The Insider.com

Their lives have progressed in such different directions that you might have forgotten that Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were once a couple, and not just any couple--Hollywood's "it" couple of the turn of the century.

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This Pop Culture Rewind takes you back to this day in 2001 to the release party for Spears' album self-titled album, which had been released worldwide earlier that day.

Unlike her first two albums, which dominated the charts with songs like "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again," the pop sensation, who had officially shaken the label of teenager when she turned 20, spit out the bubblegum and shook the pop image.

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Unlike her previous two albums, which told the tales of young love, Spears transitioned to a more mature sense of love for her new album. "I'm a Slave 4 U," the album's first single, made that clear with the heavy breaths and moans that carry on during the chorus.

"I really enjoyed it. It's a step up and a step in the right direction," Timberlake gushes of his then-girlfriend's new album. "It's not overdone. Some people when they try to make a change with their music...it's too drastic, but this is perfect."

The two childhood sweethearts originally met while working on The New Mickey Mouse Club together, and had the opportunity to work together once more on Spears' album for "What It's Like to Be Me," which Timberlake also co-produced.

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"It was fun," Timberlake says of working with his girlfriend in the studio. "It was different for a second, but it was fun."

The pair ended their relationship the following March. To the dismay of the two and their many fans, there would be no fairytale romance. Timberlake wrote "Cry Me a River" and Spears wrote "Everytime," and that was that.

Eleven years later, the two are both on the verge of marriage.

Previous Pop Culture Rewind: Cindy Crawford Talks Marriage and Kids