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Takashi Murakami Art-Directs Britney Spears Cover Shot

The cover of the next issue of Great Britain's POP Magazine has begun appearing online. The cover features American pop singer Britney Spears, and the cover shoot was directed by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, according to a Tweet by Spears. According to scans from Grazia magazine, the concept of the shoot was to turn Spears into a manga character, including shots as a schoolgirl and in a wedding dress.

Spears told Grazia that she "loved working with Takashi."

I especially liked how he took high-end fashion and incorporated it with Japanese manga.

Murakami has acknowledged the influence of anime, manga, and otaku culture on his art, and he himself has directed several anime projects. In 2008 Murakami was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine. Murakami has worked with Luis Vuitton to design a print for its handbag lines, and with rapper Kanye West to design an album cover and animate a music video. In 2009, Murakami created a music video titled "Akihabara Majokko Princess," directed by Terminator Salvation director MCG and starring actress Kirsten Dunst.