Britney Spears says she is inspired by Justin Timberlake.

The 'Piece of Me' hitmaker praised her former boyfriend -- who she dated from 1999 to 2002 -- as well as hitmaker Bruno Mars for being "different and fresh" and encouraging people to enjoy music more.

She said: "Bruno Mars is so different and fresh. And Justin Timberlake is, too. It's inspiring for me, and it makes people eager to listen to music, which helps everyone."

Spears says she is also inspired by "genius" Beyonce and admires the way she released her self-titled new album without warning earlier this month.

She said: "I look up to Beyonce ... What she did with her album was genius, really brilliant."

The 32-year-old singer also talked about her "cool" friend Miley Cyrus -- who was in the audience for her debut Las Vegas show last week -- admitting she loves spending time with the former 'Hannah Montana' star. The pair shares the same manager, Larry Rudolph.

She told USA Today newspaper: "(Miley's) cool, she's fun to be around. You know, she's got really good energy."

Spears also laments the way the music industry has changed in favour of downloads and thinks the ritual of purchasing albums on CD is no longer special.

She said: "We're too smart for our own good. We're at the point where the simplicity of buying a CD and the specialness has gone. I think it's a shame. The whole process of buying a record was so special."