Britney Spears has made a career comeback with the help of a maestro.
Hold Me Closer, which was released on Friday, has her collaborating with Elton John while blending some of his previous hits including Tiny Dancer (1971), Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (1976) and The One (1992).
It is the first song Spears has released since her 2016 album Glory.
The proceeding years found Spears's musical career taking a backseat as she battled her conservatorship, which left her father in control of all aspects of her business and private life.
In June, she married Sam Asghari, a fitness professional and model. He met Spears on the set of her Slumber Party video in 2016.
Spears in back in vintage form
Spears couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to make her return.
Hold Me Closer follows the same format of Cold Heart, John’s previous collaboration with Dua Lipa, another modern melange of earlier tracks Rocket Man (1972), Where’s the Shoorah (1976) Kiss the Bride (1983) and Sacrifice (1989).
Where Cold Heart soared on the back of its smooth synth lines and club rhythms, Hold Me Closer shimmies along to the throbbing disco bass line throughout.
Similar to Lipa’s efforts, Spears’s contribution is heard in the chorus in which she performs an impressive falsetto.
The fact that she sounds so at ease is acknowledgment enough that she hasn’t lost any of her vocal ability.
According to Hold Me Closer producer Andrew Wyatt, Spears was adamant in nailing those sky-high notes.
“She kept going: ‘Nope, again, again, again',” he told The Guardian. "She was really collaborative and had really good ideas about the production. She’s an expert in music to make you dance.”
Despite the personal upheaval of recent years, Elton praised Spears for her professionalism in the studio.
“She sang fantastically,” he told The Guardian. “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.”
A new and clean slate
Despite all the goodwill and fan reaction online, we are yet to hear what Spears makes of the positive reception to her comeback.
Her Instagram account, with more than 42 million followers, has been deactivated.
The song is on her Twitter account, where Spears expressed how momentous the release is for her career and fans.
"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," she said on Wednesday. "I'm kinda overwhelmed...it's a big deal to me.”
Britney Spears's style evolution, from '90s pop princess to queen of the charts — in pictures
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Britney Spears, in a pink sheath dress, attends the American Music Awards on January 26, 1998 at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in black trousers and a cropped short-sleeved top, attends a Tommy Hilfiger party on July 7, 1999 in New York, US. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in a frilled pink cropped top, attends the Silicon CDDB Awards in Los Angeles, California, on August 3, 1999. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in sequinned trousers, attends the Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles, California, on August 1, 1999. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in a metallic jacket and lizard-print trousers, attends the MTV Video Music Awards in New York, US, on September 9, 1999. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in a spaghetti-strapped dress and pashmina, attends the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 8, 1999. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in embroidered flares and a halter-neck, attends a Grammys photo shoot in Los Angeles, California, on February 21, 2000. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in Randolph Duke, arrives at the 42nd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on February 23, 2000. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in a fringed pink mini, attends the Teen Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, on August 6, 2000. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in an orange and pink lace-trimmed coat with matching fedora, attends the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 5, 2000. Getty Images -
Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, in matching double denim, arrive at the 28th annual American Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, on January 8, 2001. Reuters -
Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, in a light taupe slip dress, attend an event at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on April 1, 2001. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in a strapless denim dress and polka-dot blouse, attends a photo call for the film 'Crossroads' in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on March 19, 2002. EPA -
Britney Spears, in a sheer blouse and patterned skirt, attends a photo call for 'Crossroads' at Hotel Palace on March 21, 2002 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in an asymmetric silver dress, arrives at the premiere of 'Crossroads' on March 25, 2002 in London, England. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in jeans and a lace blouse, attends the premiere of 'Crossroads' at Fox Studio in Sydney, Australia, on April 18, 2002. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in stripes and cowboy boots, attends a Barbie Award ceremony on April 21, 2002 in Tokyo, Japan. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in a nude-toned slip dress, poses with one of her outfits which will be auctioned for charity during a press preview in New York, US, on May 22, 2003. EPA -
Britney Spears, in a white corseted dress, attends the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York, US, on August 28, 2003. EPA -
Britney Spears, in jeans and a faux fur jacket, attends a Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in Los Angeles, California, on November 17, 2003. EPA -
Britney Spears, in a fluffy oversized jacket and jeans, attends a press conference to promote her album 'In the Zone' on December 12, 2003 in Tokyo, Japan. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in Roberto Cavalli, arrives at the NRJ Music Awards at the Palais des Festivals on January 24, 2004 in Cannes, France. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in a satin skirt suit, attends the Baby Phat fashion show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, US, on February 2, 2007. Shutterstock -
Britney Spears, in a white mini and straw trilby, arrives at the opening of LAX Nightclub at the Luxor Resort & Casino on September 1, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in a feather-trimmed bodysuit, attends the Bambi Awards on November 27, 2008 in Offenburg, Germany. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in a shimmering LBD, arrives at the Teen Choice Awards at Gibson Amphitheatre on August 9, 2009 in Universal City, California. AFP -
Britney Spears, in a pink chiffon mini dress, attends the premiere of 'Toy Story 3' on June 13, 2010 at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California. Shutterstock -
Britney Spears, in Moschino, and Jason Trawick attend the MTV Video Music Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on August 28, 2011. EPA -
Britney Spears, in Topshop, attends her UK tour launch party at Sanctum Soho on September 16, 2011 in London, England. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in Herve Leger, and her son, Sean Federline, attend the premiere of 'Smurfs 2' in Westwood, California, on July 28, 2013. EPA -
Britney Spears, in Mikael D, attends the 40th People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on January 8, 2014. EPA -
Britney Spears, in Tadashi Shoji, promotes her Dessous collection, The Intimate Britney Spears, at Gatta boutique in Warsaw, Poland, on September 24, 2014. EPA -
Britney Spears, in Michael Costello, promotes her Dessous collection, The Intimate Britney Spears, at Centro mall on September 25, 2014 in Oberhausen, Germany. Getty Images -
Britney Spears, in Yousef Al Jasmi, arrives for the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 17, 2015. EPA -
Britney Spears, in Mikael D, attends the Teen Choice Awards at the Galen Centre in Los Angeles, California, on August 16, 2015. EPA -
Britney Spears, in Labourjoisie, attends the 32nd MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on August 30, 2015. EPA -
Britney Spears, in Julien MacDonald, attends the 33rd MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden in New York, US, on August 28, 2016. EPA -
Britney Spears, in Nookie Charm, and Sam Asghari attend the premiere of 'Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood' at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on July 22, 2019. EPA
