Britney Spears' long awaited comeback has officially begun.
The pop star on Friday dropped her first new music in six years: "Hold Me Closer," a dance track with Elton John that's a remix of John's hit "Tiny Dancer."
It's Spears' first time releasing new music since 2016, the year she dropped her ninth studio album, Glory, though some unreleased tracks from that album have come out since then. This is also Spears' first new music since the end of her dramatic conservatorship battle with her father, which culminated in a judge ending the controversial legal arrangement that controlled much of her life.
On Twitter, Spears said she was "overwhelmed" to be singing with "one of the most classic men of our time." She teased a potential return to music in July by singing her own song "Baby One More Time" on Instagram. "I haven't shared my voice in an extremely long time . maybe too long," she said.
Speaking with The Guardian, John said he was "so thrilled" with Spears' work on the song. "Everyone was saying they don't think she can sing any more," John said. "But I said, she was brilliant when she started so I think she can. And she did it." He described Spears as being "so pro" during the recording session, though he admitted she was nervous about releasing the song and had to be convinced to put it out.
"We've been holding her hand through the whole process," John told The Guardian, "reassuring her that everything's gonna be alright."