Updated 8/26 at 12:54 E.T.
On Friday, pop star Britney Spears released her first single in six years with “Hold Me Closer,” a collaborative re-imagining with Elton John of his hit, “Tiny Dancer.”
The song is Spears’ first release since the dissolution last November of a conservatorship that placed her under guardianship for the past 13 years. Spears had petitioned to end the conservatorship, alleging that while under the guardianship she’d been subject to various toxic behaviors, including forced medication and denial of her reproductive choices.
“My first song in six years!” the singer messaged on her Instagram account Wednesday. “It’s pretty damn cool that I’m singing with one of the most classic men of our time … I’m kind of overwhelmed…it’s a big deal for me!”
She added, “I’m meditating more and learning my space is valuable and precious.”
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In an interview with The Guardian, John said that the collaboration with Spears originated with his husband, David Furnish. “I said, ‘that’s a pretty amazing idea,’” John told the publication. “She hadn’t done anything for so long. I’d been following what’s been happening to her for a long time.”
He also acknowledged how Spears’ struggles resonated with his own. “It’s hard when you’re young. Britney was broken. I was broken when I got sober. I was in a terrible place,” he said. “Now, I’ve got the experience to be able to advise people and help them because I don’t want to see any artists in a dark place.”
John treated diners at Cannes’ La Guérite to an impromptu performance of the song earlier this week.
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Her return to music isn’t the only change Spears has experienced since the end of the conservatorship. In June, she married fiancé, actor and model Sam Asghari.
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