Elton John on how he was working with Britney: “I was in pieces”

At 40, Britney Spears is back in the world of music today with a new release, the first after winning the judicial battle against his father for control of his career and finances.

The return was with Elton John and the theme Keep me closerwhich includes references to classic hits Tiny dancer, the only one Y Do not break My Heart.

This Britney comeback comes six years after her latest work, the album glorypublished in 2016.

Elton John said he was delighted with the experience and reflected on how difficult it was for Britney to do something after so many years under overwhelming legal guardianship, in which she was manipulated by her father and other people supposedly of her greatest trust. .

In total there were 13 years of abusive control, during which time he recorded four albums, did four world tours and attended 248 shows in Las Vegas. That phase ended in November 2021, when a judge removed the guardianship.

What Elton said

“It’s very difficult when you’re young: Britney was torn apart,” Elton told The Guardian newspaper, recalling how difficult his time as an alcoholic was for himself.

“Artists are often thought to have very high self-esteem, but that’s not true. That’s why they need the stages and the applause, because when they come back to reality, they’re back in the first box, “she added.

“I’ve been through that feeling,” he said, “and it’s horrible. Fortunately, I’ve been sober for 32 years and it has been the happiest time of my life. Now I have the experience to be able to advise people and help them because I don’t want to see anyone. artist in a dark place “.

Elton also said that Britney had some reluctance when it came to accepting her proposal to sing a duet, an unequivocal sign that the singer had been “betrayed” so many times in the past that she still had a hard time trusting others. .

“We had to push hard to do it. She had been away from music for so long …! She was very afraid because she has been betrayed so many times. She had been away from the scene for too long, “she concluded.

the new theme

Keep me closer It sounds like a 70s disco theme, a style that has been claimed by everyone from Beyoncé to Dua Lipa and The Weeknd. Elton and Britney sing together, in unison, and the result is captivating.

Keep me closer is recorded separately, each in a studio in a different city.

Britney Spears and Elton John met at the AIDS Foundation Oscars party in 2013. They later met at their respective residences in Las Vegas, she at Planet Hollywood, he at Caesars Palace.

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