Why Britney Remains & Will Always Be Relevant:
1. The world has grown up with her. We've seen her evolve, change, mature, make mistakes, find love, lose love... It's the way Disney attempts to market all their recent stars, but fails at. That kind of "13 year bond" with people cannot be payed for or forged in a studio, it is developed through a constant presence throughout someone's life.
2. Her Personality. Humbleness & respect will take you far in this business - & that is something Britney is known for within the industry. She was that little, naive, sweet southern girl.
But admittedly, the public now have this false impression of who Britney is as a person, & it's largely due to the type of music she puts out. She was known for her organic & relatable qualities, but after her breakdown those qualities where wiped from the public's mind. If she had come out with something more personal than "Gimme More" or actually faced her problems & expressed them through music (a la Everytime), as opposed to putting out sex-crazed tracks, she would be a lot more respected today. And the sad thing is, she did attempt to, through Original Doll & many Blackout era Demo's - but her label did all they could to crush those projects. Now she's largely known as cold, robotic & talentless, maybe they should let her grow up. Her music no longer feels genuine. She doesn't party, She doesn't drink. She doesn't "call the shots" or run anything. Quite the opposite.
4. Her mental state / conservatorship. People are invested in knowing what's going on with her. She seems to be shrouded in mystery.
3. People root for the underdog. Her breakdown actually helped keep her relevant. Americans love a tragedy story. They enjoy building people up, only to watch them fall. It's sick, but it's what the world is like. The "comeback" & "For The Record" inspired people & helped restore some of that sympathy. The entire Circus era was riding on the Sympathy wave, "Root for the underdog" wave. Without that personal connection or backing from the fans or the public, nobody would have given Britney's performances a second glance.
4. Her music keeps her relevant, the fact that she works with top-notch producers.
5. Her PAST. In a nutshell, Britney is still relevant because of her past achievements. See: MTV Video Vanguard Award.
6. The constant Media reports on her. Motherhood kept her relevant... We all know what sort of women buy those cheap-ass tabloids wanting to tear down someone's parenting skills in order to feel better about their own.
She remains relevant because anything she does, crap or not, is sensationalized by both fans and the media.
7. Her loyal, dedicated, crazy fan-base.
8. It's Britney bitch.
What did NOT help to keep Britney relevant:
Her performances post-08. The VMA's 2007 was her final truly "iconic" performance. She's been riding that wave ever since.