In a polished new interview posted on her Web site, [artist id="501686"]Britney Spears[/artist] reveals the inspiration behind her upcoming album, Circus, and how it differs from 2007's Blackout, which she admits she recorded during a "dark phase" of her life.

"This is something that I've worked for, for a really long time, for like a year now," she says of the album due out December 2, her 27th birthday. "The timing is perfect. It's around my birthday and I'm really excited. I can't wait to share it with my fans."

In the video, Spears says the album's title doesn't solely refer to her life being a metaphorical circus, but also to her affinity for the actual three-ring, big-top kind. "I like the fact that you're always on the edge of your seat when you're at a circus. ... You're never bored," she says. "You're just really engulfed in what's going on around you. And you want to know what's going to happen next."

Britney says she jumped at the opportunity to help write her songs, as soon as she started planning out the sound of the album in the studio. "The process was cool, because I got to write a lot of the songs, and in the beginning, I really took part in that," she says. "I experimented with a lot of the pop producers that I worked with on my earliest albums. I went all the way back old-school, which is a lot of fun to do."

The album also features a song called "Circus." "It's about me as an entertainer -- what I do, and what I bring to a show, is basically like a circus," she explains. "I bring costumes and fun theatrical things that make people in awe."

Spears calls her last release, Blackout, "dark and edgier and urban." This time around, fans can expect a more pop feel. "Circus is a little bit lighter than Blackout," she says. "I think a lot of the songs I did at that time, I was going through a really dark phase in my life, so a lot of the songs reflect that.

"But it's interesting because I didn't go on tour with that album, so I'm going to have to bring some of those songs onto this tour that I do," she adds. "So, I'm excited, because it's going to feel like so much new material."

Spears concludes the video with a message to fans. "Thank you so much for sticking by me for this long," she says. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Getting pumped about [article id="1596736"]the Britney Spears documentary[/article]? Share your thoughts by uploading a video to YouRHere.MTV.com, or sound off in the comments section below. "For the Record" airs Sunday, November 30, at 10 p.m. ET on MTV.