Oops, she’s doing it again: Britney Spears is officially set to release new music for the first time in nearly six years.
The pop superstar has collaborated with Elton John on a new version of his classic 1971 hit “Tiny Dancer,” which will be released next month by Universal Music, according to multiple outlets.
Spears reportedly laid down her vocals at John’s Beverly Hills recording studio last week, per Page Six, which was the first to report the news.
The new single will be produced by Andrew Wyatt, who’s worked with a string of legendary entertainers, including Lady Gaga, with whom he co-wrote the Oscar-winning “Shallow,” from “A Star Is Born.”
“This was Elton’s idea, and Britney is a huge fan. They have recorded a remix of ‘Tiny Dancer’ as a full duet — and it is incredible,” an unnamed source told Page Six, adding that Spears is “officially back” and “super excited” about the collaboration.
John has previously found success by retooling his hits with rising pop stars, including Dua Lipa, who jumped on the “Cold Heart” remix, which mashed up songs “Rocket Man” and “Sacrifice.” The track eventually went on to land John his first No. 1 single in the United Kingdom in 16 years.
Fans have, of course, been eager for new music from Spears since the release of her ninth studio album, “Glory,” in 2016, which was generally praised as her best record in years and spawned several hit singles, including “Make Me” and “Slumber Party.”
Spears met her husband, Sam Asghari, on the set of the latter track’s music video, in which he played her love interest.
Since the singer’s conservatorship, which put strict limits on her professional and personal freedoms, was terminated by a judge in November 2021, rumors have swirled about a potential musical comeback.
The restrictive legal arrangement controlled nearly every aspect of Spears’ life since 2008, including her ability to release new music.
In an Instagram post last year, Spears said her hiatus from recording and performing was her way of hitting back at her father, Jamie Spears, who she claims financially exploited and emotionally abused her for years. The two are currently locked in a legal battle as part of an investigation into his role as her conservator.
“I guess it seems odd to most now why I don’t even do my music anymore... that’s just the surface issues,” her caption on an Instagram post at the time read. “People have no idea the awful things that were done to me personally... and after what I’ve been through, I’m scared of people and the business!!!!”
She continued, “Not doing my music anymore is a way of saying, ‘fuck you’ in a sense when it actually benefits my family by ignoring my real work.”
Spears has been on something of a singing kick as of late.
Earlier this month on Instagram, the Grammy winner revealed her raw vocals in a stripped-down version of her debut single “...Baby One More Time.”
“I haven’t shared my voice in an extremely long time… may be too long,” she wrote alongside two videos of her singing a cappella a slightly more explicit remix of the smash hit.
In the post’s caption, Spears explained that she had long planned to drop a remix of the song but was thwarted by her team for the past 14 years under her conservatorship.
“They ruined it for me, embarrassed me, and made me feel like absolutely nothing,” she wrote. “I share this because I am aware of my love and passion to sing… and my own family made a fool of me... I’m not going to be a victim.”