Washington, Sep 14: It seems that Britney Spears could have steered clear of her embarrassing VMAs performance, had she not been pushed into performing.

According to a report in the New York Times, the “Toxic’ singer’s record label, Jive was unwilling to sign her for the show, but Spears still went on to perform, thanks to her entertainment lawyer Gary Stiffelman, who recommended otherwise.

The report claims Stiffelman believed that the VMAs could prove to be a great exposure for the Spears, especially amidst the preparations of the release of her upcoming album on November 13.

The paper says that Stiffelman also pushed Spears to appoint manager Jeff Kwatinetz, following which the singer started getting ready for the show under the supervision of her new management team.

But the blow came when Spears suddenly fired Stiffelman soon after the VMA preparations began, and the result was the hopeless and doomed performance of Sep 9.

The singer’s much-hyped come-back performance of her single, ‘Gimme More’ was severely panned by critics, who branded the act “bored” and “glazed” as she forgot dance moves and lip-synched out of time. (With Inputs from ANI)