Today (26 August), Britney Spears released her first new music in six years, as part of a collaboration with Elton John.
The hit-makers’ duet, Hold Me Closer, is Spears’ first project since she was released from her conservatorship last year, and in a new interview, John has revealed how he convinced the megastar to take the plunge.
The track is a bouncy summer banger that sees Spears lend her iconic vocals to a smorgasbord of John’s hits such as Tiny Dancer, The One and Don't Go Breaking My Heart.
Speaking to The Guardian this week, John said he ‘held Spears’ hand through the process’ and ‘reassured her that everything’s gonna be alright’.
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The iconic musician told the paper: “She’s been away so long – there’s a lot of fear there because she’s been betrayed so many times and she hasn’t really been in the public eye officially for so long.
“We’ve been holding her hand through the whole process, reassuring her that everything’s gonna be alright.”
He added: “I’m so excited to be able to do it with her because if it is a big hit, and I think it may be, it will give her so much more confidence than she’s got already and she will realise that people actually love her and care for her and want her to be happy.
“That’s all anybody in their right mind would want after she went through such a traumatic time.”
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John also shared that it was his husband David Furnish who initially suggested working with Spears after he told his partner he wanted to make another ‘fun, happy summer record’, similar to Cold Heart, his collaboration with Dua Lipa last summer.
Furnish told John it would be ‘wonderful for Britney Spears to do it’.
Gushing about Spears, John said: “She just put out incredibly brilliant records. She sang and danced so beautifully.”
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Spears and John’s new song has gone down spectacularly well with fans, with thousands taking to Twitter after the track’s release to sing its praises.
One person wrote: “I just heard Hold me Closer and it’s AMAZING!! I'm listening on repeat! @britneyspears You sound incredible!! You are still an ICON!”
Another social media user echoed: “Wow! Hold me closer is amazing!”
Another comments included: “Britney sounds amazing on Hold Me Closer!”, “Hold Me closer was actually really good omfg” and “@britneyspears we are so f*****g proud of you. With Hold Me Closer you show to the world how strong and fierce you are. This is an amazing song that we can’t stop listening.”
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Topics: Celebrity, Britney Spears, Music