Pop star Britney Spears made a triumphant return to music this week after a six-year hiatus ― with an help from singer Elton John.
On Friday, the 2 unveiled “Maintain Me Nearer,” an electro-pop mashup of John’s 1972 basic “Tiny Dancer” and the title monitor of his 1992 album “The One.”
“Maintain Me Nearer” is a becoming follow-up to “Chilly Coronary heart,” John’s 2021 collaboration with singer Dua Lipa. That monitor equally blended two of his most beloved songs, “Rocket Man” and “Sacrifice,” with a pulsating dance beat. It additionally gave the five-time Grammy winner one more Prime 10 hit and has continued to dominate radio airwaves on each side of the Atlantic.
For Spears, “Maintain Me Nearer” is a momentous and bittersweet achievement. It’s the pop icon’s first new track since her underappreciated 2016 album, “Glory.”
It additionally marks her first return to the studio because the finish of a court-appointed conservatorship that put strict limits on her private and monetary freedoms for greater than 13 years.
Talking to the Guardian, John stated that convincing Spears to affix him on the duet wasn’t straightforward ― although he couldn’t be extra “thrilled” by the end result.
“She’s been away so lengthy – there’s loads of worry there as a result of she’s been betrayed so many occasions and she or he hasn’t actually been within the public eye formally for therefore lengthy,” he informed the outlet. “We’ve been holding her hand via the entire course of, reassuring her that every thing’s gonna be alright.
“I’m so excited to have the ability to do it together with her as a result of if it’s a massive hit, and I feel it might be, it’s going to give her a lot extra confidence than she’s bought already and she’s going to realise that folks truly love her and look after her and need her to be pleased. That’s all anyone of their proper thoughts would need after she went via such a traumatic time.”
Take heed to “Maintain Me Nearer” under.