unreleased music videos, 'Outrageous' entered production with full storyboard, plot and choreography planned out with the assistance of director Dave Meyers, who would also direct videos for 'Lucky', 'Boys' and 'Radar' as well as the 'Curious' fragrance commercial. Reports state that filming began on June 8, 2004 and the video was scheduled to be ready for air by June 28 when it would premiere on MTV. Along with making a cameo in the music video, rapper Snoop Dogg was also intended to be featured on a remixed version of the song that would be serviced to radio stations. The song was also intended to be featured as the main theme song for the Halle Berry-fronted Catwoman film.

Sadly, after one day of shooting the entire production was abruptly cancelled due to a knee injury sustained by Britney on set. Fans did see some of the scenes, however: a makeshift promotional video was spliced together from the footage that had been shot pre-injury for the Greatest Hits: My Prerogative video tape release, which included Britney walking the streets of New York in a black trench coat, performing choreography alongside her back-up dancers on a wet city street, and playing basketball with Snoop Dogg. Rumour has it that there were at least two other scenes that were initially planned for the music video, although it is unknown if either of them ever progressed past the initial planning stage. One report stated that Meyers wanted Britney to "don a replica Catwoman outfit" for the video, which Britney refused; while another said that the video was to follow Britney "being mugged in New York and Catwoman comes to the rescue". Sadly, with the video's cancellation the song also lost its status as theme song for Catwoman and Britney cancelled all remaining dates on her The Onyx Hotel Tour, marking the beginning of the downward spiral that would occur in years to come.

9. Gimme More

Although the final version of the Jake Sarfaty-directed 'Gimme More' is relatively simplistic, featuring a blonde-haired Britney voyeuristically watching a brunette-haired Britney as she pole-dances in a nightclub, the music video was actually in the works for several months and shot over multiple days before being "tweaked with input from her advisers" for it's final release. Notably, the "rebirth" and "vintage"-themed video was said to have been "choreographed entirely by Britney herself," with Brit also being involved "as early as the storyboard process, all the way through to casting and production design, with Sarafty being "handpicked by Britney". Britney was also alleged by OK Magazine to have spent $30 000 of her own money on the music video, with extras being asked to volunteer their time for free so as to save on budget.

Amongst the deleted scenes include shots of Britney walking down a street wearing funeral garb - some of these shots were leaked in 2011 alongside an alternate cut of the video, although yet others which feature her entering or exiting a limo in this outfit have yet to be seen outside of a leaked behind the scenes photo. Continuing the funeral theme is another behind the scenes photo that allegedly shows a casket in the middle of the nightclub. Another shot in the alternate cut of the video features Britney sitting in a bed alongside a cat - a still posted by Sarfaty on his official website following the video release confirms that there was another outfit change that was shot for this scene. Similarly, yet another still posted by Sarfaty shows Britney pole-dancing in a denim outfit that was not featured in the final cut. There are also stills online that feature Britney completely shirtless, with a rose-like design similar to the pattern on her arm (alongside the snake on her forearm) tattooed over her nipples. A star-like design was also featured on the wall on-set, although it didn't end up making an appearance in the video. Instead, the background featuring silhouettes of James Bond-esque women (who also appeared in the VMAs performance and the 'Piece of Me' video) are references to the logo of fashion brand Lisa Kline.

Although it has been mostly erased in the final video, the original vision for 'Gimme More' was also meant to feature a strong Elvis Presley influence, which explains Britney's short rendition of Presley's 'Trouble' at the VMAs in the month before the video's release. Britney hired Slim K, a dancer and noted Elvis impersonator, to appear in the music video, and matching drawings of Elvis and Britney were featured on the wall. Following his removal from the video, Slim K stated on MySpace, "Britney took a direction I'm not part of.. and quite frankly got NO idea where she's heading.. not my cup of tea though ... the video is dissapointing in my opinion .."

10. Piece of Me

'Piece of Me' was filmed on November 27th and 28th, 2007 and directed by Wayne Isham, who had previously worked with Britney on 'I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman'. Before the music video was shot, actor Billy Orson (who was cast as a paparazzo in the clip) described a scene to the Spanish-language Jaleouse Magazine in which Britney walks the red carpet. "While passing on a red carpet, she walks with her dancers, poses, and suddenly begins to dance in front of us," the translation reads. "The paparazzi begin to move forward, to push her and at some point she takes out a grenade, which ends up being only a sphere of water. Her and her laughing dancers go into a building, where the video continues." It's possible that this scene was cut due to Britney's fourteen hour lateness to the set, which was confirmed by Isham in 2009.

In the same 2009 interview, Isham also confirmed that the choreography Britney performs in the bathroom during the song's breakdown was a last minute addition by Spears herself. "She choreographed that last dance at the very end," he confirmed. "She did that on her own and said, 'Let's go for it.'" Additional scenes from 'Piece of Me' can also be found in the international version of the music video, which substitutes many of the opening shots with scenes of Britney wearing a short bob wig and stripping off her jacket. The improved transitions in this version between Britney dancing and the newspapers covering her suggest that this was the original cut made by Isham.

11. Hot As Ice

In early 2008, several news outlets with personal connections to Britney began to report that she was planning a music video for 'Hot As Ice' and that she'd been working intensely on the choreography. On January 21st, X17Online reported that several of their photographers had been invited to a party at Britney's house and that she'd voiced her displeasure with the 'Piece of Me' music video, saying, "I don't like the 'Piece of Me' video. The stuff they show of me on TV looks old," - a sentiment she would echo later in the year in a radio interview with Z100. As a result, Britney stated that she'd be taking control of her next music video which would be "something new, something really cool", which the publication confirmed to be 'Hot As Ice'. On the same day, People Magazine reported that Britney had been seen at Millennium Dance Complex, with the dance studio's owner Robert Baker confirming "She is working on the choreography for her song 'Hot as Ice'. She rehearsed an amazing routine with a chair."

While Britney's rehearsals were briefly paused by her hospitalisation on January 31st, People reported that she returned to Millennium on February 8th and 9th to continue working on the choreography for 'Hot As Ice'. The last confirmation we have of Britney rehearsing 'Hot As Ice' was by People on February 12th, who reported that she had spent around 90 minutes working on a routine for the song after teaching an hour-long dance class to six children at Millennium earlier in the day. 

Despite her hard work, Britney's efforts to create a music video for 'Hot As Ice' were proven to be in vain when Jive announced that they would be launching a poll on Britney's official website to decide on which single would be the third from Blackout, with 'Break The Ice' receiving 39% of the votes. It's possible that Britney's displeasure over this decision is what led to her refusal to appear in the 'Break The Ice' music video, with Jive being forced to use an animated version of the star instead. Britney's original concept for 'Hot As Ice' was never revealed, and her chair choreography for the song hasn't been seen on any tour since.

12. Radar

Due to contractual obligations with producers Bloodshy & Avant, a single release and music video for 'Radar' was always planned from the time of it's original inclusion on the Blackout album, with songwriting group The Clutch suggesting that it was at one point meant to be the album's third single. Following strong digital downloads for the song that led to it peaking at #52 on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs Chart and #7 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, Sony confirmed 'Radar' as the fourth single from Blackout and sent out CD singles to certain countries in July of 2008, including Sweden (where it peaked at #8) and New Zealand (where it peaked at #32).

To supplement the song's release as a single, Britney's manager Larry Rudolph confirmed in June of 2008 that she would be filming a music video that month in England. "The theme is her and her girlfriends are going to be looking all around London trying to find a boy who she met in a club," he told the New York Post. "Every time they think they have him, it's someone else." Following reports that Britney would be directing the music video, Rudolph further clarified that she would be co-directing, saying "She will be behind the camera as much as possible; she wants to make sure it's exactly right."

Despite Rolling Stone seemingly confirming that the video was in fact shot later that month, nothing more was heard from Britney's team regarding it and the 'Radar' single release was scrapped when Britney began recording Circus sooner than expected and Sony wanted to move on from the controversies surrounding the Blackout era. Ultimately, the song was remixed and added to Circus as a bonus track and a new music video was shot in May of 2009 with Dave Meyers in order to fulfil Britney's contract with Bloodshy & Avant, and no more details about the original music video have ever been released. 

13. When I Grow Up

Following the news that she at one point conceptualised a whole diss album about them, fans were surprised when it was announced that Britney was set to make a cameo appearance in the music video for The Pussycat Dolls' comeback single 'When I Grow Up', directed by frequent Britney collaborator Joseph Khan. "In the scene shot [Wednesday], Britney is driving in a car. They all wave at each other as they are passing in traffic — that is it," a source told Us Magazine. "Of course, Britney looks hot and blonde."

Ultimately, the scene didn't make the music video's finished version, with lead Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger confirming that the cut was due to a continuity error. When asked about the deleted scene in a radio interview with Ryan Seacrest, Scherzinger stated, "We were on a seperate location, so we didn't even get to shoot together, so like, her eye line and our eye line were like, staring at each other's boobs and foreheads, and it just didn't, it just didn't work out."

14. Circus

The 'Circus' music video, directed by Francis Lawrence, has many alternate cuts, some of which can be seen in the version of the video used in All Star Saturday Night promos. However, the most significant deleted scenes involve Britney walking a tightrope with a miniature umbrella while wearing a pink bustier and a multi-coloured skirt. While these scenes have never been officially released in HD, fans quickly spotted behind the scenes footage of her filming them in the 'Circus: Making The Video' featurette.

15. If U Seek Amy

'If U Seek Amy' was always going to make for a controversial music video, but the version that fans received in October of 2009 is actually toned down compared to the initial video concept conceptualised by 'My Prerogative' director Jake Nava.

In February 2009, the video concept and storyboard stills for the song leaked were leaked by StarzLife, and detailed a party in which Britney goes from "wearing a super sexy pair of black leather underwear and dancing around provocatively with “all of the boys and all of the girls”, to putting on a new face and looking like a primp and proper conservative upper class housewife". The leak described the apple pie scene in detail, before claiming that the video was meant to end with Britney winking into the camera. While the final version of the video loosely follows this setup, Britney was more covered up throughout the opening half of the final version, and her transformation into Stepford Wife-ney was sudden rather than gradual. Furthermore, the Fox News-esque scenes which bookmarked the beginning and end of the finished product went unmentioned, suggesting that these were later additions.

In a more minor change, X17Online reported that the front door of the house that Britney emerges from at the end of the video allegedly originally displayed a red heart reading "I Love You" in large letters. It is unknown why this was removed from the final cut.

16. 3

Following the release of the directors cut of '3', Rolling Stone writer Daniel Kreps commented that the original version "was essentially filmed and edited in the matter of days to coincide with The Singles Collection release", and that the directors cut "seems to find a better cadence with the music". It's possible that the rushed nature of the original video is the reason for several deleted scenes featuring Britney with her hair in a bun and alternating between two all black outfits which were not shown in the original video. These scenes were restored in the director's cut version of the music video.

17. Hold It Against Me

'Hold It Against Me' was directed by Jonas Åkerlund in early January 2011, and features at least one deleted scene. In teasers released before the video's February 17 premiere, eagle-eyed fans can spot a shot of Britney wearing a white shirt with black and red hot pants surrounded by backup dancers. While some scenes from this set-up do appear in the final music video, they are displayed only in extremely quick cuts and only in black and white. It's unknown why the majority of these scenes were cut from the final version.

Prior to the video's release, choreographer Brian Friedman also teased several details from the music video in an interview with MTV which did not make the video's final cut. Along with confirming that the music video was initially meant to feature ten male backup dancers (the finished product featured only six), Friedman also simply stated "I love nudity," when asked what his favourite part of the video was. Ultimately, there was no nudity from either Britney or her dancers in the final cut of the video.

18. TBA (David LaChapelle Directed)

David LaChapelle, who had previously worked with Britney for 'Everytime', mentioned in an interview in January 2011 that he wanted to work on the music video for the second single from Femme Fatale and that he planned to use designs from Heidi.com as outfits. While Heidi.com designers were excited about this prospect, it was also specifically mentioned that, "There's still a lot of administrative stuff to be done," and that "David LaChapelle has to send his concept for the video to Britney's managers."

19. I Wanna Go

The music video for 'I Wanna Go' was filmed in LA and directed by Chris Marrs Piliero. Several hours ahead of the music video's premiere, Britney posted two images of her in a red dress on her Facebook page, along with the caption, "So excited for you all to see the music video for ‘I Wanna Go’ tonight at 12am PST!" Ultimately, the scenes involving the red dress were not included in the final music video, despite Britney's official website confirming that they were stills from the shoot. It's unknown why these scenes were scrapped.

20. Work Bitch

Like 'Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know', the Ben Mor-fronted 'Work Bitch' originally had a raunchier cut that was scrapped in favour of a less mature version. This time, however, it was Britney herself who was pushing for a more tame video. “Oh my god, we showed way more skin and did way more stuff for the video then what is actually there," Britney stated in an interview with The TJ Show. "Like, I cut out half the video because I am a mother and because, you know, I have children, and it’s just hard to play sexy mom while you’re being a pop star as well. I just have to be true to myself and you know, feel it out when I do stuff.”

While a raunchier cut of 'Work Bitch' would be more than welcome, it was later confirmed that the sexier scenes that were cut from the final music video didn't actually involve Britney at all. In an interview with MTV, Mor stated that anything that Britney found too racy didn't involve her or her costuming, and said that "It was easy to make a racier cut only because of the extras and the cutaways".

21. Perfume

The 'Perfume' music video was directed by Britney mainstay Joseph Kahn and filmed over three days from November 19th to 21st in 2013 in the California desert. It depicts Britney as one of two women vying for the attention of their lover, played by Alexander Kjellevik. Prior to it's release on December 10, Kahn Tweeted that the released video was "extremely different" from his original edit, further stating that Britney's performance in it was "unbelievable". He would later say that the original cut was a minute longer, and that it featured a "shocking" ending.

Following several months of pressure from fans to release the original 'Perfume' music video, including an online petition addressed to RCA, the music video's original concept was leaked in July of 2014 on Britney fan-site Exhale.

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Britney meets a guy with whom she falls instantly in love. It’s made clear to the audience that Britney is an assassin/hitman as we see her kill a group of people in a car (hence the gun pictures that were leaked to the media). She is given her next assignment who turns out to be the guy she fell in love with at the beginning of the video. The go to meet in their favorite spot, but Britney is not there. She is across the street with a rifle with her target set on him. She looks through the scope and sees her man holding a ring her made for her. She leaves and aborts the mission to kill him.

She leaves town because she knows her is not safe around her. Doing this, she knows she will be killed for abandoning her mission to kill this guy. She hides out in a hotel and is taken by other assassins and beaten, tied to a chair, etc. She has sacrificed herself for this man. We see time pass as she dates a new girl, gets married, has a baby, etc. We see him looking out a window thinking about Britney, his true love that disappeared. Then, we see Britney on the floor of her hotel room, barely alive, as her body slowly turns to ash. The last shot of Britney is the hotel room is her smiling as their eyes seem to meet. Her body then disintegrates. The final shot of the video is Britney and her lover kissing in the sunset.

Kahn himself would later confirm the validity of this concept, but remarked that he changed the shots of Britney disintegrating towards the end during filming to keep the music video "more grounded". It is currently unknown what the "shocking" ending Kahn alluded to would have entailed. He further confirmed that the song would have stopped playing at the moment Britney realises that she is being asked to kill her lover, most likely accounting for the one minute of additional runtime that Kahn's cut would have had.

While it can't be confirmed, it's probable that the wire ring described in the original concept is the same one Britney gave to her partner in the final cut. The released version of the video also features a shot of Britney in the bathroom reacting to a phone (implied to be her lovers) as it receives a message from someone named Cindy. It's likely that the original context of this shot was Britney learning about her next assassination, and that the contents of the message were changed in post-production.

Although RCA never gave a reason for their cancellation of the music video, Kahn speculated that it had to do with Britney's upcoming Vegas residency and her label's desire to shy away from the dark subject matter. The source which leaked the video's original concept further stated that the label was worried mostly about the killing scenes, possibly due to the negative reaction that 'Criminal' received internationally for it's gun violence. While there are no announced plans to release the director's cut anytime soon, fans did receive some leaked stills which feature a battered and bruised Britney from towards the end of the video in mid-2016.

22. Alien

During her I Am Britney Jean documentary, Britney confirmed that she planned for 'Alien' to be released as an upcoming single from the album, but this never came to fruition. It's unknown if a music video was ever conceptualised for the track. Similarly, 'It Should Be Easy' and 'Tik Tik Boom' both serviced official remixes and were serviced to nightclubs, but it was later confirmed that neither were considered as singles from the album; it is unknown if they ever were or if music videos were envisioned.

23. TBA (Chris Applebaum Directed)

Following their discussion of the original concept for 'Perfume', the same source also mentioned that Britney was planning to release a new "big budget" music video in "late summer/early fall" of 2014. The music video was intended to be directed by Chris Applebaum, who also worked on film clips for 'Overprotected' and 'I Love Rock N Roll'. Ultimately, no other music video ever eventuated in 2014, with Britney's next music video for 'Pretty Girls' in 2015 being directed by Cameron Duddy.

24. Make Me... (Feat. G-Eazy)

On June 2nd of 2016, E! News reported that Britney was in the midst of filming the music video for her comeback single 'Make Me...' and that it was set to be directed by former 'Everytime' collaborator David Lachapelle. Britney also posted behind the scenes photos of her making the video on her Twitter, including a shot of her with guest rapper G-Eazy, a photo set of her with an unidentified male model, and a final photo of her surrounded by sixteen half-naked male backup dancers. A low-quality minute long clip of the music video would also go on to leak in mid-July, featuring Britney and her dancers performing choreography in a warehouse-like scene and shots of Britney in a cage covered in sparkly red body paint.

Despite this, when Britney spoke of the music video to Australian radio station 104.1 2DayFM later that month, she described a video that seemed to be entirely different from the one teased to fans. "The video that I just shot is me and all my girls. We're making guys audition for us," she stated. "The whole theme is us basically playing with them. It's really kind of fun and it's interesting." When the video was finally released in early August, almost all traces of the original David LaChapelle concept were nowhere to be seen and the new director was confirmed to be Randee St. Nicholas.

While there was never any official confirmation, multiple fan theories exist as to why the LaChapelle version of the video was scrapped. Early reports simply stated that Britney thought the video was "too sexy"; while Britney's manager Larry Rudolph responded to a fan petition to release the music video by saying "The video just didn’t work", a sentiment echoed by LaChapelle in 2019 when he commented, "The video/song wasn’t released because Britney didn’t like it." Some fans have suggested that the music video was scrapped due to a disagreement between Britney and LaChapelle, due to a behind the scenes video from the set of his cut that featured Britney calling the director an "asshole" and saying "I don't like it" (although it's impossible to tell whether or not this was in jest).

Still, allegations of Britney being unhappy with the video's concept or raunchiness seem strange given how involved she was in the concept. In particular, Britney specifically requested that LaChapelle shoot her in the cage to create one of the video's most explicit moments, a possible nod to her ongoing conservatorship. "The only direction Britney ever gave me for this video is for me to film her in the cage," LaChapelle stated when discussing his support for the #FreeBritney movement. "At the time I didn’t understand why would you want to be filmed in a cage? At first I envisioned to film her as a tigress, but she wanted to be filmed more timid, like a kitten. For everyone on my team, at least, we could tell something was off.”

A version of the music video containing scenes shot by LaChapelle leaked in 2019 and extensively featured this scene. The video also featured a loosely biblical plot which followed Britney and her lover leaving a music video shoot to drive through the desert and arrive at their home, only to find an eviction notice on the door from "Eden Jurisdiction #1" for "Adam" and "Eve". After resuscitating her lover after a near-death experience, he and Britney demolish the house using a crane.

Despite the fact that it utilised the scenes he shot with Britney, however, LaChapelle would later confirm that this leaked version of the video was not the full extent of his original concept, but a cut created by RCA. "This is some of my footage, this is not my edit," he stated, before insinuating that her record label had released the leak as something of a distraction for fans. "I find it very suspect that the video was ‘leaked’ while Britney was 'away.'" LaChapelle's statement adds credence to the idea that the video was scrapped after relationships between himself and RCA broke down, an idea first suggested by fans when they noticed that he had refused to give the label his footage with G-Eazy, forcing them to use watermarked copies in the official video.

Fans have further speculated that the original cut of the video was over ten minutes long and featured scenes that still have yet to leak. In their exclusive behind the scenes look at the LaChapelle version of 'Make Me...', E! also posted a video interview with Britney in which she wore black boots and a nude leotard with black detailing, which was not depicted in the leak. The next day, a video leaked from the set which depicted Britney in the crane with backup dancers on top of it, another scene which didn't appear; and the Lachapelle-shot single cover, which features Britney wearing white in the desert, is also rumoured to be taken from a scene in the video. Given the tense relationships between all parties involved, it's unlikely that LaChapelle's original length cut will ever be seen.

Which scrapped music video would you most like to see from Britney? Let us know in the comments section down below!

Over the course of her sixteen year career, Rihanna certainly hasn't had any trouble making hits. Named by Spotify and Apple as the most streamed female artist of all time, Rih's also earned herself 31 top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Furthermore, five of her songs - 'Umbrella', 'We Found Love', 'Stay', 'Work' and Eminem collaboration 'Love The Way You Lie' - rank among the world's best selling songs of all time.

Her distinct vocals, trend-setting sounds and high-profile romances also make her a songwriter's dream, with many artists imagining her voice layered over the top of their latest works. Sadly, as is true for most artists who rely on others for their songwriting, Rih is unable to record each and every track she's sent, and there's a large selection of songs she's turned down which have gone on to be hits at the hands of other artists. Some of these songs were given to newer artists inspired by her, such as Selena Gomez; while yet others reverted back to their original owners, such as Sia. Regardless, it's fascinating to imagine what these songs would sound like if they'd been sung by Rih, and just how many more millions of dollars she could be raking in if she'd accepted them.

1. Selena Gomez - Come & Get It

Ester Dean and Stargate are the dream team of musicians behind a number of Rihanna's dancehall-tinged hits, from 'What's My Name' to 'Rude Boy' - and if they'd had their way, they could have given her another one. Selena Gomez's 'Come & Get It' was submitted for Rih's 2011 album Talk That Talk, but was left off the album possibly due to an over-abundance of up-tempo songs that were already present. While Rihanna's islander vibe would have worked perfectly on 'Come & Get It', we're glad this one went to Selena - after all, without this track she may have been stuck permanently in Disney purgatory, and never have started recording the more adult music we all know and love today.

2. Selena Gomez - Same Old Love

Charli XCX was working overtime for Rihanna in 2015, when she was writing songs for both ANTI and the Rihanna-helmed Dreamworks film Home. While none of their collaborations ended up on either project (although Charli did land one of her own songs, 'Red Balloon', a spot on the Home soundtrack), Rihanna did record at least one Charli co-write - 'Same Old Love'. Rih first teased the song in June of 2014 on Twitter, over a year before the public even know it existed.

It wasn't until Selena released her version as a single in September of 2015 that fans put the pieces together and deduced that Rihanna had recorded her own version of the song, a theory confirmed in 2018 when a snippet of her version leaked online. While Rih would have done a good job on the track, we understand why she scrapped her version - the song's catchy hook and poppy vibe would have sounded completely out of place on 2016's ANTI.

3. Miley Cyrus - We Can't Stop

Selena isn't the only ex-Disney star to swoop in one of Rihanna's rejects. Production duo Rock City had originally written their song 'We Can't Stop' with Rihanna in mind, but they decided against offering it to her after hearing her change in musical direction that began with 'Diamonds'. Feeling that "this could be somebody's first single", the group instead offered the song to record producer Mike Will Made It, who passed it onto Cyrus. While Miley's version of the song is a certified bop and exactly what she needed to release at that point in her career, we can't imagine the song fitting into Rihanna's more introspective Unapologetic album, and we're actually glad she never released this one.

4. The Chainsmokers - Don't Let Me Down (Feat. Daya)

Everyone's least favourite production duo The Chainsmokers have barely been heard from since their chart-topper 'Closer', but they did have a minor hit with 2016's 'Don't Let Me Down'. The final version of the song ended up featuring then 17 year old singer Daya, but before they called her the group had already reached out to Rihanna for some vocals. Her rejection of the song clearly left the duo feeling a little bitter: in an interview, the group's Alex Pall took the chance to throw some shade when he said that he was happy to have Daya on the song "because young unknown artists have this hunger – they're willing to work really hard". We get the feeling Rihanna was already busy work, work, work, work, work, working on a real hit.

5. Usher - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love (Feat. Pitbull)

Despite multiple collaborations with his off-siders such as Dr. Luke and Cirkut, Rihanna has never actually worked with pop music's GOAT producer Max Martin. Surprisingly, she turned down the chance back in 2010 when Martin sent 'DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love' in her direction as one of the over 200 songs which didn't make the cut for Loud. With some help from Pitbull, the song would later go on to become one of Usher's most successful singles, hitting the top ten in over fifteen countries while it competed with Rih's own collab with Eminem, 'Love The Way You Lie'. Although the song would have worked great in Rihanna's hands, we see why she rejected it; it serves essentially the same purpose as 'Only Girl (In The World)', which was the first song recorded for Loud and which was always intended to be the first single.

6. Drake - Find Your Love

Rihanna and Drake have had major success with the majority of their collaborations, from 'What's My Name' to 'Take Care' to 'Work' - but long before any of these tracks were released, a relatively unknown Drake was already pitching some of his first hits to Rihanna. 'Find Your Love', the second single from Drake's debut album, was originally pitched to Rihanna due to Drake's belief that the song was "extremely vulnerable". "It's actually a huge risk," he would later state. "It almost feels like the song should be performed by a woman. I'm just hoping that men really hear the song and they're honest with themselves. I know a lot of men feel that way." Ultimately, the risk paid off for Drake who had a hit with the song, and whose own vulnerability and sensitivity would later go on to become a point of distinction and mockery in later years.

7. Rita Ora - R.I.P.

Rita Ora has been compared to Rihanna again and again over the course of her career, and it's not hard to see why. With her ethnic beauty, emotive vocals, and career trajectory from Roc Nation-approved R&B to Calvin Harris produced pop, it would be easy to think of Ora as Europe's own answer to the Bajan beauty. It's a comparison made even stronger by the fact that Rita's breakthrough single, 'R.I.P.', was initially written for Rihanna. 'R.I.P.' was another Drake-penned track that originally appeared on his The Gift Without a Curse mixtape with the name 'I'm Ready For You'. Ora's version retained the Nneka and Chase & Status sample of Drake's original song while adding a fresh coat of production paint courtesy of frequent Rihanna collaborators Stargate. Although we're sure that Rih could slay this track, it's a testament to Rita's talent that we can't imagine anyone performing it as well as she does, and we're glad that she got the chance to shine with such a bop for her first release.

8. Justin Bieber - Love Yourself

'Love Yourself' was a hit for Justin Bieber in 2015, but the track had a long journey to the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It was originally written by Ed Sheeran for his album ÷, and back then it had a very different, R-rated chorus of "If you like the way you look that much/Baby, you should go and fuck yourself". Realising that he didn't have the "swag" to pull off such a line, Sheeran initially considered pitching the song to Rih. "Rihanna could get away with saying 'you should go and f--k yourself,' in my mind anyway," he would later state.

Ed never got around to sending the song Rihanna's way, but when talking to Bieber near the end of his recording for Purpose he realised that Justin would be able to pull off a more G-rated version. "It kind of came at a zeitgeist time for his career, where he had fallen out of grace with the public, and he had this comeback song that was quite grown up," he would later say. Although there's no guarantee Rih would have recorded the song, it would definitely be interesting to see what she could do with the track. Some of her more interesting songs have experimented with acoustic instruments, such as 'FourFiveSeconds' and 'Stay', and 'Love Yourself' (or 'Fuck Yourself') would definitely have been a nice addition to that series.

9. Ed Sheeran - Shape of You

Rihanna must be running through Ed Sheeran's mind a lot, because 'Love Yourself' wasn't the only song he wrote with her in mind. Ed's own hit 'Shape of You' was initially conceived as a duet between Rih and the UK band Rudimental, but a combination of his record label head persuading him to keep the song for himself and his own personalised lyrics made him rethink the decision. "We were writing this song and I was like 'this would really work for Rihanna,'" he would explain later. "And then I started singing lyrics like 'putting Van the Man on the jukebox' and I was like 'well she's not really going to sing that, is she?' And then we sort of decided halfway through that we were just going to make it for me." Although the song's tropical flair would have suited Rihanna well, there's something distinctly masculine about the lyrics of loving someone's body which we just can't imagine her singing. Then again, who is Rihanna to let something like gender stop her?

10. Sia - Cheap Thrills

Upon it's release, 'Shape of You' was compared unfavourably to another tropically-minded song which had been released months earlier: Sia's 'Cheap Thrills'. Like all of the other songs on her This Is Acting album, 'Cheap Thrills' was a song that Sia had originally written for another artist before reclaiming it for herself, and in this case it was once again Rihanna who had turned down the track. Ultimately, this ended up being for the better: the super-poppy 'Cheap Thrills' wouldn't have worked at all on ANTI, but it did go on to become Sia's first #1 in the US and probably paid for her fifth vacation home.

11. Sia - Alive

'Alive' was another This Is Acting cut that had been intended for multiple artists before it's release. Sia co-wrote the song with Adele "in Adele's perspective" for her album 25, but the song was rejected from the album at the last minute. "I said to [Adele], 'Do you mind if I pitch it to, let's say, Rihanna?'", Sia would later recount. "She said, 'Yeah, but can you take my vocal off it because I don't want my vocal floating around out there on a demo?'" Sia ultimately recorded her own take on the song to pitch to Rihanna, where it was rejected for a second time. Despite this, Sia's collaborators encouraged her to keep the song for herself. "Everybody in my life was like, 'You can't give this away to anybody'," she explained, which inspired her to release the song as the first single from her own album. As far as 'Alive' goes, we can take it or leave it: Rihanna would probably have done as good a job as Adele or Sia did on the song, but there's nothing particularly special about the generic self-empowerment lyrics of the song, which is probably the reason why it stalled so low on the charts.

12. Sia - Reaper

'Reaper' was another This Is Acting album track, and the third song on the album that had originally been hand-crafted with Rihanna in mind. 'Reaper' was written by Sia and her frequent collaborator Jesse Shatkin alongside Kanye West and his team of 88-Keys and Dom $olo for ANTI - however, the track was scrapped when the album underwent a last-minute change in direction. 'Reaper' was for the version of ANTI pre-'Work' which also featured 'FourFiveSeconds', 'Bitch Better Have My Money' and 'American Oxygen', which existed back when Kanye was executive producing the album. After a falling out between him and Rih, she retooled the album without their collaborations, making it the hit record we know today. As for our thoughts on the song, Sia summed them up pretty nicely herself when she said, "I don't care about the song. I know in print that will look bad, but what I mean is I'm not emotionally attached to it. I thought it was a fun song. I think it's a good, fun song, but I didn't anticipate it being on the record." 'Reaper' is fun and catchy, but it seems like a throwaway track for Sia and more like something we'd expect from Rihanna's fifth album than her eighth.

13. Beyoncé - Pretty Hurts

'Pretty Hurts' is often regarded as the standout from Beyoncé's self-titled 2013 album, and even it's lead songwriter Sia considers it to be her "best song". As such, it makes some sense that the track was in demand by multiple musicians before Bey finally snagged it for herself. The track was originally written by Sia alongside producer Ammo on the same day as she recorded 'Titanium' for David Guetta in 2011, and as with 'Titanium' first dibs for the song went to Katy Perry. Somehow, Katy ended up missing the e-mail that 'Pretty Hurts' was attached to, and the track was instead passed onto Rihanna's team. Rihanna, who was at the time recording for Talk That Talk, showed interest in the song and placed it on hold; but after she failed to pay the track's fee for a whopping eight months, Sia continued to shop it around once more. 

While 'Pretty Hurts' remained in limbo, Beyoncé heard it and labelled it as "my song". She would later go on to state, "The second I heard the song, I'm like, 'I have to sing this song, I don't care how hard I have to fight for this song!'". Ultimately, she paid the fee to make the song hers and stole the track right out from under Rihanna's nose. Given that 'Pretty Hurts' originally had a very different composition from the version that Bey released, it's hard to say how Rihanna's vocals would have worked on the track; although given that the song is a statement on the beauty industrial complex, we can't imagine that her Fenty Beauty company would have gone on to great success after she recorded it.

14. Jordin Sparks - Battlefield

2009 was the year of Ryan Tedder, with the English-born songwriter penning hits for balladeers ranging from Beyoncé to Kelly Clarkson: and if things had played out differently, he may just have added Rihanna to that list. 'Battlefield', which was ultimately released by Jordin Sparks as the first single from her album of the same name, was initially written with the intention of pitching it to Christina Aguilera. After a demo was recorded it was then considered as a duet for Rihanna and Chris Brown, but after news of Brown's physical assault broke these plans were scrapped. Instead, Sparks went on to nab the song and turn it into a moderate success, with the song hitting #10 on the US charts.

15. Jessie J - Do It Like A Dude

Jessie J had success with writing on Miley Cyrus's 'Party In The U.S.A.', and it didn't take long before she tried to replicate the hit when she wrote 'Do It Like A Dude' for Rihanna. Jessie had Rihanna on the mind at the time due to the prominence of 'Rude Boy' on the radio, and she thought that the "tongue-in-cheek" and "empowering" nature of 'Dude' would be perfect for Rih to embody. After her completion of the song, Jessie sent it to both Rih's management and her own record label Island Records; and while she received no response from the former, an enthusiastic review from the latter encouraged her to release the song as her first single. Although Rih would have undoubtedly improved the song just by her very presence, we're kind of glad she didn't lend her vocals to this one; I'm pretty sure even Rihanna couldn't have saved this tryhard mess of a song.

16. Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman

'Dangerous Woman' is a favourite among not only Ariana Grande fans, but also the popstar herself, who liked the track so much that she ended up scrapping her original lead single 'Focus' in it's favour and reworking her entire album to fit it's theme. Despite this, writers Johan Carlsson and Ross Golan had a very different artist in mind when they penned the song. Initially, the song was written with the intention of sending it to Carrie Underwood, who passed; and following this, it was also sent to Alicia Keys. Rihanna was third on the list of artists who were sent the song, and it was only after she rejected it that Grande got sloppy...fourths? While it would have been cool to hear Rih do her thing on this thumping mid-tempo, we're honestly more interested to hear what Carrie Underwood could have done with the song. She's never headed in such an R&B direction before, and it could definitely be an interesting change of pace for the country singer.

17. Major Lazer & DJ Snake - Lean On (Feat. MØ)

'Lean On' was one of the biggest songs of 2015, and one of the largest hits of the streaming era. Despite only peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song reached #1 in nine other countries, and went on to become the most streamed song of all time, as well as selling over 13 million copies worldwide. Surprisingly though, the track was offered to multiple artists who turned it down before it became the smash we know it as today. Major Lazer and MØ wrote the track together as a slower reggae song, pitching it to Nicki Minaj who turned it down. Later, they reworked the track into a more upbeat version with the help of DJ Snake, and went on to pitch this version to Rihanna. "I played her 'Lean On,'" Diplo would later recount. "She was like, 'I don't do house music.' I face-palmed so hard on that one." Weirdly enough though, despite the song's tropical influences, we think MØ is way more suited for the track than Rihanna would ever be. Ultimately, this track went to just the singer who needed it most.

18. Pitbull - Timber (Feat. Ke$ha)

Out of all of the songs that Rihanna turned down, this has to be the one we're most happy to see her let go of. Although Pitbull was always (unfortunately) intended to rap over the 'Timber' beat, he had initially wanted Rihanna to sing the chorus later made famous by Kesha. Fortunately, due to Rihanna's focus on her Shakira duet 'Can't Remember To Forget You', she was unable to find time to record vocals for the song. This was a positive thing for two reasons: one, because Rih didn't have to besmirch her good name by working with a rent-a-rapper like Pitbull; and two, because Kesha's southern roots and party girl image were perfect for the chorus of 'Timber', which gave her a greatly-needed hit at the perfect moment in time. We just wish she'd been given the chance to rap the verses herself.

Which of these songs would you most like to hear Rihanna's vocals on? Let us know in the comments down below!

It's hard to believe, but as of September 30th this year living legend Britney Spears will have been driving us crazy, loving rock and roll and seeking Amy for exactly twenty years - and what a wild ride it's been. Apart from all the personal crises (think that Justin Timberlake break-up, the whole K-Fed saga and the infamous umbrella incident), Britney has also consistently wowed us with hit single after hit single, from 'Me Against the Music' to 'Make Me'.

But amidst all the brilliant releases (Britney's last single 'Slumber Party' was her forty-first), there was a multitude of songs that didn't quite make the cut. Some of them (like Gaga's 'Telephone') were recorded by Britney before being scrapped at the last minute; while others (like Rihanna's 'Umbrella') were offered to Britney but rejected for recording for one reason or another. While some of these songs would have contributed absolutely nothing to Britney's legacy and are no loss whatsoever, its interesting to see just how many more hits she could have had if she'd played her cards right, especially in the last decade.

In this list we'll be looking at twenty-five such songs which Britney decided to pass on. Keep in mind that in this list we're including only tracks that were officially released by an artist in some capacity jthat we're able to listen to, although other confirmed demos for Britney that are still stashed away in the vault (such as ones written by Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, Sky Ferreira, Dev Hynes and Danja) would undoubtedly be equally amazing.

25. Lady Gaga - Telephone (Feat. Beyoncé)

The story of Britney passing on 'Telephone' is at this point legendary, but just in case you've forgotten about the whole saga we'll give a brief recap here. 'Telephone' was originally written by a pre-fame Gaga alongside a song called 'Quicksand' to be considered for inclusion on Britney's sixth studio album and official comeback, Circus. But while 'Quicksand' was included as a bonus track on the album, 'Telephone' was scrapped due to the presence of another similiarly themed song, the Bloodshy & Avant produced 'Phonography'.

Later, the song was reworked as a duet between the two artists; but conflict arose when Gaga wanted the track to be on the tracklist of her re-release The Fame Monster while Britney's team wanted the song on her greatest hits The Singles Collection. Ultimately, Gaga took the song back and replaced Britney's part on the duet with a new verse by Beyoncé, and the Britney version was never released either as a solo song or as a duet. Thankfully, her version went on to leak in 2010 and we got a fan-made version of the duet soon after.

24. The Pussycat Dolls - When I Grow Up

'When I Grow Up' was the song of the summer back in 2008, and was a huge hit for the newly reformed Pussycat Dolls minus Carmit Bachar. The song was written by Darkchild (who also worked on 'Telephone') and Rock City, but we had no idea it was meant for Britney until a demo sent to her leaked in 2011. When it was originally written for Brit, the lyrics were tailor made to her situation, opening with, "My name is Britney and I don’t care what you say," before continuing "I swear at first that I was flippin'/When they said I looked like Debbie Gibson/And then I tried to dance like Michael Jackson/But people saw me and started laughing."

It's unknown why Brit passed on the song that would go on to be a huge hit, but it's interesting to note that she was originally confirmed to have a short cameo appearance in the music video. Originally, Britney was meant to have a blink and you'll miss it appearance in the traffic jam at the beginning of the video, waving at the Dolls before driving away. Like her version of the song, however, the cameo was scrapped for unknown reasons.

23. Charli XCX - Secret (Shh)

'Secret' is one of Charli XCX's more experimental songs, which is why it may be surprising to hear that it was originally intended for the princess of pop herself. The song's co-writer, Jesse Saint John spilled the tea when discussing another song he wrote for Britney's latest album 'Love Me Down'. "I did [a] song for Charli XCX called 'Secret'' that Karen [Kwak, Britney's A&R] really liked, and for a second she thought it could be for Britney Spears." Sadly, Britney never got around to recording the demo and Charli ended up releasing it on her own EP Vroom Vroom, but it was the strength of 'Secret' that allowed Saint John to pitch 'Love Me Down' in the first place. 'Secret' is actually the second Charli song to be considered by Britney, after she wrote a song specifically for the popstar back in 2013; but we're unsure exactly what that song was, or if it has since been released by anyone other than Brit.

22. Girls Aloud - Graffiti My Soul

If you don't live in the UK, you may not have heard of Girls Aloud. Manufactured on an English television show called Popstars: The Rivals, the group soon became a mainstay of the UK charts for over a decade until their break up in 2013. While its release as the fifth single from their album What Will The Neighbours Say? was scrapped, the song 'Graffiti My Soul' nevertheless became one of their most well known tracks, with group member Cheryl Cole later stating in 2008 that if she'd had the chance to release she song as a single she would have.

Interestingly though, the song was originally written for Britney, who recorded her own version of it for inclusion on In The Zone. "The record company loved it, but Britney's people said 'Where's the chorus? Why are there no repetitive parts?'," said Bryan Higgins, who produced the song as part of Xenomania. While we've never heard even a snippet of Britney's version of the song, we may not be missing out on that much. Whether it's jealousy or honesty, Cole stated that Britney's version was "strange" and that she sang it "in that really strange voice and it freaked me out"; although she later admitted that the source of her nervousness may have come from the fact that the version she heard was unmixed.

21. Enrique Iglesias - Maybe

'Maybe' is a song written by Enrique Iglesias, Steve Morales, Kara DioGuardi and David Siegel which was first released on his Escape album in 2001. The track was later reworked as an uptempo number for the album's reissue and released as the project's fifth single in May of 2002. What's bizarre is that a month prior to the song's single release, Britney started introducing the track under the title 'My Love Was Always There' and performing it live at her Dream Within A Dream Tour shows, even going so far as to say that she wrote the song. 'Maybe' was far from a flop, hitting #12 in the US and #3 in the UK, so it's unknown exactly why Britney thought she could get away with claiming the track as her own.

20. Jennifer Lopez - Brave

'Brave' is the title track of Jennifer Lopez's sixth album, produced by frequent Britney collaborators Bloodshy & Avant and The Clutch. Originally, the song was actually written for Britney's album Blackout, but it was rejected from the final tracklisting before release. That said, I can't say that I'm too disappointed about not hearing Britney's version - while the tracks lyrics stating "I'm not afraid/Because I am brave" definitely fit into Britney's narrative, the song is pretty typically generic R&B and doesn't really offer anything new to the pop music genre like the rest of Blackout did.

19. Momoiro Clover Z - Rock The Boat

Momoiro Clover Z released 'Rock The Boat' on the album Hakkin no Yoake in 2016; but as any true Britney stan will know, the track has been in the works for much longer than that. Britney fans first heard the song in late 2011 as part of the semi-annual Britmas leaks tradition, when it was heard under it's working title 'Dangerous'. Recorded for the Circus album, 'Dangerous' has the same songwriters as bonus track 'Rock Me In' of Greg Kurstin and Coco Morier, and apart from the translated lyrics not much changed at all between it's recording and it's reinterpretation as 'Rock The Boat'.

18. LIZ - When I Rule The World

LIZ has been open about her love for Britney, from her confession that Brit taught her "how to be a popstar" to her obsession over every stan's favourite unreleased track, 'Mona Lisa'. But she got closer to Britney than she ever could have expected with her PC Music-inspired single 'When I Rule The World'. "I heard she wanted 'When I Rule'," she told The Guardian, apparently astounded that Britney even knew who she was. LIZ was ultimately so attached to the song that she had to fight for it to be her own release; and although the track definitely would have fit in with the 'Pretty Girls' vibe and aesthetic, we can't say we're sad that she won.

17. Kelis - Milkshake

Britney fell into step with The Neptunes crew as early as 2001, when they produced Britney stand-outs 'I'm A Slave 4 U' and 'Boys'. Choosing them to produce songs for her next record In The Zone then seemed like a natural choice, and so the group wrote several songs for the project back in 2003 - one of them being a track called 'Milkshake'. Ultimately, the track never made the album and it was sent later that year to an up-and-coming singer named Kelis, who turned it into her biggest hit to date and an endlessly quotable banger.

Although there's no proof that Britney ever recorded a demo of this track, a Brit version of 'Milkshake' would definitely be something to behold, and would work brilliantly on an album next to 'Me Against the Music' and 'Early Mornin''. We can practically hear Britney's breathy vocals all over that iconic chorus already.

16. Leah McFall - Home (Feat. will.i.am)

Leah McFall was a runner-up on the second series of The Voice UK, where she was mentored by the infamous will.i.am - a man who was at the same time taking Britney under his wing on the other side of the pond. That's why it makes total sense for any record will worked on around that time to have been shopped around to both Brit and Leah, as happened with 'Home'. The track is typical will.i.am, complete with nonsensical lyrics, an overused sample and a tacky lyric video, so we can't say we're sad that Britney never jumped on this one; although with that said it would definitely be an improvement over 'It Should Be Easy'.

13. Jordin Sparks - Shy Boy/14. Jordin Sparks - Young and In Love/15. Jordin Sparks - See My Side

It might be hard to imagine winner of the sixth season of American Idol Jordin Sparks and Queen of the Lip Sync Britney Spears being offered the same tracks, but believe it or not it happened back in 2007. 'Shy Boy', 'Young and In Love' & 'See My Side' are a handful of tracks which were originally worked on by production team Bloodshy & Avant for Britney's long-awaited Blackout album; but after they didn't make it onto that album, they were passed on to label-mate Jordin Sparks for her self-titled debut.

'Shy Boy' and 'Young and In Love' aren't much of a loss: they both sound like the typical messy 2007 R&B demo that sprouted up in the wake of Timbaland's success, although undoubtedly they would have been improved by some of Britney's vocal stylings. But 'See My Side', which like 'Piece Of Me' was worked on by pop's fairy godmother Robyn, would have worked nicely alongside 'Why Should I Be Sad?' as a lullaby end to the Blackout album.

12. Jamie Lynn Spears - Follow Me

Remember Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney's little sister who made a name for herself on Nickelodeon show Zoey 101 before being fired for her unexpected teenage pregnancy? Well, she also sang the theme song for that show, titled 'Follow Me', which just so happened to be written by her big sister Brit and frequent collaborators Bloodshy & Avant. Weirdly the song was never officially released in full on any soundtrack album, although we did get an official instrumental as well as dozens of snippets of the song played throughout the show which has allowed fans to compile their own versions of the song. A demo also leaked in 2014, but it wasn't sung by either Britney or Jamie Lynn which makes Britney's writing credits and the original intent for the song a total mystery.

11. Rachel Stevens - Sweet Dreams My LA Ex

A reunion of 'Toxic' producers Bloodshy & Avant and songwriter Cathy Dennis, 'Sweet Dreams My LA Ex' was actually a pretty big hit for English popstar Rachel Stevens back in 2003, hitting #2 in the UK charts and selling 210 000 copies that year. Originally, like 'Everytime', the track was intended to be a response to Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me A River', which was long rumoured to be about Britney; but when Stevens sang it, it was to break out from her role as a singer in S Club 7. Britney apparently passed on the track because she found the lyrics just a little too obvious, which is a real shame because the western R&B sound in the song would have worked perfectly on In The Zone.

10. f(x) - Chocolate Love/Girls' Generation - Chocolate Love

Another K-Pop convert, 'Chocolate Love' was first heard back in 2009 as a dual release for K-Pop supergroups f(x) and Girls' Generation. The song was used to promote the LG Cyon Chcolate phone in commercials, with f(x) jumping on the 'Electronic Pop Version' and Girls' Generation singing the 'Retro Pop Version'. Also worth noting is that f(x) alone recorded an English version of the song entitled 'Topbillin' Love', which was performed live during their international tour in 2010.

What's interesting is that this version of 'Topbillin' Love' was actually a throwaway track that had been written years before by Karen Poole as a demo for Britney which got rejected. Poole tried her hand at writing to the instrumental after Cathy Dennis's attempt, called at that point 'Phony Lullaby', was also rejected due to it's inclusion of lyrics Britney apparently found objectionable. Britney even tried her hand at writing to this instrumental alongside Michelle Bell, which resulted in the unreleased track 'Take Off', a song which discussed Brit's anti-war and anti-discrimination views. Cathy Dennis would later reclaim the song and morph it's instrumental into 'Sweet Dreams My LA EX', the Rachel Stevens hit mentioned above; but that didn't stop the K-Pop groups from reusing it's demo years later. 

9. BoA - Look Who's Talkin'

'Look Who's Talkin'' is a song originally written by Britney alongside Bloodshy & Avant, Henrik Jonback and Michelle Bell in 2003 during the same sessions that produced songs like 'Chaotic' and 'I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)'. Later, it resurfaced on Korean superstar BoA's debut English album, also titled BoA, as the second single from the R&B-pop project. The Britney demo leaked just a little later on as 'Look Who's Talking Now', and features almost exactly the same lyrics and production; although the words are a little more meaningful coming from a popstar who spent a lot of her early life silenced by her record label or management. Britney's version of the song was probably never strong enough to be a single, but it could have worked well as an an additional track for the Chaotic EP.

8. Pitbull & J Balvin - Hey Ma (Feat. Camila Cabello)

'Hey Ma' was released last year for the The Fate of The Furious soundtrack album as a collaboration between Pitbull, J Balvin and Camila Cabello; but if things had gone differently, the song could have had a twist from the Holy Spearit. When it was originally recorded, 'Hey Ma' featured Romeo Santos and Britney in the Balvin and Cabello parts, with Britney cooing "If you touch me right, I might stay the night" over a Latin-inspired beat.

But when the song was pitched for The Fate of The Furious, the producers requested that they be replaced, presumably to appeal to a younger audience and capitalise on the Latin American vibe of the film. While we'd generally cringe at the idea of Pitbull releasing a song with with Britney (or Pitbull releasing any song full stop), we have to admit that 'Hey Ma' featuring Britney is an absolute bop, thanks to the fact that her version was leaked as a Christmas present to the fans. We can only imagine how great this song would have sounded in a mash-up with 'Change Your Mind (No Seas Cortés)' on the Piece of Me shows.

7. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Pulse

'Pulse' was published on the ASCAP registry back during the In The Zone era as a potential candidate for Britney's album, but it didn't end up making the cut there. Instead, it was released in 2010 on the Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album History of Modern. While we're unsure if anything was changed over that seven year period, we can definitely imagine Britney's vocals on the current version of the track, which has the same breakbeat R&B kind of style she explored on ITZ tracks such as '(I Got That) Boom Boom' and 'Me Against the Music'.

5. Kylie Minogue - Nu-Di-Ty/6. Kylie Minogue - Speakerphone

Britney and Kylie have a long history of working with the same producers and thus swapping tracks, with Kylie even turning down the demo that would go on to be a hit for Britney with 'Toxic'. "I wasn't at all angry when it worked for her," she said of the track. "It's like the fish that got away. You just have to accept it." Let's hope the feeling is mutual, because Kylie took two tracks that Britney worked on for Blackout for her own album X, both of which were produced by longtime collaborators Bloodshy & Avant.

'Nu-Di-Ty' is a quirky, fragmented pop song with a hint of R&B and tropicana which plays out like a more light-hearted version of Britney's own 'Freakshow'. While we don't have a Britney version of the track, she definitely did record one as some of her background vocals can be heard in the final version, and are even clearer when filtered out from the other vocals. Then there's 'Speakerphone', a precursor to 'Telephone' with a dreamy Euro-pop production which was definitely an album highlight. We've never heard anything of the Britney version of this one but it's safe to say she would slay it.

4. Kylie Minogue - Get Outta My Way

'Get Outta My Way' is not just one of Kylie Minogue's best songs: it's one of the best pop songs of this decade full-stop. The perfect slice of dance-pop for the summer season, 'Get Outta My Way' was originally shopped around to several artists including Britney, Alexandra Burke and Pixie Lott, and Wynter Gordon also wrote a song to the Cutfather-produced instrumental. But ultimately it was Kylie who nabbed the song, apparently due to the fact that the other potential candidates were too slow to respond. This is one of the few times where we're happy the song went to it's original artist: Britney's version of the track would probably have worked well on Femme Fatale, but Kylie needed the hit desperately and she put way more energy into the choreography than Brit could have at that point.

3. Nelly - Tilt Ya Head Back (Feat. Christina Aguilera)

The rivalry between Britney and Christina is basically a tale as old as time at this point, so it's no surprise that they'd both be put up for the same part on Nelly's 'Tilt Ya Head Back', which was a moderate hit when it was released back in 2004. Britney actually recorded vocals for this song, some of which were leaked in 2016; but according to producer Dorian Moore, her label nixed the idea of Britney collaborating with Nelly, finding the song "too urban". Janet Jackson was also considered before XTina took the final spot. It's not entirely surprising given that in 2004 Brit was still fighting for creative control with her record label, leading to the Original Doll saga that would begin her downwards spiral in 2007.

2. Selena Gomez - Whiplash

'Whiplash' is definitely not one of Selena's better known songs, and at the end of the day it is just album filler; but for a non-single track, it's surprisingly fun. Alternating between a silly metaphor-ridden chorus and a bouncy rap part spoken with an English accent, 'Whiplash' was highlighted as a standout track from When The Sun Goes Down and was performed on tour alongside a medley of Britney's own hits.

But if things had gone differently, the song may actually have ended up on Brit's comeback vehicle Circus. Britney wrote and recorded the song alongside Coco Morier and Greg Kurstin at the same time as she worked on 'Mmm Papi' and 'Rock Me In', but it failed to make the cut for unknown reasons. So far we haven't heard the demo of the song, which is a shame because I'm dying to know if the English accent was a Selena addition or if it was present in the original version as well. Judging by Englishney's raps in 'Scream & Shout', I wouldn't be surprised if that was something Brit came up with all on her own.

1.  Rihanna - Umbrella

What more needs to be said about 'Umbrella', the monster hit which launched Rihanna's career properly and transitioned her from Bajan Princess to Bad Girl? Tricky Stewart, who had previously worked on 'Me Against The Music', wrote the track alongside The-Dream intending for it to be a comeback single for the troubled Spears; but when they sent the track to her label, it was rejected without Britney even hearing the track. After Mary J. Blige passed on it too, the song ended up in Rihanna's lap, at which time she utilised her accent to create that signature "ella ella eh eh eh" chorus which made the song such a hit. It's a credit to Rih that her stamp on the song is so huge that we can't even imagine Britney singing this one.

Which of these songs would you most like to hear Britney's vocals on? Let us know in the comments down below!

Editor's Note: This is an updated version of an article that was originally posted on 04/01/2018.

Watch the video version of this article here!

Lady Gaga is well known for making promises to her fans which she doesn't always come through on. Between a handful of unreleased music videos and an entire scrapped album, Little Monsters have gotten used to taking every announcement with a grain of salt and waiting for concrete releases before jumping on the hype bandwagon. But out of all of her broken promises, most likely the hardest for Gaga's fans to digest are the failed collaborations which she's teased before their ultimate cancellation.

There are endless reasons for such cancellations, but it's safe to say that many stem from Gaga's own pickiness when it comes to her musical output. Although Gaga has worked with legends like Cher, Elton John and Britney Spears, none of these collaborations were ultimately released due to Gaga's displeasure with the material; while songs featuring rent-a-rappers such as Flo Rida and Too $hort and alleged child molester R. Kelly have been pushed by Gaga as potential hits. In other cases, behind the scenes dramas seem to have been the major contributing factor to cancellations, while yet others appear to simply be a case of bad timing.

In this list, we'll be looking at eighteen of Gaga's most high-profile features which have remained unheard. Is anyone else as excited as I am to hear #9?

1. T.I. - Lick It (Feat. Lady Gaga)

T.I. and Gaga worked together on the infamous 'Jewels and Drugs' for Gaga's ill-fated ARTPOP album, but if T.I. had had his way they would have done so a lot sooner. Back in 2010, T.I. teased that he and Gaga had worked together on a song called 'Lick It', intended at that point for his album No Mercy. "The one we have right now is entitled 'Lick It'," he stated, teasing, "I think we both have a tendency to shock the world in a lot of different ways." He further hinted that the two may continue to work together, saying "[We're] gonna go back in [the studio] and record some more songs." Ultimately, any collaboration they worked on for the album remained unreleased. According to former RadioARTPOP host Derek, who had ties to Gaga's team, Gaga found the song too "raunchy" and had never truly intended to release it with her vocals, even sending it to other singers to feature on.

2. T.I. - New National Anthem (Feat. Lady Gaga)

Following the release of 'Jewels and Drugs', T.I. later mentioned that he was in the "final stages" of having Gaga record the chorus vocals for 'New National Anthem', a song later released as a single off Paperwork. Originally featuring demo vocals from Victoria Monet, the song would later go on to feature frequent collaborator Skylar Grey, with T.I. stating that Gaga was too "busy with her current project" to record vocals for the song.

3. Britney Spears - Telephone (Feat. Lady Gaga)

You may remember that 'Telephone' was one of many hits offered to Britney that she eventually turned down for the Circus album, apparently because of the presence of another phone-themed song 'Phonography' on the project. But what you may not realise is that 'Telephone' was eventually reworked in duet form for Gaga and Britney, before debate over who owned the song halted it's release. At the time, Britney's team wanted the track for her upcoming greatest hits compilation The Singles Collection, while Gaga wanted it for The Fame Monster. After failing to come to a compromise over who the song belonged to, Gaga ended up taking it back and adding Beyoncé as a featured artist instead, leading to the hit we all know and love today.

4. Lady Gaga - TBA (Feat. Britney Spears)

It was later hinted that Gaga and Britney may have had something in the works following the release of ARTPOP. When asked who she would like to work with next, Britney stated, "I would do a duet with Lady Gaga. I think that would be a lot of fun," continuing, "I think she's very different and interesting and intricate." Gaga then took to Twitter to publicly support the duet, stating:

Although it was never officially confirmed that they worked on anything together, Gaga did attend Britney's Piece of Me show soon after, which may have been a way for them to further discuss the duet. Sadly, nothing ever eventuated.

5. Elton John & Lady Gaga - Hello Hello

'Hello Hello' was the first of many Elton and Gaga duets, and was recorded for the release of the 2011 Elton-funded musical animation Gnomeo & Juliet. Originally, the duet was meant to be included on the official soundtrack to the film; but possibly due to label disputes, the duet version was cut from the soundtrack and can now only be heard in the full film. While Elton's solo version appears on the album, the duet did leak several months later.

6. Lady Gaga - Room In My Heart (Feat. Elton John)

In an interview with Zane Lowe prior to the release of Joanne, Elton confirmed that he had a writing session with Gaga scheduled for the next day, saying "I'm writing with Lady Gaga tomorrow". He stated that while he wasn't a fan of ARTPOP, he had heard several songs from Joanne and found them to be a return to form. Several months later, a title named 'Room In My Heart' was registered to publishing sites, with the writers listed as Gaga and Elton and the performer as Gaga alone. A song with the same title, but this time written by Diane Warren, was also registered at the same time. Unfortunately, any Elton collaboration that may have existed remains unreleased, despite the fact that it doubtless would have worked well on the rockabilly-inspired album. 

7. Kendrick Lamar - PARTYNAUSEOUS (Feat. Lady Gaga)

'PARTYNAUSEOUS' was originally conceived as a song by Kendrick Lamar featuring Gaga back in 2012. It was planned to be released as a single on September 6th of that year from Lamar's album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, but was cut due to creative differences on which direction the song should take. This led to two different versions of the song existing: one, a slow R&B version which leaked in 2015; and another, an EDM-styled rave track which Gaga reworked as an interlude for the ARTPOP Ball tour. The song, from Gaga's perspective, details her efforts to make peace with the country of Indonesia, which banned her from performing during The Born This Way Ball Tour in 2012.

8. Kendrick Lamar - Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe (Feat. Lady Gaga)

'Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe' was another Kendrick Lamar collaboration which Gaga sang the chorus for. After their creative relationship ended, Kendrick released a solo version of the track on his album (later recruiting Jay-Z for the single release), while Gaga later leaked her contribution to the song online. "We had a date, but we had to meet the deadline for the pre-order date," Kendrick explained when asked why the song went unreleased. "That’s just the business side coming through and messing things up. But you know it’s God’s plan. I’m not really too tight about it because I know we have something special."

9. Paul McCartney - TBA (Feat. Lady Gaga)

Paul McCartney has had a song with Gaga in the can since 2015, when Gaga announced via Instagram that they had been in a session alongside instrumentalists such as Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready.

It was later revealed that the track, described as a "rollicking tune", was in fact a soundtrack selection for McCartney's long-awaited film High in the Clouds. An adaptation of his 2005 book on capitalism, High in the Clouds has been in the works since 2009 and has only just gotten a writer, so it's unlikely to be released anytime soon; but as far as we know, this duet is still planned for release at some point in the future.

10. The Midway State - Don't Give Up (Feat. Lady Gaga)

'Don't Give Up' is a cover of a duet originally recorded by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush. The idea for the collaboration came from Gaga's producer Martin Kierszenbaum, who introduced The Midway State and Gaga in 2008. "When we finished [recording], we were both super into it so shortly thereafter we recorded a video for the song [in L.A.]," said the band's Nathan Ferraro. The video itself was a homage to the original video by Gabriel and Bush, and features a still shot of Gaga and Ferraro embracing as the camera moves around them. The video, along with the song, leaked in 2008. "I didn't cry but I was disappointed," said Ferraro. "In this business you get used to that, it's just a snap of the fingers. It was just a matter of she was blowing up at the time and they can't put a huge push or millions of dollars behind every single artistic thing she does".

11. Cher - The Greatest Thing (Feat. Lady Gaga)

'The Greatest Thing' is a song originally recorded in 2007 by Gaga and longtime producer RedOne under the name 'Greatest'. "I wrote that song a long time ago, and I've never put it on one of my own albums for, really, no particular reason," Gaga said in an MTV interview. "I always write these concept records, and it just didn't fit in. But it's always been, like, this big, massive, beautiful hit record and everyone always says, 'Why don't you put that on your album?' And I said, 'I don't know, it just doesn't fit with everything else.'" Later, in 2011, when RedOne and Cher were collaborating, he pitched her the song for potential inclusion on her 25th studio album Closer To The Truth. Originally, the song was meant to be a solo track; but it was later revealed that Gaga wanted to appear on a remix "for the gays", before being convinced by RedOne to appear on the original. While the song was at one point intended to be the second single from the album, Gaga ultimately decided that she didn't like her vocals on the song, and Cher ended up axing it entirely after RedOne failed to get in contact with her in time. The song would later leak in 2013.

12. Trina - Let Dem Hoes Fight (Feat. Lady Gaga & Kalenna)

'Let Dem Hoes Fight' was one of three songs Gaga worked on alongside Kalenna, Jim Jonsin and The JAM in 2008. "We started writing a song called 'Freezer Burn' and that song turned out really good, so we did another song called 'Kaboom.'," explained Jonsin. "We were playing the songs back, trying to figure out who to give them to. So I said, ‘As far as the labels are concerned, just let them hoes fight over who gets the song.’ Everyone was like, 'Jim, that’s a great song title!' And in like 20 minutes, we had that song with Lady Gaga." A year later, when Trina was working on her album Amazin, Jonsin suggested that she rework the track for herself featuring Gaga for release on the album. While Gaga was featured on the song when the album was sent out for review, she was removed from the track by the time the album was officially released, possibly due to label conflicts. However, her version did later leak.

13. Barbra Streisand - TBA (Feat. Lady Gaga)

Barbra Streisand's thirty fourth album Partners, an all-male duet album, was in the works for over two years before it was ultimately released. When it was first announced in 2012, producer Walter Afanasieff teased that the album would include collaborations with Robin Thicke, Usher, Yo Yo Ma, Willie Nelson and Babyface - although ultimately, only the Babyface duet would make the cut. Two years later he teased that "Lionel Richie, [...] Blake Shelton, Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban, Michael Bublè, Lady Gaga, Bette Midler, Andrea Bocelli, Beyoncè, Billy Joel [and] John Mayer" would all appear on the album, but ultimately the three females made mention of were not included on the final tracklisting. It's unknown if a duet was ever recorded, but it's possible that Barbra and Gaga recorded a song together which was scrapped when she decided to go with an all-male list of partners.

14. Lady Gaga - Ratchet (Feat. Azealia Banks)

'Ratchet' was a collaboration recorded with Azealia Banks, intended for the ARTPOP project. Ultimately, after some untimely Twitter beefs on Banks's part, the song was cut from ARTPOP with Gaga stating that Banks had a "bad attitude". We have a small snippet of Gaga performing the track live, and an official instrumental was later released by producer DJ White Shadow on his Clock Is Ticking EP in 2013; but as of yet, the full version of the song has yet to be heard.

15. Lady Gaga - Red Flame (Feat. Azealia Banks)

'Red Flame' was another collaboration recorded with Azealia Banks for ARTPOP, which was cut for the same reason as 'Ratchet'. A sister song to 'Mary Jane Holland', the song explores the 'Princess High' persona Gaga was embodying at the time. A watermarked version of the song went on to leak in 2016, but it seemed to be in an unfinished state.

16. Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett - Paradise

'Paradise' was initially announced for Gaga's collaborative album with Tony Bennett, Cheek to Cheek, as one of several original songs on the album. Like much of Joanne after it, the song was a dedication to Gaga's aunt who passed away of lupus, and was intended to mark the conversation she had with her brother before she passed. Ultimately, the song went unreleased due to Gaga's nervousness over her jazz composition abilities, although she hinted that she may release the song in the future. It's unknown if Gaga was the sole artist to feature on the song or if Bennett was also involved.

17. Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett - TBA

When Cheek to Cheek was first announced, it was initially only going to include songs by one songwriter. "I can't mention the composer because I don't want anybody to do it before we do it, but there's a great composer that's very underrated, very famous, but not as famous as Gershwin or Porter," Bennett stated. "But he did as many hit songs as anybody, and so we're gonna do a big swinging album." Ultimately, the album featured a collection of songs from the Great American Songbook (including cuts from Gershwin and Porter), and only a few of them were written by the same composers. Given that recording for Cheek to Cheek occured quite a while after it's announcement, it's unlikely that a full album of songs by just one songwriter was ever recorded.

18. Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett - TBA

Immediately after the release of Cheek to Cheek, Bennett announced that he and Gaga were planning a potential sequel to the album inspired by Cole Porter's musical Red, Hot and Blue, a statement he echoed a year later when he revealed that they were releasing an album full of Porter renditions. According to Bennett, Gaga wanted to record a follow-up "right away". While giving a performance in Idaho in 2015, Bennett announced that the album would drop in 2016; and a year later, Bennett stated that the two had continued discussions regarding a second album, and that they would begin recording in 2017. In late 2017, he stated that he and Gaga had a duet that would drop on New Year's Eve, but this also did not occur. It's currently unknown if the two have recorded anything beyond their first album together.

Which of Lady Gaga's unreleased collaborations do you most want to hear? Who are you most interested in hearing her collaborate with next? Let us know in the comments down below!

Watch the video version of this article here!

There are some popstars who seem to simply go from strength to strength, to the point where it seems as though the sky is the limit for the amount of talent and commercial success they can achieve in a lifetime. Some, like Justin Bieber, may have started from a particularly low base in which they repeat the word "baby" two hundred times in succession; while others, like Beyoncé, take the time to break out as solo stars, free from girl group politics or the dark shadows of their husbands empires. But then there are others who, try as they might, never seem to be able to match the success of their very first single. Such is the case for Leona Lewis, the X Factor UK winner who stunned the United Kingdom with her amazing vocals and the world with her debut single 'Bleeding Love', but who has failed to make as huge of an impact with each successive follow up to the song.

Sure, she's had 'Run', the UK #1 which still gives listeners goosebumps every time it's performed live; and 'One More Sleep', the best holiday themed single since 'All I Want For Christmas Is You!'. And there's a plethora of under-appreciated tracks which could have done great on radio, such as the Guetta-esque 'Can't Fight It' or the DJ Poet collaboration 'Catch Me When I Fall'. But nothing has ever captured the imagination of the public quite like 'Bleeding Love', the hit first single which topped charts worldwide and soundtracked the lives of many teens going through their first heartbreaks.

But that's not to say that Leona hasn't had the chance. For over the course of her career, there's been at least nine tracks which we know of that she's turned down which have gone on to be hits for other artists ranging from John Legend to Christina Aguilera. Some of them were timed poorly, while others were victims of internal record label drama; but almost all of them would have sounded brilliant had they been sung by Leona. Read on to find out more!

9. Rihanna - We Found Love (Feat. Calvin Harris)

Like Nicole Scherzinger before her, Leona was also offered 'We Found Love', one of the biggest hits of 2011 and the song which made a bonafide star out of Calvin Harris on the international scene. Leona even recorded her own version of the track, which was finalised and set for release along with the rest of her dance-oriented Glassheart album, and which apparently sounded identical in production to the final released version. However, she wanted to release 'Trouble', her collaboration with Childish Gambino, as the first single from the project; while Harris wanted 'We Found Love' to be the lead. Ultimately, when Harris went on tour with Rihanna she recorded her own version of the song, which she was happy to release as the first single from her own album Talk That Talk, and Leona's finalised version was left to rot on Calvin's enviable external hard drive full of unheard hits.

8. John Legend - All of Me

John Legend's 'All of Me' was the sleeper hit of 2014, spending 59 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 chart since it's release in August 2013 and going on to become the second best selling song of the year in the US and the third best selling song in the UK. And weirdly enough, the original version of the track was actually a duet between Legend and Lewis. We had no idea about the collaboration until a superfan posted about it online after hearing the original version for themselves. "This version was recorded before the original JL version but Syco and US label couldn't get their shit together and released the solo version," they said, adding, "One of the reasons Leona left Syco, lots of opportunities wasted, Leona picked all her songs for the album but were rejected". Sadly, the duet has never been heard, but we do have this fan-made version of the track which combines Legend's finalised version with a short live cover Leona filmed in her car.

7. Shontelle - Impossible

Shontelle's 'Impossible' was a minor hit when it was first released back in 2010, hitting #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 in the UK; but it only really blew up a couple of years later when The X Factor winner James Arthur released his cover version of the song, which went straight to the top of the UK charts. The track could have been an earlier hit for an X Factor contestant if Leona had recorded it back in 2010 though, when it was originally sent to her by her 'Come Alive' and 'My Hands' collaborator Ina Wroldsen. "I don't know what her reasons were - maybe she couldn't relate to it at the time," opined Shontelle when asked about Lewis's refusal to record the track, before going on to thank her for the hit. "I was like, 'Wow! I'm glad you turned it down, because I got to sing it!'"

6. Christina Aguilera - Blank Page

When a snippet of Sia's demo for 'Blank Page' first leaked in 2012, it was labelled as a demo for Leona Lewis; a charge Sia later rebuked on her official Twitter account, where she stated it was intended for another artist entirely. But a version of the song sung by Leona definitely does exist, as it was confirmed before the snippet leaked to be a contender for the final tracklisting of Glassheart. Sadly, Lewis received a mediocre reception to the first single off the album 'Collide', and the entire project was delayed from an expected release date of November 2011 to November 2012. In the meantime, the demo was shopped around to other artists for a quicker release, and Christina jumped on the track to add her trademark touch of strain to the vocals. While we leaked the Sia demo several years ago, we've heard nothing more about the Leona version of the track since it was initially confirmed; and given that it's already been released by someone else, it's unlikely we ever will.

5. Ellie Goulding - Burn

A collaboration of songwriting between frequent Lewis collaborators Ryan Tedder and Greg Kurstin, 'Burn' could have been the perfect track for Leona during the Glassheart era to keep her true to her roots while still progressing her sound further into the dance-pop realm. While she did record a version of the track that went on to leak in 2013, the song ultimately didn't make the cut for her album and was instead passed on to fellow Brit Ellie Goulding. Goulding's version lit up the charts worldwide, hitting #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in the UK and Scotland; while the lead single from Glassheart, 'Trouble', hit #7 in the UK and failed to chart in the US. Choices.

4. Emeli Sandé - Mountains

It was hardly a hit and was never even released as a single, but 'Mountains', the heartfelt ballad released on Emeli Sandé's debut album Our Version of Events, was originally recorded by Lewis for her Glassheart album. The song was actually written three years before its ultimate release in 2012, but when Sandé began working with Leona for her album on tracks such as 'I To You', she revived it once again for an appearance on Glassheart. Sadly, during the period of delay that the album experienced, Sandé decided to reclaim the track and release it on her own project; one that debuted at #1 on the UK charts and ultimately went double platinum. It's not all bad, though: the same sessions which brought to fruition the Leona version of 'Mountains' also brought us 'Trouble', Leona's lead single, which ended up hitting a pretty decent #7 on the UK charts.

3. Kelly Clarkson - What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)

'What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)' is well known as the comeback single which sent American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson back to the top of the charts, but it could easily have gone to another singing reality show competition winner. According to songwriter Ali Tamposi, the track was initially offered to Lewis before Clarkson's label even knew of it's existence, but the songstress turned it down without a second thought. But before you get too excited about the thought of Leona rocking out to the pop-rock anthem, remember this: the song at this point was in early stages and had a completely different tempo, beat, chord progression and vibe. It wasn't until frequent Sia producer Greg Kurstin stepped in to tailor make the song for Clarkson that it took on the stadium rock quality it now has.

2. Beyoncé - I Was Here

A cult hit from a cult album, 'I Was Here' is a song from Beyoncé's 4 album which, despite never being released as a single, managed to chart in the top twenty in Hungary and Belgium thanks to a well publicised and much viewed music video in support of the United Nations' World Humanitarian Day efforts. And while it may not have been such a hit in Lewis's capable hands, it almost certainly would have tugged at the heartstrings just as well if she had chosen to record it. Diane Warren, who would later go on to work with Lewis on the animal rights charity single '(We All Are) Looking for Home' in 2016, sent the track to both Jay-Z and Simon Cowell back when it was first demoed for consideration by both Bey and Leona. But while Bey jumped at the chance to record the track, halting production on her album just to record the vocals, Cowell's office rejected the song, apparently telling Warren "This song just doesn’t go all the way for us." According to Warren, she responded via e-mail to Cowell with the ultimate comeback saying, "That’s okay. I’m in the studio with the biggest artist on the planet and it kind of went all the way for her. All good."

1. Beyoncé - Halo

Probably the most infamous of all of Leona's unrealised songs, 'Halo' caused a scandal when it's co-writer Ryan Tedder was accused of penning similiar songs for Lewis, Beyoncé and Clarkson all in the space of a few months. Some of this scandal could have been averted, of course, if Leona had snagged 'Halo' when she had the chance. According to Tedder, the song was always intended for Beyoncé as an ode to her marriage with Jay-Z, but it spent a long time on hold while Bey waited to record it in between albums. While she slept on the song, it somehow found its way into the inbox of Syco Entertainment, the record label owned by Simon Cowell which manages Leona; but due to her tight schedule she was unable record the song immediately. By the time Lewis had gotten around to wanting to record the song, Bey had taken it back and released it as the iconic power ballad we all know and love today. Looks like this was a case of bad timing.

Watch the video version of this article here!

In theory, Nicole Scherzinger has everything it takes to be the world's biggest popstar. She's undeniably stunning, has a versatile voice that can belt out Whitney just as well as it can lilt over opera or spit out raps, is well known for her provocative dance skills and judging by the sheer volume of reality shows she appears on seems to have a strong work ethic. And yet since her start in the entertainment industry back in 1999, it seems as though Nicole has suffered through setback after setback. From the short-lived girl groups Eden's Crush and The Pussycat Dolls; to the three different attempts at a debut solo album; to the continuous record label contracts signed, scrapped and switched, it seems as though the stars have never quite aligned for her.

And yet, Scherzinger seems to be one of those people who has a good name in the industry; for try as they might, she just won't seem to go away. Whether she's popping up on one of her many editions of The X Factor, filling in as musical talent on Neil Patrick Harris's variety show or cameoing in Men In Black, Nicole always finds a way to maintain her public presence even when her record label fails her - and apparently, it does so regularly.

For since she's debuted as a solo artist, Scherzy has had at least six hits that we know of that she or her label have let slip through her fingers. Whether she was simply too "busy" to record them, was suffering from endless album delays thanks to her label or because she had crises with her public image, Nicole has regularly passed on tracks only to have them go on to be successful releases at the hands of other artists.

Check our list after the jump to see just what we could be missing out on! And keep in mind that excluded from this list are all the hits Nicole could have had if she'd joined The Black Eyed Peas - it goes without saying that her versions of 'My Humps' or 'I Gotta Feeling' would have been amazing.

6. Lady Gaga - Just Dance (Feat. Colby O'Donis)

Nicole and Lady Gaga were often linked both through their involvement with Interscope Records and their ongoing work with RedOne, with Gaga even opening for the Pussycat Dolls on their Doll Domination Tour in 2009. But Gaga might not have even made it that far had it not been for the success of her lead single 'Just Dance' which propelled her into worldwide superstardom. Weirdly, the song was originally offered to Nicole and the rest of the Dolls back when it was first written, but was turned down for unknown reasons. While we're sure the Dolls could have slayed the track, the possibility of a Gaga-less world is just too much for us to deal with.

5. Jennifer Lopez - On The Floor (Feat. Pitbull)

This one was never officially confirmed by Scherzy herself, but around the time 'On The Floor' was released it was rumoured that it had originally been recorded as a demo by Nicole - not a totally crazy piece of gossip given how regularly she was working with producer RedOne around that time. In a weird twist, it was later rumoured that J. Lo had recorded a version of Nicole's single 'Right There', but that an issue with gaining the rights of the song had stopped her from releasing the track at the last minute. While we can't 100% vouch for the veracity of this missed opportunity, it's safe to say that Nicole could have slayed 'On The Floor' and nailed the chemistry between herself and Pitbull.

4. Christina Aguilera - The Beautiful People (From Burlesque)

One song you may not have heard of is Christina Aguilera's 'The Beautiful People', a track recorded for the soundtrack to her film Burlesque back in 2010. The song itself was never released as a single, but it's accompanying soundtrack album did manage to hit #18 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Soundtrack Albums chart, constituting a minor success. Nicole recorded her own version of the song for her debut album which later leaked, but like the rest of that album, it ultimately remained unreleased. It's not all bad, though: Nicole ended up with writing credits on the finished version of the song (along with Ester Dean and Marilyn Manson thanks to a sample oddity), so she at least would have made some coin every time the movie played in theatres or on TV.

3. Dave Audé - I'm Gonna (Feat. J Sutta)

'I'm Gonna' is a cover version of 'I'm Gonna Get You', a 1992 track released by Bizarre Inc alongside vocalist Angie Brown. Nicole recorded her version of the track in 2011 alongside DJ and producer Dave Audé, but the song was never officially released. In a strange turn of events, Audé later reworked his production of the track for release with Nicole's former Pussycat Dolls bandmate J Sutta (known during her time in the group as Jessica). While the song was hardly a commercial success, it did hit #1 on the Hot Dance Club Songs; an ironic feat given that during her time in the group Sutta often played second fiddle to Scherzinger, who later in her career was struggling to even get her album released while Sutta scored #1 hits.

2. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

Possibly the strangest of all the songs Scherzinger has turned down, 'Crazy' was the Gnarls Barkley song which won a Grammy Award in 2007 and which was at one point so successful and overplayed that the band decided to remove the single from music stores so that people would "remember the song fondly and not get sick of it." Nicole was offered the song during sessions with Cee-Lo which also spawned 'Don't Cha', but refused the song for unknown reasons. While the song was a huge hit at Gnarls Barkley's hands, we have to wonder whether a Nicole version would have been as successful: it doesn't quite fit her sex kitten image and we're not quite sure she could pull off the mysterious persona that made the song popular.

1. Rihanna - We Found Love (Feat. Calvin Harris)

In an interview with Notion magazine, Nicole confessed the most sinful of all sins: that she'd passed on one of the biggest songs of 2011 and an iconic hit for Rihanna, the Calvin Harris produced 'We Found Love'. "I've got the demo of that song and I was busy at the time [it was sent to me]", she mentioned in the interview. "They'd sent me a few dance tracks and I wasn't able to get to them and I was like, 'Oh there's so much dance and I want to take a break from it.' That was my fault. I slept on it." Of course, she's not entirely alone with her regrets on passing on the track - fellow The X Factor UK star Leona Lewis can keep her company, after she scrapped her recorded version of the song due to a desire to release her Avicii collaboration 'Collide' as the lead single from her Glassheart album instead. It's a shame given just how badly both of these girls needed the hit.

Which of these songs do you think Nicole would have slayed the most? Would they even have been as successful if she'd released them as singles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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Over the course of her career, Lady Gaga has often been praised for her relentlessly unique aesthetic and her almost single-handed elevation of the standard four minute film clip into a work of video art. While most popstars opt to put their music at the forefront, with their music videos nothing but stylised afterthoughts, a classic Gaga music video will act as a pop culture event, with the song and the visuals working hand in hand to reflect a grander vision. Standard Gaga videos can often run for over five minutes, feature fully developed plots and character arcs, and present new meanings for what might otherwise constitute typical pop songs.

Yet as with so many of her grand ideas, many of Gaga’s music videos have gone unrealised or unreleased. Some, like the infamous ‘Do What U Want’, were completely filmed and edited before being scrapped at the last minute; while others, such as the one for ‘Government Hooker’, remained foggy concepts with no apparent direction; but since she debuted in 2008, Gaga has consistently promised videos to her fans for each era that never went on to eventuate. Today we’ll explore each of these videos in turn, examining why they went unreleased, and just what we could be missing out on.

Some of Gaga's videos were filmed, edited and ready for release before being cancelled.

The most notorious of all of Gaga’s unreleased music videos, ‘Do What U Want’ was confirmed shortly after the singles announcement at her artRAVE album release party on November 10th 2013. It was here that Gaga confirmed that Terry Richardson would direct, making it the latest in a long line of Gaga and Richardson collaborations which included the Lady Gaga x Terry Richardson coffee table art book, the short music video snippet for ‘Cake Like Lady Gaga’ and the single cover for ‘Do What U Want’. The music video was to be the third in Richardson’s foray into music, leading on from his directorial efforts with Miley Cyrus’ ‘Wrecking Ball’ and Beyonce’s ‘XO’. Ten days after the announcement, Gaga tried to make the word "quelped" a thing:

A few weeks later, Interscope announced that the video would be released through the file sharing service Bit Torrent and the online publication Vice in December of that year. In an unfortunate comparison, the video followed the same release formula as Madonna’s “secretprojectrevolution”, a seventeen minute short film directed by frequent Gaga collaborator Steven Klein aiming to promote artistic expression. According to Interscope, Gaga’s release was intended to "explore the link between open expression and open technology; providing an inside look at the creative process”, and would include the music video, still photographs, a behind the scenes video and interviews with both Gaga and Richardson.

In early December, Gaga explained that the video had been delayed because she wanted to make it “perfect” due to its “very personal” nature.

Sadly, December came and went without any release of the music video. In a dramatic post on her social media website LittleMonsters.com, Gaga blamed her former management for the delay, saying that "just like with the 'Applause' video unfortunately, I was given a week to plan and execute it."

Quote

It is very devastating for someone like me, I devote every moment of my life to creating fantasies for you. All my my most successful videos were planned over a period of time when I was rested and my creativity was honored.

Those who have betrayed me gravely mismanaged my time and health and left me on my own to damage control any problems that ensued as a result. Millions of dollars are not enough for some people. They want billions. Then they need trillions. I was not enough for some people. They wanted more. I am very grateful to the photographers and designers who have always stood by me to make sure my fans are never aware of the things that happen behind the scenes, but unfortunately after my surgery I was too sick, too tired, and too sad to control the damage on my own.

My label was not aware that this was going on. The next few months of ARTPOP will truly be its beginning. Because those who did not care about ARTPOP's success are now gone, and the dreams I have been planning can now come to fruition. Please forgive me that I did not foresee this coming, I never thought after all the years of hard work that those I called friends and partners would ever care so little at a time I needed them the most. Give me a chance to show you the meaning of seeing art all around you. Open your hearts to me again that I may show you the joy of us coming together through our talents, that we are stronger as a unit than when we are alone.

Let me be for you the Goddess that I know I truly am, let me show you the visions that have been in my mind for two years. I love you. Forgive me monsters. Forgive me ARTPOP. You are my whole world.

Despite this, in June of 2014, TMZ posited a different explanation for why the video had gone unreleased, along with some snippets of the video itself. According to them, Gaga “feared blow back since her co-star was once on trial for kiddie porn and her director is in a swirl of controversy over allegedly sexually assaulting or harassing his models”. Allegedly, Gaga had been unaware of R. Kelly’s leaked sex tape in which he urinated on an underage girl; along with the multiple charges of sexual harassment against Terry Richardson. After she learned of the allegations, Gaga scrapped the music video.

If the snippets TMZ leaked are anything to go by, it was probably a good call. Along with the obvious PR nightmares that are inherent when somebody convicted of statutory rape is being told to “do what you want with my body”, the video itself seems to feature images of what many would call rape. Gaga lies in a hospital bed with Kelly playing doctor and standing over her as he touches her under the covers and administers her with anaesthetic. Half-naked nurses soon begin to start twerking on top of Gaga’s passed out body, and in another scene Richardson is spotted snapping photos of a half-naked Gaga as she mimes having sex on the floor.

The fact that reporters at TMZ have what seems to be a fully edited HQ version of the video suggests that a final cut does exist and has been shared in some circles, but sadly it has yet to be released to fans. Given the controversial nature of the video, it’s unlikely that this one will ever get released, which means that all we can hope for is a leak.

Other Gaga videos were set up and ready to film before being scrapped at the last minute.

At the BMI Pop Music Awards on May 17th, 2011, Gaga's longtime choreographer and creative partner Laurieann Gibson confirmed that she and Gaga would be filming the ‘The Edge of Glory’ music video soon and that they had a concept for it established, hinting “we’ll be feeling very fishy”. Joseph Kahn, who has worked on videos such as Britney’s ‘Womanizer’ and Taylor Swift’s ‘Bad Blood’, was set to direct, making it his third collaboration with Gaga after music videos for 'LoveGame' and 'Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)'. He began casting for the video in May, seeking a Hispanic-looking “badass” love interest, “couture doctors who will wear smocks and black gloves”, an on-air news reporter, and a band of soldiers for scenes involving rifles. Elaborate sets were also created, including one for a hospital, one for Brooklyn Bridge, one underwater set for the Brooklyn River, and the fire escape set which ended up dominating the finished product.

Filming began on the fire escape set, with Clarence Clemons appearing alongside Gaga to perform his saxophone solo as Gaga danced around the set. Sadly, the rest of the shoot did not proceed smoothly. According to Chancler Hayes, Kahn’s longtime editor, two days of filming had already been completed when Gaga changed her mind about the entire video concept. Hayes said that Gaga wanted to simplify the music video which Kahn had spent months working on, leading to a disagreement between the two and the ultimate cancellation of the project. Gaga herself later stated in 2017 that her disagreements with Kahn were over "real philosophies about life". Following the videos release, an angry Kahn tweeted “I did NOT direct Lady Gaga’s ‘Edge of Glory’ video. Lady Gaga did — I don’t co-direct. One canvas, one paintbrush. Respect the art. Very simple rule with me.”

Gaga did indeed go on to take on the role of director herself, piecing together a music video from the two day of filmings that had already occurred under Kahn’s directorial supervision. During a press conference in Singapore, she confirmed "I had this whole elaborate setup for ‘The Edge of Glory’, but once I got on that fire escape in that one outfit, I realized that it was time to just have a moment of acknowledgement for myself as a 25-year-old who has been working so hard from the bottom up my whole life."

While it’s true that fans missed out on what was sure to be an epic video with the Kahn-directed ‘The Edge of Glory’, it may have been a blessing in disguise. According to Hayes, the music video concept was essentially the same as the one she explored on France’s Le Grand Journal TV show, in which she performed as a mermaid in a hospital setting.

This mermaid concept was not abandoned entirely but was reused for the ‘You And I’ music video, in which Gaga’s Hispanic love interest was replaced by Taylor Kinney, who went on to propose to her in February of 2015. And other concepts in the music video, such as those “couture doctors” who were meant to be examining Gaga and her tail, were repurposed for the semi-autobiographical ‘Marry the Night’ music video, which Gaga once again directed herself.

Finally, if nothing else, the music video cancellation was worth it thanks to the brilliant Tweets we got from Laurieann Gibson, who flew into a rage when Little Monsters accused her of misleading them in her initial hints.

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listen u disrespectful f**k they had an issue on set I don’t lie!!!!! creative Changes happen always educate ignorant Monster’s!!! you r sick Get some help u have no clue who r u!!! don’t talk negative to people u don’t know it’s foolish!

There were many Gaga videos that were conceptualised but never officially sent to pre-production.

'Venus' was at one point the second official single from Gaga’s ARTPOP album, but was sidelined due to the overwhelmingly positive reception towards promotional single 'Do What U Want'. Despite this, Gaga confirmed that even as a promotional single the song would still receive its own music video, set to be directed by Ruth Hogben who had recently shot her for her ELLE cover story.

Interestingly, the multiple album artworks released for the song were actually shot by Steven Klein, breaking the trend of each ARTPOP single having cover art shot by its video director. Unfortunately, this version of the 'Venus' video ultimately went unfilmed, and it’s unknown how much work was actually done on the concept. The closest we got to a music video for ‘Venus’ was a snippet of the song that was used in the self-directed music video for ‘G.U.Y.’, which was released almost a year later.

Following the same trend, ‘A-Yo’ was also intended to be released as the second single from Joanne, but was scrapped due to the positive reception towards promotional single Million Reasons. It’s unknown how much of a video concept, if any, Gaga had come up with for the song.

Similiarly, 'Dance in the Dark' was originally chosen by Gaga’s label as the third single from The Fame Monster, and was even sent to radio and released as a fourth single in certain territories. However, Gaga’s own desire to release 'Alejandro' meant that a music video was never filmed. It’s unknown if she ever conceptualised a video for the track.

When asked in a Born This Way era interview which track she’d most like to film a music video for, Gaga brought up the fact that she had several ideas for a 'Government Hooker' music video. While we never got the video she teased, it’s possible that some of the ideas went to Gaga’s promotional video for the MTV VMAs which included 'Government Hooker' as a background track.

Furthermore, Gaga often mentioned in interviews that she conceptualised ARTPOP as a fully visual album, with music videos for each track. At one point, Gaga even began a competition on LittleMonsters.com asking her fans to send in concepts for music videos, with her favourite idea being turned into a fully funded music video for the album. However, it’s unknown how much work was actually put into developing ideas for what each music video would look like, or if Gaga looked at the contest submissions at all.

And, finally, Gaga has teased the existence of a sequel to the ‘Paparazzi’ and ‘Telephone’ videos for years. The ending to the 'Telephone' video features a To Be Continued credit, and Gaga confirmed in a 2013 interview that the song featured in the sequel would be included in her iTunes Festival set to promote ARTPOP. This means that the song chosen must have been 'Aura', 'Manicure', 'ARTPOP', 'Jewels n Drugs', 'Sexxx Dreams', or less likely, 'I Wanna Be With You'. In an interview with KISS FM, Gaga stated that she had already written the treatment along with Jonas Akerlund, saying “to finish the trilogy will be great”.  Gaga continued to tease the sequel throughout the ARTPOP era without explicitly saying what song it was for, jokingly telling Andy Cohen “blank will be coming out soon”. But when she was asked whether ‘G.U.Y.’ was the ‘Telephone’ continuation on Twitter, she dismissed the claims with no further information, stating:

To this day, no one knows for sure which song was chosen as the 'Telephone' sequel, or what the video may have looked like.

And there were several Gaga videos with significant deleted scenes.

‘Paparazzi’ originally featured an entirely new setup showing Gaga on a polka dotted, purple haired horse wearing an aquatic themed outfit. Rumour has it that the scene was cut to avoid criticism from animal rights organisations such as PETA, who have often criticised dying the fur of any animal.

‘Perfect Illusion’ features several unreleased scenes, including some which feature her at a piano - a strange idea given that the track has no piano part in it at all.

Gaga teased on social media that ‘Cake Like Lady Gaga’, a Terry Richardson music video snippet which she released in November of 2012, had a full music video, although this went unreleased.

The original version of 'G.U.Y.' featured a lookalike of John Lennon being resurrected alongside the lookalikes of Jesus, Michael Jackson and Ghandi, but this was apparently cut due to copyright issues with his estate. Andy Cohen reacted to an early version of the video which still featured Lennon here. 

And while not quite a deleted scene, there was a fully rendered 3D version of the ‘Telephone’ music video which went unreleased and which was later leaked by iLeaks, solving the riddle of why Gaga included 3D glasses in the super deluxe edition of her The Fame Monster album.

Which of Lady Gaga's unreleased music videos do you most want to see? What song do you think would have made the best 'Telephone' sequel? Let us know in the comments down below!

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Unkept promises are hardly a new trend in Lady Gaga's fanbase of Little Monsters. Between cancelled tours such as the co-headlining Fame Kills with Kanye West, scrapped documentaries such as the one promised for ARTPOP, failed collaborations with Britney Spears, Elton John, Cher and Kendrick Lamar, and a variety of random merchandises such as Polaroid photo printers, dog accessories and perfumes, fans have gotten quite used to taking everything Gaga says with a grain of salt and waiting for concrete release dates before they get excited.

But it hasn't always been this way. Back in 2012, when Gaga's third studio album ARTPOP was first announced, she confirmed that the album would have two parts to it, with each having a staggered release. ARTPOP was released, but it's sequel, the long-awaited Act II, was nowhere to be found. And every time fans were prepared to give up on their dreams of a sequel, Gaga would string them along for another few months with the vague promise of "soon" in an obscure radio interview.

So on the eve of what will surely be a career-defining Super Bowl performance, we've decided to look back at one of Gaga's biggest unkept promises, ARTPOP: Act II, and revel in the little concrete information we know about it.

What was ARTPOP: Act II?

When Gaga initially envisioned the concept for ARTPOP, it was always as a double album. Originally, side A was to be filled with the more commercial pop sounds she was known for, while side B was intended to feature the songs designated as "experimental". As time went on, however, this seemed less feasible as Gaga realised that separating the album into these two dichotomies was contradicting the very concept of the project which was meant to bring them together.

Despite this, there was a huge amount of material that had been recorded during Gaga's fifth album sessions for the public to consume. Writing had started right after the release of Born This Way in May 2011, and by the time the Born This Way Ball tour had come to an unexpectedly early end due to a hip injury, up to fifty songs had been considered for inclusion. Even more songs were written during Gaga's six month recovery time, which meant that by the time ARTPOP was released in November 2013, over ninety tracks in various stages of development had been written for the album. Some of these were to be released on the ill-fated ARTPOP app that accompanied the projects release, but others were special enough to have their own place on a physical album.

By the album release date, Gaga had teased that she had plans to release another volume of ARTPOP before its accompanying tour, saying "it could be nice to play both acts on the tour". And ARTPOP: Act II was still a possibility back in March of 2014, when Gaga discussed it in a post-show keynote at the SXSW Festival. "There's many volumes of work over a long period of time that have just not been released to the public because I've chosen to not put it into the system," she said. "Sometimes it's just fun to have records that me and my friends listen to. We love it. We don't care what everybody else thinks. Maybe one day I'll release them. And I have a whole second act of ARTPOP."

In April of that year, Gaga stated "there's a strong possibility I will release another volume of ARTPOP".

And then: nothing. Radio silence on the subject. Gaga has never spoken about ARTPOP: Act II publicly again.

Why did ARTPOP: Act II go unreleased?

While we don't know what officially dealt the final blow to ARTPOP: Act II, it's a strong possibility that a mixed reception to the albums predecessor and the perception of it as a "flop" brought an end to any plans Gaga or her label had for a follow up: especially with the low chart positions of the albums last single 'G.U.Y.', which despite a big budget music video hit only #76 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ironically, ARTPOP as an album did relatively well, hitting #1 and going on to become the ninth best-selling album of the year, despite only having two properly marketed singles. In August of 2014, Gaga confirmed that we would never receive any music through the ARTPOP app following months of waiting. Her statement that she had "moved" on from anything to do with her old management bore an ill omen for the album release, too. Gaga went on to reinvent her image with 2014's collaborative jazz album Cheek To Cheek with Tony Bennett, before becoming a country chanteuse with last years Joanne, and ARTPOP: Act II became just another project to add to the list of Gaga's unkept promises.

A selection of fan-made covers for the fabled ARTPOP: Act II.

What songs could have made the ARTPOP: Act II tracklist?

In an interview with KISS 92.5, Gaga stated that she had recorded around ninety songs for the original album, with only fifteen of them making the final cut. This leaves around seventy-five unreleased tracks that we haven't heard, out of which we have concrete titles for thirteen - a full albums worth. The tracks that were considered for Act II include:

• 'Brooklyn Nights': Co-written by the team of DJ White Shadow, Nick Monson and Dino Zisis that made 'Applause' happen, 'Brooklyn Nights' is a nostalgic ode the love of Gaga's life, most likely Lüc Carl. 'Brooklyn Nights' was a contender for the original ARTPOP album until late in the game, with Gaga teasing it in September of 2013 via a Twitter post and rumours swirling that the track was competing with 'Mary Jane Holland' for a place on the album. Legal documents that leaked in 2020 show that the song was still scheduled to be on the album in early October. Later that month, when asked why the song didn't make the cut, Gaga replied, "I wanted to spend more time on it. It will come out [via] the app sometime during the album cycle". While we were eventually left high and dry with the app, which had no exclusive songs on it, the song was leaked in early 2014.
• 'Maren': This is a title registered onto Gaga's BMI in November of 2012. It's produced by Gaga newcomers Dreamlab (famous for their work with Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato) and John Nation, and possibly references the picturesque coastal county north of San Francisco.
• 'Nothin' On But The Radio': 'Nothin' On But The Radio' leaked in 2010, but there was doubt over whether it was really Gaga singing until she was spotted blasting the track out of her car in 2012. While fans were initially unsure which era the song belonged to, legal documents that leaked in 2020 show that the song was at one point in consideration for ARTPOP, further confirming the writers as Gaga, Billy Steinberg, Josh Alexander and Paul Blair.
• 'Onion Girl': Gaga revealed this title in an interview with KISS 92.5 in November of 2013. Produced by Zedd, this song could possibly a reference to Charles De Lint's 2001 novel The Onion Girl, which is named so for the peeling back of layers that occurs to the main character over the course of the book.
• 'PARTYNAUSEOUS': 'PARTYNAUSEOUS' was originally conceived as a song by Kendrick Lamar featuring Gaga back in 2012. It was planned to be released as a single from Lamar's album but was cut due to creative differences on which direction the song should take. This slow R&B version of the song leaked in 2015. Later, Gaga reworked the track as an EDM-styled interlude for the ARTPOP Ball tour. The song, from Gaga's perspective, details her efforts to make peace with the country of Indonesia, which banned her from performing during The Born This Way Ball Tour in 2012.
• 'Princess Die': One of the earliest titles written for ARTPOP, 'Princess Die' was first performed on an Australian date of the Born This Way Ball tour in June of 2012, and later became a mainstay of the show. Writing in January of that year, Vanity Fair had described Gaga playing the song for them during their interview: "Gaga went to the piano to play us [...] a song about fame and celebrity death. Even in its rough stages, it has her trademark catchy chorus, and she sang the sad slightly bitter lyrics in full voice." Gaga later teased that the song would be released through the ARTPOP app, but this did not come to be.
• 'Ratchet': This was a collaboration recorded with Azealia Banks, but was cut from the original record because Gaga found Banks to have a "bad attitude"; it's possible that it could have been rerecorded as a solo venture. We have a small snippet of Gaga performing it live and an official instrumental released by producer DJ White Shadow.
• 'Red Flame': This was a collaboration recorded with Azealia Banks, but was cut from the original record because Gaga found Banks to have a "bad attitude"; it's possible that it could have been rerecorded as a solo venture. A watermarked version of this song leaked in 2016.
• 'Sire': 'Sire' is a song written in 2012 and produced by DJ White Shadow. Gaga sang it backstage for fans at The Born This Way Ball Tour in February of 2013, and mentioned that it was inspired by Michael Jackson, who is possibly the revered "sire" spoken about in the title.
• 'Tinnitus': Gaga revealed this title in an interview with KISS 92.5 in November of 2013. Produced by EDM producer Madeon, the songs title refers to a condition where one hears ringing in their airs, particularly after hearing loud noises on repeat.
• 'TEA': Written in 2012, this song was initially confirmed for ARTPOP but failed to make the cut. Gaga teased some lyrics on Twitter which went, "It's been oolong/Since I've had a sip and/I get this feeling I need a green detox/The truth will be the winner tonight."
• 'Temple': 'Temple' was announced in 2013 and was apparently about her love for then-boyfriend Taylor Kinney. "It's about feeling safe with someone so beautiful on the inside and out. The song is about him being able to love somebody who has a fast pace life, and is always on the road." The song was written solely by Gaga and Zedd, as legal documents that leaked in 2020 showed.
• 'In Like With You': Gaga revealed this title in an interview with KISS 92.5 in November of 2013. The song was proudced by frequent Gaga collaborator DJ White Shadow, who also worked on songs such as ARTPOP single 'Do What U Want'.

There are several other songs recorded during the ARTPOP section which most likely wouldn't make the cut. 'Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe' was another Kendrick Lamar collaboration which Gaga sang the chorus for. After their creative relationship ended, Kendrick released a solo version of the track on his album, while Gaga later leaked her contribution to the song online. 'Cake Like Lady Gaga' is a joking trap track which was produced by DJ White Shadow and released online for fans. 'I Wanna Be With You' was performed once at the iTunes Festival, and is an early version of the ARTPOP track 'Dope' with completely different lyrics. 'Posh Life' was a demo recorded for TLC and produced by Dallas Austin, written for a dancer named Posh! The Prince who played himself during the 2010 dates of Gaga's Monster Ball tour. 'Stache' is a remix of the Zedd instrumental of the same name which Gaga released for free for her fans online.

Will we ever hear ARTPOP: Act II?

Sadly, given that four years have passed since the release of the original ARTPOP, it's doubtful that we'll ever hear the album as it was initially intended. Thanks to ongoing leaks, we've had enough choice selections released to form a small EP of demos that might have made the cut; but most of the truly intriguing tracks like 'Onion Girl' and 'TEA' have gone unheard of for the most part.

Early last year, Gaga mentioned in an interview that she had heard her fans opinions and considered releasing a compilation album of unreleased and rare tracks, but we've heard nothing more about any such project since. All we can hope is that Gaga's team is smart and prepared enough to release anniversary editions of each of her albums, and that we'll receive a special edition of ARTPOP for it's tenth anniversary in 2023. Until then, we'll have to listen to that live 'Ratchet' snippet on repeat and be content with wondering what could have been.

Watch the video version of this article here:

If you're not a fan of Britney Spears (otherwise inexplicably known as a member of the 'Britney Army') or a hissing Illuminati overlord, you may never have heard of 'Rebellion'. The little-known track was never released as a single, never performed live, and never received any critical response from anyone outside of the Britney fanbase.

It's not much to listen to, right? And yet, since it was hinted at by Britney way back in 2006, it's been beyond doubt the most anticipated song for release in her back catalogue since that rumoured duet with Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Backed by questionable conspiracy theories regarding the Illuminati as well as certifiably true occurrences that happened during Spears' very public meltdown in early 2007, the song took on a life of it's own, standing in for a Britney on autopilot as a testament to her creativity and artistic integrity.

But what lead to the song's initial creation and immense rise to popularity? Read on to find out more!

'Rebellion' was first teased way back in 2006 when Brit posted a short, fifty second snippet of the track on the main page of her website, accompanied by a very 2000's animation of the Princess of Pop transforming into a Bengal Tiger and a cacophony of roars. The snippet came just months after the announcement of Spears new album, intended at that time to be called The Original Doll (the title was a stab at labelmates The Pussycat Dolls), and the debut of what Britney was touting as the lead single without her label's permission, 'Mona Lisa'. Even though fans only heard a minute sample of what the track fully had to offer, it was clear that the song marked a new change of direction for Spears: 2003's masterpiece In The Zone may have introduced a mature, more emotionally in touch Britney, but 'Rebellion' explored the dark side of fame in a way that 'Lucky' had never done.

Quote

Be wary of others, the ones closest to you,
The poison they feed you and the voodoo that they do.

But in rebellion, there's a sparkle of truth,
Don't just stand there, do what you've got to do.

You'll find it in rebellion, your body starts breathing.
They're not believing what they're seeing,
And you're rebellion.

You'll find it so compelling with everyone yelling,
Because your soul, you're not selling,
And you're rebellion.

Interestingly, the snippet wasn't the first time fans had heard lyrics to the same effect. Just months before, in May 2006, Britney had posted a poem on her website in a section called ‘Love B: Stream of Consciousness’. A personal diary, 'Love B' was a place for Brit's somewhat sentimental innermost thoughts to be shared with her fans: a typical entry in 2005 stated "Now that the chaos has subsided, I finally feel as though I have the control I've wanted over my own destiny". Titled ‘Remembrance of Who I Am’, the poem appeared beside Spears' diary entries only briefly before being pulled down only shortly after publication.

Quote

No more chains
That you gave me.
Enough of pain
Now I'm craving
Something sweet
How do you stand sleeping at night?

Silly patterns that we follow
You pull me in
I'm being swallowed.
By the ones you think you love
They pull you down
You can't see up above.

Manipulation is the key
They screw it in
Because you're naive.

You come to me now
Why do you bother?
Remember the Bible
The sins of the Father.
What you do, you pass down
No wonder why
I lost my crown.

You don't see me now
You ask yourself why
My crown is back
And it's way too high
For you to be in my presence
Especially my son
You should bow down
I've only just begun.

The guilt you fed me 
Made me weak.
The voodoo you did
I couldn't speak.

You're awakening
The phone is ringing
Resurrection of my soul
The fear I'm bringing.

What will you say
And what will you do?
She's not the same person that you're used to.

The poem was accompanied by another message: "This is for everyone who thinks they know me..."

Some of these lyrics did end up being used word for word in another unreleased Britney song. 'All That She Wants' was recorded in 2006 and leaked in 2008, and samples the Ace of Base song of the same name. But the lyrics regarding "voodoo" and being "fed" either poison or guilt have only been heard in 'Rebellion'.

Here's where some snooping comes in. Using Wayback Machine, a website that allows you to view the contents of a website on a specific date, we can see that a full set of lyrics was actually uploaded to AZLyrics on the 24th of June, 2006, alongside an audio track that's no longer available.

Quote

You might not believe it
But trust me this is true
You fall for their poison
And become a part of their crew
I'm in a rebellion
And I'm up against the truth
So will you join me?
Or will you be taken too?

You'll find it in rebellion
Your body starts breaking in
They're not believing what they're seeing
'Cause you're rebellion

You'll find it so compelling
'Cause everyone's yelling
'Cause your soul you're not selling
'Cause you're rebellion

Be wary of others
The ones closest to you
The poison they feed you
And the voodoo that they do
But in rebellion there's a sparkle of truth
Don't just stand there
Do what you got to do

You'll find it in rebellion
You'll finally start breathing
They're not believing what they're seeing
'Cause you're rebellion

You'll find it so compelling
With everyone yelling
'Cause your soul you're not selling
'Cause you're rebellion

The eye that is deceiving is the one trapping us in
I'm fighting a losing battle and my patience is wearing thin
But in rebellion there's a glimmer of light
And nobody claims the crown without some sacrifice 

Looking at these lyrics, we can deduce that the snippet Britney posted was in fact of the second verse of the song, and that the first verse has remained unheard - almost. A low quality snippet of the song's opening can be heard in the following video of Spears cruising around Los Angeles in her car back in 2007, accompanied by boyfriend Isaac Cohen and listening to demos for her upcoming album Blackout. Songs on the tape also include 'State Of Grace', 'To Love Let Go' and 'Baby Boy', all of which leaked after the demo CD was found on eBay a few years ago; but 'Rebellion' has remained conspicuously unheard. Skip to 0:53 for the opening few moments of the track.

Working on 'Rebellion' with Britney was three male collaborators: Christopher "Notes" Olsen (who had worked on Spears' husband's Kevin Federline's album Playing With Fire just months before), Scott Storch (who had remixed 'Me Against the Music' a few years prior) and Jeff Dandurand (a relative unknown). When interviewed about the track in 2013, Dandurand claimed that the song was "about the evil forces that pull the strings" and "very obscure in its presentation", going on to say that he and Spears had written lyrics to the track before Notes added melody and Storch polished the overall product. "People connect it with Iluminattis and this could be true," he added.

Dandurand's opinion, however nonsensical, is one shared by a multitude of Spears fans. Perceiving 'Rebellion' as a cry for help, fans say that the track was Britney's attempt to expose the Illuminati cult that controlled Hollywood, and that it's failure to be heard represents a stifling of this effort by higher forces. Dandurand claims that he has attempted to purchase and release the track officially, even going so far as to state that he uploaded the entire song to YouTube at one point without fans noticing before being forced to take it down. Furthering this notion according to fans are Spears' increasingly robotic appearances following 2007, as well as the fact that Notes fell to his death in a casino in 2010 and that Storch embarked on a multi-million dollar cocaine binge that almost killed him in 2009.

But despite fan thirst, we can't honestly say that we're sure that people would want to hear the full song at this point. Since 2007, a wealth of Blackout demos have leaked sporadically, such as the saccharine bounce 'Sugarfall' or the haunting ballad 'Untitled Lullabye'. Upon it's release, the album went down in history as the best in her catalogue, pushing boundaries sonically and sexually; but the songs on the demo CD that Britney jammed to in her car were all notably absent, as were any others that had been written by the singer herself. Instead, we got an album full of tracks such as 'Gimme More': a groundbreaking jam of a song which nevertheless disappoints when we consider how emotionally open Spears had been in earlier tracks. Amid rumours that Spears' team "destroyed" any copy of the track (one seemingly started by a disgruntled former RCA Records employee) and what fans see as a continued downward spiral in Spears personal life and music, 'Rebellion' could reveal something crucial about the most difficult period in Spears' life; or, even better, inspire her to try her hand at songwriting in the future.

On the other hand, it's unlikely that any song released after almost a decade of hype will achieve everything that the fans expect of it. Judging by Spears' shaky vocals in the snippet and the outdated, clumsy R&B production, the song was in incredibly early demo stages when recorded: and even if Dandurand says that the track was remixed by Notes in 2009 and considered for release once more in that year, it's unlikely that any song Spears wrote in the lead up to her breakdown could be updated to align with her current situation.

Perhaps it's better off that the full version of 'Rebellion' remains unreleased, and that fans are left only with a small, shaky snippet full of promise and intrigue: a clip unaffected by record labels or the general public which will remain forever as a lasting testament to Spears talent and identity even as the rest of the world turned on her.