In the Zone is the fourth studio album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on November 1, 2003, by Jive Records.

With the conclusion of her Dream Within a Dream Tour in July 2002 and the end of her relationship with singer Justin Timberlake, Spears planned to take a six-month break from her career; however, work for In the Zone began later that November. She began writing songs for the album while touring internationally, despite not knowing the direction of the record. She experimented with different producers, trying to find those with whom she had chemistry. The first song recorded was "Touch of My Hand", which Spears claimed set the mood for the album. She co-wrote all but four songs, and often changed the lyrics to suit herself. Spears stated she was an autobiographical songwriter, although not to the point where she felt self-exploited.

The eclectic music of In the Zone incorporates pop and urban music styles with instrumentation from techno beats, guitars, drums, synthesizers, strings, and Middle Eastern musical instruments. Its lyrical themes range from romance and partying to more explicit ones such as sex and masturbation. Spears explained that the album's sexual nature was subconscious and happened while she was in the process of developing the album. She collaborated with artists such as Madonna and the Ying Yang Twins on the album, while the contributions to its production came from a wide range of producers, including Bloodshy & Avant, R. Kelly, Trixster, Moby, Guy Sigsworth and the Matrix.