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Britney Spears is back, with a club in tow.
Spears teamed up with Elton John for new song “Hold Me Closer,” a collaboration that marked her first music release since her 13-year hold ended late last year.
Released Friday, the song, which opens with a verse from John’s “The One,” is an upbeat, bass-heavy version of her 1971 classic “Tiny Dancer,” featuring vocals from both singers and Spears’ notable riffs. John announced the single on Instagram this month, sharing the artist’s album cover as children along with a more recent photo of the two of them.
On Wednesday, Spears described the new studio recording on Twitter as “my first song in 6 years.” (The singles he released in 2020 were recorded around the time of his 2016 “Glory” album.)
In November, a California judge ended Spears’ conservatorship, an arrangement in which her father and others outside the home exercised almost complete control over her personal life and finances. Spears, who was placed under guardianship in 2008 after exhibiting erratic behavior in public, argued in court that he was “embarrassing” and “abusive” towards her.
Spears also described being deprived of her sense of autonomy under guardianship. In addition to having to seek permission for medical treatment, such as the removal of the IUD, Spears recalled being forced to perform while she was unwell. Shortly after the conservatorship was lifted, he said on Instagram that he would be taking a break from making music, partly as a form of retaliation.
“After what I’ve been through, I’m afraid of people and business!” Spears wrote in a caption on her since-deleted account. “They really hurt me! Not doing my music anymore is my way of saying ‘f— you’ in a sense when it only benefits my family by ignoring my real work.”
Although Spears later changed her mind, writing Wednesday that she tells herself “every day to let go of the hurt bitterness and try to forgive myself and others for what might have been hurtful,” she suggested John in an interview with The Guardian that he maintained a bit of hesitation. .
“He’s been out for so long. There’s a lot of fear because he’s been betrayed so many times and he hasn’t been officially out publicly for so long,” she said. “We’ve been holding his hand through the whole process, reassuring him that everything is going to be okay.”
In recent years, John has collaborated with a wide variety of artists, including Brandi Carlile, Nicki Minaj and Yo-Yo Ma. The new “Hold Me Closer” recalls John’s “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix),” a 2021 duet with Dua Lipa combining “Rocket Man,” “Kiss the Bride,” “Sacrifice” and “Where’s the Shoorah?”
In the Guardian interview, John noted that it related to Spears’ journey in particular.
“It’s hard when you’re young. Britney was broken. I was broken when I got sober,” he said. “Now I have the experience to be able to advise and help people because I don’t want to see any artist in a dark place.”
On Twitter, Spears described it as “so cool that I’m singing with one of the most classic men of our time.”
“I’m a little overwhelmed,” she added. “It’s very important to me!!!”