Charli XCX Confirms She Did Write Unrecorded Music For Britney Spears
By Kristin Myers on May 7, 2024 at 5:45 PM EDT
It looks like Charli XCX really did write new music for Britney Spears after all.
Even though the “Oops!... I Did It Again” singer seemingly denied those reports when they first leaked, Charli XCX has confirmed that there is truth to the rumors, although the music was never recorded.
Britney Spears Was Rumored To Be Working On New Music With Charli XCX
Following the release of “Hold Me Closer” with Sir Elton John and “Mind Your Business” with will.i.am, fans of Britney Spears were looking forward to new music from the Princess of Pop.
That’s why fans were ecstatic when sources told The Sun that Charli XCX had been asked to write for Britney's new album.
The insider revealed that, although the two had yet to meet in person, Britney had reportedly given the British pop star "pointers" for what she wants her new music to be about.
“The Britney album is being kept top secret. Work has been going on behind the scenes for quite a while to gather a series of killer songs to bring Britney back with a bang," one source claimed. “She is known as one of the biggest pop stars of the 21st century so there is pressure for the music to be great. Charli has a great track record when it comes to writing clever pop songs."
“She went into the studio earlier in the year to make some songs using Britney’s guidance of what she is after. She came up with a really strong track that is expected to make it onto the album, which Britney’s team hopes will be out in 2024,” they added.
Charli XCX Said She Did Write New Music For Britney Spears
During a recent appearance on “Watch What Happens Live,” Charli XCX insisted that she did write music for Britney Spears, although the “Toxic” singer never recorded her songs.
It leaked to the press. Britney then did this post where she was like, ‘I don’t have random people write for me.’ And I was like, ‘Oh. OK. Go off.’ So I don’t know that she was a part of the process,” Charli explained. “The team were present… But she didn’t record it. She obviously didn’t.”
However, it appears that the “Von Dutch” singer doesn’t have any bad blood for Britney, as she said that Britney singing any of her songs would be “a dream come true.”
Britney Said She Doesn’t Have ‘Random People’ Write About Her
In January 2024, only a few days after the news broke, Britney took to Instagram to insist that she does not have “random people” write songs for her. “Just so we’re clear most of the news is trash,” she wrote in a caption at the time. “They keep saying I’m turning to random people to do a new album … I will never return to the music industry !!!”
“When I write, I write for fun or I write for other people !!! For those of you who have read my book, there’s loads that you don’t know about me … I’ve written over 20 songs for other people the past two years !!! I’m a ghostwriter and I honestly enjoy it that way !!! People are also saying MY BOOK WAS RELEASED WITHOUT MY APPROVAL ILLEGALLY and that’s far from the truth … have you read the news these days ??? I’m so LOVED and blessed !!!”
Britney Spears Shares Insight Into Working With Elton John
In October 2023, Britney Spears released her memoir "The Woman In Me." The tell-all book touched on everything from her conservatorship to her decades-long career in music. She also opened up about working with Sir Elton John on their 2022 single "Hold Me Closer."
"For some time I hadn’t been thinking about recording. I changed my mind about that when I got invited to record a song with an artist I’ve admired my entire life: Sir Elton John. He’s one of my all-time favorite performers," Britney wrote in her memoir. "I’d met him at an Oscars party about a decade ago and we got along so well. And now here he was reaching out with the sweetest video message, asking if I would be interested in collaborating. I was so honored."
"Like me, Elton John has been through so much, so publicly. It’s given him incredible compassion," she continued. "To make the collaboration even more meaningful: as a child, I listened to 'Tiny Dancer' in the car in Louisiana as I rode to and from my dance and gymnastics classes. … Recording 'Hold Me Closer' and putting it out into the world was a fantastic experience. It didn’t feel good. It felt great."