Elton John talks working with Britney Spears on new song after her ‘traumatic time’

Elton John was only too happy to collaborate with Britney Spears.

The musical superstars have teamed up on the highly anticipated new track “Hold Me Closer,” which combines John’s hits “Tiny Dancer” and “The One.” John says it was an honor to work with Spears, who was released from her conservatorship last year, a development which played out for all to see.

“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,” John told The Guardian. “We’ve been holding her hand through the whole process, reassuring her that everything’s gonna be alright.

“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 realize 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.”

While Spears has made headlines in recent years for her conservatorship, producer Andrew Watt says that was never an issue when recording the track.

“We didn’t really get into that,” he said. “She came there to sing and record. She’s so pro. And if that was something that she was thinking about, she put it all into the record.”

Spears, who married Sam Asghari last month, hasn’t released new music in six years and has been open about her nerves leading up to this new song.

“Okie dokie … my first song in 6 years!!!!” she tweeted earlier this week. “It’s pretty damn cool that I’m singing with one of the most classic men of our time … @eltonofficial !!!! I’m kinda overwhelmed… it’s a big deal to me !!! I’m meditating more and learning my space is valuable and precious !!!”

“Hold Me Closer” follows John’s 2021 hit “Cold Heart,” which featured him and Dua Lipa in a mashup of his songs “Rocket Man,” “Sacrifice,” “Where’s the Shoorah?” and “Kiss the Bride.”

How did John convince Spears to lend her voice to the song? His husband, David Furnish, is the one who thought she’d be a perfect fit.

“He said it would be wonderful for Britney Spears to do it,” John said. “I said, that’s a pretty amazing idea. She hadn’t done anything for so long. I’d been following what’s been happening to her for a long time.”

John considers himself one of Spears’ many fans.

“She just put out incredibly brilliant records,” he said. “She sang and danced so beautifully.”

He also gave her the seal of approval for her work on “Hold Me Closer.”

“She sang fantastically,” he said. “Everyone was saying they don’t think she can sing any more. But I said, she was brilliant when she started so I think she can. And she did it, and I was so thrilled with what she did.”

Watt echoed that sentiment.

“She was really collaborative and had really good ideas about the production,” he said. “She’s an expert in music to make you dance.”