Performing a rendition of one of her many signature songs, ‘Oops, I Did It Again’, Britney delivers here a stunning spectacle, marking the true beginning of her storied relationship with the VMA’s. For many, this was the on set of the transformation of the ‘… Baby One More Time’ belle.

Setting sail with a shortened version of her Darkchild-produced cover of ‘Satisfaction’ by the Rolling Stones, this showing proved to be controversial after a scantily-clad. Spears, who at the time was still catering to an audience of teeny-boppers, stripped down to a sparkling nude outfit on-cue to perform the tongue-in-cheek ‘Oops’.

The said song and parent album of the same name were blockbuster smashes with the track being a global Top 10 hit and the LP debuting at #1. And, as at writing, remains among the best selling albums of all time with sales exceeding 20 millions units.

What’s so special about this performance, as was routine in her early days, was Spears’ ability to “sell” you her product. The choreography in this specific video isn’t particularly intricate or out-of-this-world, her mic stayed “off” the whole show through (after all, it is Britney, b*tch). Yet, her stage presence is just off-the-Richter and she serves up a whole new dimension to a rather cheese-soaked song, relying solely on her natural charisma and the swag she oozed. Both of which see sadly confined to the past.

This is the Britney we became enamored with, not the robot her team have been carting out over the last

six years.

And, while we stay wondering if we will ever see the day the fierce stage-slayer in the clip above returns, we are grateful for artists such as Beyonce, Lady GaGa and Usher for giving us moments as powerful as this VMA’s showing in today’s age.