pop music

Elton John Shares Throwback Pics of Him and Britney Spears Ahead of Their Song Release

“Hold Me Closer” will be released on Aug. 26

FILE - Recording Artist Britney Spears and Sir Elton John
Michael Kovac/Getty Images for EJAF

Elton John and Britney Spears’ highly anticipated collaboration is just around the corner. 

On Friday, the 75-year-old music legend delighted fans when he shared the cover art and release date for his and the pop star’s upcoming duet titled “Hold Me Closer.” The single is a reimagined version of Elton’s classic “Tiny Dancer,” which he released in 1971 and includes the line “Hold me closer, tiny dancer” in the chorus.

John simply captioned the Instagram post, “August 26 #HoldMeCloser,” and included a red rose and spaceship emoji. The cover art shows the two artists when they were kids.

Spears’ photo shows her as a little girl in a dance outfit, which consists of a two-toned pink dress with ruffles and feathers and white tights. John, on his end, is smiling wide as he sits at a piano, wearing a dark blazer and shorts. The second photo in the slideshow is a photo of the two at the Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards viewing party on Feb. 24, 2013 in West Hollywood, California. 

Spears has yet to post about the duet on her Instagram. However, the singer’s pal Paris Hilton called the song “iconic” in a recent interview.

“It’s going to be iconic. I just heard it a couple days ago in Ibiza and it’s insane,” Hilton said.

It’s been six years since Spears released an album. She dropped “Glory” in August of 2016. However, in 2020, she released a deluxe edition that included a never-before-heard collaboration between Spears and the Backstreet Boys titled “Matches.”

A.J. McLean from the boy band revealed in an Instagram video in 2020 that they recorded the song in 2017. The song was originally intended for the Backstreet Boys' last album, “DNA,” but they ultimately passed on it. Spears heard the song and decided to record it herself and keep the Backstreet Boys’ vocals on it. 

Fans have been hoping for new Spears music since her conservatorship officially ended in November 2021 after 13 years. Over the last months, she’s shared videos of herself singing — and fans couldn’t get enough.

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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