Britney Spears had “the best day ever” thanks to the success of her new song with Elton John.
On Friday, Spears, 40, and John, 75, released their collaboration “Hold Me Closer,” which was an instant hit as it reached No. 1 on iTunes in the U.S. and dozens of other countries, Spears said.
She reacted to the song’s success with an impromptu video on Twitter, addressing John in her best British accent.
“Hello Sir Elton John we are like No. 1 in 40 countries,” she says before yelling: “Holy s—! I’m in the tub right now and I’m about to go have the best day ever and I hope you’re well.”
John responded to Spears’ video: “Hey Britney!! Thank you for this message. You’ve made my day!! Hope everyone has the best day dancing to our song! #HoldMeCloser.”
He also reacted to the song’s popularity, tweeting alongside a song clip. “I’m thrilled with the response to #HoldMeCloser I wanted to do a fun, happy summer track, so I was ecstatic when @britneyspears 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!” John wrote.
The beloved duet marks Spears’ first release since her 13-year conservatorship ended in November.
“Hold Me Closer” combines the chorus of John’s 1972 smash “Tiny Dancer” and verses of his 1992 hit single “The One” with a fresh, dance-pop production.
In an interview with The Guardian, John opened up about how he helped Spears make her highly anticipated return.
He said that when producer Andrew Watt initially finished the song’s remix, they were unsure about who could join him on the track. That’s when John’s husband, David Furnish suggested Spears serve as a feature.
“He said it would be wonderful for Britney Spears to do it,” John told the outlet. “I said, that’s a pretty amazing idea. She hadn’t done anything for so long. I’d been following what’s been happening to her for a long time.”
Though Spears agreed to join the track, she couldn’t go to London to record it because she was on her honeymoon with husband Sam Asghari. So instead, the “Toxic” singer recorded at Watt’s studio in Los Angeles – finishing the vocals in less than two hours, per The Guardian.
“She sang fantastically,” John said. “Everyone was saying they don’t think she can sing anymore. 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.”
He added: “We had to get her to approve what she did. She’s been away so long – there’s a lot of fear there because she’s been betrayed so many times and she hasn’t really been in the public eye officially for so long. We’ve been holding her hand through the whole process, reassuring her that everything’s gonna be alright.”
