Britney Spears’ love affair with Birmingham: Singer’s fondness for Britain’s second city revealed as star baffles fans with sketch of ‘the Bullring’
Britney Spears yesterday again showed her strange love affair with Birmingham after she shared a sketch of the city’s famous shopping centre, the Bullring, with her fans.
The 42-year-old singer hasn’t performed in Britain’s second city since 2018, but she still seemed to be inspired by some of the architecture in her drawings.
Britney loved the city so much that when she played in Blackpool – 120 miles up the M6 - she shouted the next day: ‘How are you feeling, Birmingham? I mean BLACKPOOL!’ to the audience after finishing a song.
Britney’s drawing yesterday recreated Selfridges shopping centre, which is behind St Martin’s Church in Birmingham. She posted it Instagram yesterday with the caption: ‘Just a pen and church!!!’
The Bullring’s official account reposted the photo, with the caption: “Sketch me again, baby!”
Britney Spears stunned her followers on Wednesday by taking to Instagram to share a photo of her latest sketching efforts, featuring a famous shopping center in Birmingham
Britney’s drawing recreated the Selfridges shopping centre, located behind St Martin’s Church in the city
The sketch came as it appeared Britney was making a quick stop in the Midlands after revealing last week she was planning to visit London.
The …Baby One More Time singer last visited Birmingham on August 31, 2018, where she performed on tour after her four-year Las Vegas residency came to an end.
She seemed to love the city so much that when she played to an audience in Blackpool Lancashire the next day she asked: ‘How do you feel Birmingham? I mean BLACKPOOL!’
She drew boos from the crowd after the awkward blunder and was widely mocked at the time as Blackpool Tower was in view.
The words ‘Blackpool Tower’ were clearly illuminated beneath the famous monument.
Twitter went wild after the mistake as fans wrote: ‘Britney Spears shouted ‘what’s up Birmingham!’ on stage when she was in Blackpool, the level of motivation I have in my work today is #BritneySpears #PieceOfMe.”
Britney Spears performs in Blackpool in September 2018, confusing the city with Birmingham where she had performed the night before
Britney hasn’t performed in Birmingham since 2018, but she still seemed to be inspired by some of the architecture in her drawings
But Britney wasn’t the only one to make a mistake that night: her warm-up act, Pitbull, thought he was making another blunder in Liverpool.
Britney was linked to the city more than a decade earlier when she started dating local Birmingham paparazzo Adnan Ghalib in 2007.
The pop star shocked her fans and family when she started dating the photographer, despite the fact that he had been hot on her heels in search of the perfect photo.
And unbeknownst to Spears at the time, Adnan was married. The photographer had been married to AzLynn Berry for five years when he started seeing Spears. They broke up shortly after the alleged affair came to light.
Speak with We weekly in January this year, AzLynn revealed that she was “grateful” that Spears’ involvement with her husband ultimately led to the end of their marriage.
Britney Spears and then-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib go to Starbucks in Studio City, California, in January 2008
Britney Spears and Adnan Ghalib go to the Rite Aid store in West Hollywood in January 2008
Originally from Afghanistan, Adnan moved with his family to London and then Birmingham in 1977 as a five-year-old refugee.
Adnan’s house was a simple terraced house, about five miles from the city center.
He attended Marlborough Infant School in Small Heath and then went to nearby Sheldon Heath Comprehensive.
In his late teens he made the journey south to London, where he stayed for a few years before heading to America to see his sister Farah, who had moved to California with her husband.
He later settled in California, where he managed a strip bar before establishing himself as a paparazzo.
