UPDATE
9:51 AM PT — Elton just posted about the track, saying, “I’m thrilled with the response to Hold Me Closer. I wanted to do a fun, happy summer track so was ecstatic when Britney Spears agreed to be a part of it! She truly is an icon, one of the all-time great pop stars & I love her dearly. I hope you all love it!
UPDATE
Britney Spears has made one of the most remarkable comebacks ever in music … exactly one year ago she was locked in a contentious conservatorship — one year later she’s shot to the top of the music charts in spectacular fashion.
Britney’s collab with Elton John — “Hold Me Closer” dropped Friday and immediately shot to #1 on iTunes in the U.S. The song is #1 in 35 countries, including England.
Britney shared her feelings about the release on Twitter and said, “Okie dokie … my first song in 6 years 🎶 !!!! 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 !!!”
It’s Britney’s first release since the termination of her conservatorship in 2021 … with heavy involvement by her former agent and current manager, Cade Hudson. She hasn’t released music in 6 years.
It’s also a brilliant move on Elton’s part … as you know, he released “Cold Heart – PNAU Remix” with Dua Lipa a year ago which was also a monster hit. He’s found a way to take some of his amazing songs and put a spin on them with younger artists, and it’s clearly working.
8/23/22
Sources with direct knowledge of the process of making “Hold Me Closer” tell TMZ, Britney was “all over the song,” heavily involved in the sound and the mixing. There was a little drama during the post-production, but all worked out.
Britney’s conservatorship lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, tells TMZ, “It’s been a privilege working with her. She’s been thorough a lot. Regardless of what comes next for her and what she chooses, I am so very proud of her.”