At a surprise performance by Elton John in Cannes on Tuesday, audiences will hear "Hold Me Closer," his duet with Britney Spears, for the first time. Now the rest of humanity can enjoy the... benefit? The reactions to the song vary widely.
Britney Spears fans had to wait six long years for new music from the US singer. The 40-year-old, who released her last studio album to date with "Glory" in 2016, had announced that she would turn her back on music as long as she was still under her father's tutelage. With the abolition of the conservatory, the singer is now officially back: This Friday, her joint song with Elton John was released.
"Hold Me Closer" is a club mix remake of his title "Tiny Dancer" from 1971. After Spears gave her Instagram followers a little taste of her hit a few weeks ago - with a much deeper voice than usual "Baby One More Time" had been speculated with excitement as to how "Tiny Dancer" would sound more than 50 years after its release as a duet.
Elton John had already introduced the song at a surprise performance on Tuesday at the Côte d'Azur in Cannes. The party hit, which according to reports will not have a music video, was very well received by the audience. Even on Twitter, most fans can hardly believe their luck.
"The weekend has been cancelled. Please do not disturb. I will be listening to Britney Spears' 'Hold Me Closer' for the foreseeable future. Thank you Britney for this gift," writes a Twitter user.
"Okay. I FINALLY got to hear 'Hold Me Closer' and I'm so happy for Britney. I hope she's proud of what she's done. I hope the song is a hit. She deserves a hit. It is my new bop and I will listen to it again," assures another user.
But the song also attracts some criticism. "The vocals on 'Hold Me Closer' are so muted it's hard to tell who's singing what? A disappointment," said one fan.
"They made 'Hold Me Closer' less cool. The only thing Britney sings alone is the title of the song and the ending," said a disappointed user.
"In the last two weeks gay twitter has done so much with 'Hold Me Closer' that now I'm a bit overwhelmed. And sad. I need a drink," wrote a Twitter user from her gay fanbase.
The fact that the party hit is purely an autotune number is also criticized in some places. "It's an autotune mess," sums up one user. Didn't the singer dare to strain her vocal cords again after such a long break?
Apparently, Elton John does not share this criticism. "She sang fantastically," the 75-year-old told the British "Guardian" about his duet partner. "Everyone said 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 excited about what she did," John said.
"She really pushed herself vocally," said the song's producer, Mike Watt. "Sometimes when you're producing the biggest thing you can do is not say anything, so I just let her do her thing. She's so good at knowing when the right shot has come off. She's in complete control accepted."
Shortly before the release, the pop singer shared her excitement about the song. "Okie dokie... my first song in six years!" the singer tweeted on Wednesday. It was "damn cool" that she was singing "with one of the most legendary men of this era". "I'm kinda overwhelmed...this is a big deal to me!" She is currently meditating a lot and is learning to see every day as a new beginning. "Yes, I choose happiness today. I tell myself every day to let go of the hurt bitterness and try to forgive myself and others for what may have been hurtful."
The singer has been under guardianship since 2008 after she had a mental breakdown due to personal and professional problems. Since her father's 13-year guardianship was officially lifted at the end of last year, Spears has repeatedly emphasized that she wanted to celebrate her comeback as a musician.
