Britney Spears’ First New Music in 6 Years is a Collaboration with Elton John Reimagining ‘Tiny Dancer’

Sarah RumpfAug 26th, 2022, 1:39 pm
 
Britney Spears performing

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Britney Spears just released her first new music in six years — and her first since her liberation from the conservatorship — and it’s an upbeat remix of Elton John’s 1972 hit “Tiny Dancer.”

It’s a similar approach that John took with his 2021 “Cold Heart” collaboration with Dua Lipa, based on his 1972 “Rocket Man,” along with clips from some of his other songs like “Sacrifice” (1989) and “Kiss the Bride” (1983).

This new reimagined song is titled “Hold Me Closer” and was posted by John on his YouTube channel with two photos of him and Spears as children, with a young Britney grinning in a ballerina costume and little Elton seated at a piano.

The song begins with a clip of John singing the “hold me closer” lyric before Spears joins in as the two duet on new verses that are interspersed with the original “Tiny Dancer” chorus.

The first new verse begins, “I saw you dancing, out the ocean / Running fast, along the sand / A spirit born, of earth and water / Fire flying, from your hand,” and goes into the familiar “Hold me closer, tiny dancer” lyrics for the chorus.

Spears tweeted about her excitement for the new music on Thursday, writing that it was “pretty damn cool” to be singing with John, whom she called “one of the most classic men of our time.”

“I’m kinda overwhelmed,” Spears added, calling the song “a big deal to me” along with multiple exclamation points and several emojis, including of course a rocket for the Rocket Man himself.

John tweeted Friday afternoon, saying he was “thrilled with the response” to the song, and had “wanted to do a fun, happy summer track so was ecstatic when [Spears] agreed to be a part of it!” He added his own effusive praise for his duet partner, calling Spears “an icon” and “one of the all-time great pop stars.”

Watch above, via YouTube.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.