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Britney Spears says she will not perform while father controls career

Getty Images Britney Spears in Hollywood on 22 July 2019Getty Images
Britney is in a legal battle to end the conservatorship, set up in 2008

Britney Spears has said she will not perform again while her father retains control over her career as part of a conservatorship set up in 2008.

The singer's message is the latest in a series of emotional public comments about the arrangement that controls her personal and financial affairs.

"This conservatorship killed my dreams," she said in a lengthy post on Instagram. "So all I have is hope."

Spears, 39, wants to bring an end to the arrangement, calling it abusive.

The conservatorship was put in place after her father, Jamie Spears, petitioned a court for legal authority over the pop star's life, amid concerns about her mental health.

"I'm not gonna be performing on any stages anytime soon with my dad handling what I wear, say, do, or think," Spears, who has not performed in public since late 2018, wrote in the post.

"I'd much rather share videos YES from my living room instead of onstage in Vegas... I'm not gonna put on heavy makeup and try try try on stage again and not be able to do the real deal with remixes of my songs for years."

In the message, the singer also said she "did not like the way" documentaries about her life bring up "humiliating moments from the past", adding: "I'm way past all that and have been for a long time."

The documentaries - including Framing Britney Spears, which has been nominated for two Emmy awards - together with the #FreeBritney movement brought wider attention to the conservatorship, and public support for the singer.

What we can all learn from Britney Spears’ case

In explosive court testimony last month, Spears said she had been drugged, forced to perform against her will and prevented from having more children under the conservatorship.

On Wednesday, she appointed a new lawyer to represent her in the legal bid to bring the arrangement to an end. They are yet to file a formal request, and the next court hearing will be on 29 September in Los Angeles.

Spears also said she wanted to charge her father for his alleged "conservatorship abuse", which can involve financially exploiting or imposing excessive personal restrictions on someone in your care.

He is currently the sole person in charge of his daughter's $60m (£43m) estate. His lawyers say he has not been in charge of her personal affairs since September 2019 because of his own poor health.