To most people, Britney won the battle against Xtina long ago. But perhaps Britney has won just that: a series of battles. Perhaps the actual war isn't over yet. After all, Britney and Xtina are 29 and 30, respectively. Unless you think they're over, it seems premature to call it a day.
On the one hand,
Xtina bombed with Bionic (and Burlesque
) like no major popstar has bombed before. But with a hit TV show and a hit 20-second cameo song, she seems back on the right track. Most important of all, she will always have her voice. That opens up a world of possibilities and allows her room beyond just a sexy popstar image. She'll always be asked to do tributes with and for legends. It's not unreasonable to think of Xtina delivering a successful album of power ballads 10 years from now.
On the other hand,
Britney has always been more liked and more popular than Xtina. There's a dazed naive Monroe-eque quality to her that makes people love her. She's like the sweet cheerleader everyone roots for. But after a while if the cheerleader refuses to hang up the pom poms, it stops being cute. And Femme Fatale - as good, fun, polished, hit-filled a pop album as you can ask for - shows signs of Britney being incapable of moving beyond a certain image and sound.
So, as the '90s rivals hit the big 3-0, and with Adele reminding us that people will always appreciate the voice, does Xtina actually stand a chance of dominating the next 10 years over Britney?
