It was first rumored in late July that Britney Spears was making her post-conservatorship musical comeback with an Elton John collaboration, a new rendition of “Tiny Dancer.” Shortly after that, Paris Hilton confirmed she had heard the song, and last week, John officially announced the track (titled “Hold Me Closer”), although he didn’t directly mention Spears by name. All this time, Spears hadn’t publicly acknowledged the song, but she finally did this weekend.
In a now-deleted Instagram post, Spears shared fan-made cover art for the song (by Instagram user @monalisaney81) and noted, “name of song is HOLD ME CLOSER.” She added, “And thank you so much for this incredible art @monalisaney81. I appreciate this and all of your support it means so much to me !!! I can’t wait for you all to hear what we’ve been working on [winking emojis].”
Britney Spears confirms collaboration with Elton John, ‘Hold Me Closer.’ pic.twitter.com/2M08p9e7Bv
— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 13, 2022
Before mentioning the song in the post, Spears wrote about expressing herself, saying, “Conservative Diplomatic Voice … I had everything but broken inside !!!!! I never wanted to be the girls who show their bodies !!! BULLSH*T !!! Try being covered for 4 months with no keys !!! I have the right to express my body, mouth, eyes , heart, and feet and show whatever I want !!! My body was manipulated, abused, and torn by people not my friends !!! I have beautiful friends who give me joy and lift my ass higher everyday … if my shallow smile approach offends anyone which I only have learned to COPY !!! So sorry !!!”
As for when “Hold Me Closer” is coming out, reports from Metro and South African radio station 5FM indicate it’s set to be released this Friday, August 19.