Since her conservatorship ended after 13 years back in November, fans have wondered if they’d ever hear new music from Britney Spears. After all, the pop star has been very open about the fact that the work she’s done in the past decade-plus was not all of her own choosing.
This week, however, Elton John announced that he has a new collaboration with Spears on the way called “Hold Me Closer.” It’s unclear what the song will be exactly, though the title is a line from “Tiny Dancer” so it’s assumed that John’s 1972 classic will be involved somehow. What is clear is that Spears is choosing this track as her musical reintroduction — both following the conservatorship and since her most recent album, 2016’s Glory, and its subsequent 2020 reissue.
On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen below), we’re talking about why this pairing makes so much sense and how Elton John is having yet another big moment in music, thanks to the top 10 Billboard Hot 100 success of “Cold Heart” with Dua Lipa.
Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on Beyoncé taking over the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart and the Hot 100 songs chart with Renaissance and “Break My Soul,” respectively, giving the diva her seventh No. 1 album and eighth No. 1 song — and we have to talk about the epic “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)” with Madonna too. Plus, Steve Lacy and Nicky Youre and dazy all earn their first top 10s on the Hot 100. We’re also reflecting on the impressive Billboard chart history of Olivia Newton-John, who died Monday at age 73.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s senior director of charts Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
