Who is Maria River Red? Why Britney Spears changed her name on Instagram

As Britney Spears gears up for the release of her upcoming memoir, The Woman in Me, focus has been placed on her Instagram - more specifically, her Instagram alias of “Maria River Red”.

While the pop star icon’s username on Instagram is still @britneyspears, she recently changed the name in her bio to Maria River Red. In July 2023, the “Gimme More” singer quietly changed her name on Instagram - as well as on her Threads account - to the moniker, prompting significant confusion from fans.

It’s not known whether Spears’ has legally changed her name to Maria River Red, but nevertheless, she still appears to be embracing the name on social media.

This isn’t the first time the “Lucky” singer has changed her name on Instagram. Back in January, she announced in a since-deleted post that she was changing her name to River Red, as she wrote on Instagram: “I see right through it all... it has liquid and is wet... it’s playful and has mass!!! I changed my name to River Red!!! Yet the fire is where it illuminates... to stare at it and jump right in with no fear at all!!!!”

Fast forward to 4 July, when Spears shared a video of herself dancing to the song “Maria Maria” by Santana, along with the caption: “Maria River Red”. She then changed her Instagram name to match the caption, leading many fans to believe she got her inspiration from the 1999 hit song.

Soon after, fans on social media quickly shared their theories as to why they believed Spears had changed her name on Instagram to Maria River Red. One person pointed out on X - formerly known as Twitter - that the letters in Maria River Red rearranged reads: “I’ve Remarried”.

The theory does hold some weight, as Spears did get married to Sam Asghari in June 2022, after her marriage to ex Kevin Federline from 2004 to 2007. However, others believed that the name change was somehow related to her upcoming memoir, The Woman In Me, and that she likes to refer to the woman within herself as Maria River Red.

Another fan theory believed that Maria River Red could have something to do with Spears’ upcoming album. Some fans expressed that “River Red” could possibly be the name of the album or it could resemble an alter ego, similar to Beyoncé’s I Am Sasha Fierce album. While it’s been reported that Spears is working on a new album, no official details have been announced.

Throughout her 13-year battle to end her conservatorship, which was finally terminated in November 2021, Spears often used her Instagram as a way to communicate with fans. These days, her social media presence has sparked concern after she filmed herself dancing with knives.

In an Instagram video posted on 25 September, Spears appeared to be dancing in her home with “knives” - which she claimed were not real - while wearing an orange and white polka dot top with white pants. “I started playing in the kitchen with knives today!!! Don’t worry they are NOT real knives !!! Halloween is soon!!!” she captioned the post.

According to NBC News, concern from her fans prompted a wellness check from authorities. She later shared her frustration that police were called to her house over the fake knife video.

“Is it a joke in the news again with welfare checks???” Spears wrote. “Come on America…we cooler than that, right???” she wrote. “The officers came to my home and said they would not leave until they spoke to me as people do four-minute performances with them. I am getting an apology. I’ve been bullied in my home for so long now…IT’S ENOUGH! Don’t talk about it, come on, let’s DO!!!”

She added: “People need to be responsible for their actions! It’s about power for cops.”