Justin Long Reveals What 'Struck' Him About Britney Spears While Working on 'Crossroads' (Exclusive)

Paris Hilton is cheerleading for the ‘queen’ Britney Spears following the release of her new track with Sir Elton John.The heiress, 41, and musician, 40, have been firm friends for years and regularly support each other’s careers and personal lives.Former Simple Life star Paris recently attended Britney’s wedding to long-time partner Sam Asghari in June, and the pair remain as close as ever, with Paris as excited as the rest of us about Britney’s new track.On Friday, after weeks of rumours and speculation – and even a slip-up from Paris where she said she had heard the ‘insane’ song before it was confirmed – Hold Me Closer was released, to instant acclaim from fans.Paris is among the millions enjoying Britney’s first release in six years – and the first since she was released from her conservatorship – and on Saturday shared her joy on social media.Taking to Instagram, Hilton heiress Paris posted a video of her enjoying Britney’s new song in a way only a celebrity could: dancing around and lying on her bright pink luxury car outside her lavish California mansion.With Hold Me Closer playing in the background, Paris – dressed in a matching pink tracksuit, her blonde locks tied up in a ponytail – lay on the bonnet of the car kicking her legs, and skipped around the vehicle, singing along.She wrote: ‘It’s Britney b****…and the Queen is officially back!‘“Hold Me Closer” is out now and I will be playing it on repeat until further notice!’Paris added, along with a heart emoji: ‘So proud of you sis.’At the start of August, when Hold Me Closer was little more than rumours, hopes and dreams, Paris teased fans by saying she had heard the song and it was ‘insane’ and ‘iconic.’The star had told Paul Barewijk for Paul Voor Je Neus

Britney Spears remains privately devastated by the estrangement of her two beloved sons, says her former bodyguard. Britney, 40, now free of her father's conservatorship and newly married, this week made her musical comeback in a duet with Sir Elton John.

Britney Spears is as buzzing as the rest of us for the release of her new single with Sir Elton John.Tiny Dancer remix Hold Me Closer was released on Friday after weeks of rumours, speculation and growing excitement, and it didn’t disappoint.The track – which represents Britney’s first new music in six years, and the first since she was released from her conservatorship – has proved massively popular with fans, and has been shooting up the iTunes charts worldwide.Among those celebrating is, naturally, Britney herself, who took to Twitter to thank fans for their support in her own brilliantly unique way – in the bathtub.Doing what appeared to be a British accent (Brit accent, right? No? Nevermind), the Toxic singer began by addressing Sir Elton directly.‘Hello Sir Elton John, we are like, number one in 40 countries!’She then paused just slightly before shouting: ‘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,’ she finished, signing off with a wink.Warning – Explicit language belowpic.twitter.com/1vShOsFlDhThe ridiculously catchy revamp of Sir Elton’s 1971 hit comes as Britney continues to deal with tough times, including her ex Kevin Federline recently publicly claiming that her sons do not want to see her.Her collaborator, Sir Elton, opened up in an interview with The Guardian following the song’s release where he revealed he had been ‘holding her hand’ all the way through the creation of the track as she had a lot of ‘fear’ about being back in the studio.‘We had to get her to approve what she did,’ he said, going on to describe her as ‘broken.’‘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

Britney Spears is thrilled!

Britney Spears took to Twitter on Friday to celebrate her and Elton John's newly released single reaching No. 1.The song, «Hold Me Closer,» is an update of John's 1972 hit, «Tiny Dancer,» and was released early Friday morning. It's Spears' first music since the end of her conservatorship last year, and has quickly risen in the charts. Spears seemingly gave fans a glimpse of her morning routine with her reaction, posting a video to Twitter from the bathtub.

Britney Spears is back on our airwaves thanks to «Hold Me Closer,» a highly anticipated duet with Elton John and spin-off of his 1971 hit, «Tiny Dancer.» While it's racking up hundreds of thousands of hits on YouTube, John revealed in a new interview that Spears was apparently hesitant about dropping their finished product. «We had to get her to approve what she did,” he told . “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.»Not that there was any reason to believe it wouldn't.

It's official: Britney Spears' highly-anticipated comeback single "Hold Me Closer" has already reached the top spot on charts around the world, just hours after its release on Friday. The pop princess teamed up with music icon Elton John to remix his 1971 beloved song "Tiny Dancer." Shortly after its official release on midnight Friday, the tune shot up the iTunes charts in the United States, along with 34 other countries, including England.  "Hold Me Closer" combines elements of John's "Tiny Dancer" and "The One," featuring a dance beat that is accompanied by vocals from John and Spears.

eclectic duet “Hold Me Closer” on Friday — six years after the Princess of Pop last dropped music.The British musician, 75, shed some light on working with Spears, 40, as well as the grand finale of her conservatorship that she was forced to endure for 13 years.“It’s hard when you’re young. Britney was broken.

It’s Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday — especially when it’s New Music Friday! We’re breaking down this week’s best new tracks to keep on your radar.

Sir Elton John and Britney Spears have released their new track Hold Me Closer today — marking the first music release Britney has had in six years. Hold Me Closer remixes Elton’s 1971 classic Tiny Dancer with his 1976 hit The One, transforming the track into a modernised dance anthem perfectly saluting the summer.The song shows off impressive vocals from Britney, 40, singing alongside Elton, 75. Britney secretly returned to a recording studio in LA in July shortly after her wedding with Sam Asghari, where she laid down her vocals for the song, after being convinced by fan Elton to join him on the track, created by himself and music producer Andrew Watt.

Britney Spears did it again — put out hit music, that is. For the first time since her conservatorship was terminated, the singer has released a new single: «Hold Me Closer,» a collaboration with fellow music icon Elton John. Their duet is an update of John's beloved 1972 hit, «Tiny Dancer.»A week ago, the stars' cover art for the remix debuted, featuring photos of the two as kids.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentFree Britney, at last! Britney Spears’ fans around the world are praising the pop star’s return to music after she dropped her new single with Elton John.Spears collaborated with John on “Hold Me Closer,” a new spin on his hit song “Tiny Dancer.” The single marks the first music to come from Spears since her conservatorship was terminated in November 2021.Throughout the conservatorship, Spears recorded music, went on tour and held a Las Vegas residency, but testified last summer that she was forced to work against her will throughout the 13-year court-ordered arrangement.Spears’ legal battle continues, as the singer fights against her father, Jamie Spears, who oversaw her conservatorship, and her former business manager, Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group. Spears claims that her father and Tri Star took advantage of her finances throughout the conservatorship and has made damning allegations about their alleged behavior towards her, which she has categorized as “conservatorship abuse.” The judge recently sided with the singer, ordering that her father must sit for a deposition this month, and ruling that she would not be deposed.

Britney Spears' highly-anticipated collaboration with music icon Elton John, entitled Hold Me Closer, was released to the public on Thursday night.The track is an updated version of Elton's 1971 hit Tiny Dancer, and marks the first new music from the Toxic singer, 40, since the release of the deluxe version of her 2016 album Glory, which debuted in 2020.To coincide with the release, Elton, 75, dished to The Guardian about what it was like working with the singer on her first musical endeavor post-conservatorship. It's here! Britney Spears' highly-anticipated collaboration with music icon Elton John, entitled Hold Me Closer, was released to the public on Thursday night Elton revealed that he'd made a point of keeping up with Spears' battle against her nearly 14 year conservatorship, which was terminated last November.  'She hadn't done anything for so long.

still standing after years of struggles — on “Hold Me Closer,” her first newly recorded single since 2016.The cross-generational collaboration between 40-year-old Spears and the 75-year-old Rocket Man — which dropped from the dream-duet heavens on Friday morning — is a radical reworking of John’s 1971 classic “Tiny Dancer.” Indeed, it’s such an extreme makeover that they gave the song it’s own new name taken from the original’s chorus. All together now, “Hold me closer, tiny dancer!”While “Tiny Dancer” was an epic ballad that took your inner ballerina pirouetting across the keys in a fanciful flight, “Hold Me Closer” goes twirling directly under the disco ball with some thumping beats but also a light airiness that captures some of the graceful beauty of the original. Like John’s recent hit with Dua Lipa — “Cold Heart (Pnau remix),” which mashed up “Rocket Man” with a few of his other songs — “Hold Me Closer,” produced by Andrew Watt and Cirkut, also features elements of Elton’s “The One” and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”And while their digitally altered voices sometimes blend into one another where you can hardly tell the difference, it’s great to hear the moments when Spears’ distinctive, much-missed chirp stands out.And after the its initial futuristic electro-whirl, “Hold Me Closer” brings you back down to earth with John’s piano work at the end.The beginnings of this collaboration go all the way back to 2015, when Spears professed her love for “Tiny Dancer” in a tweet.

Elton John says he was so “excited” to work with Britney Spears on their new duet.

It’s been 20 years since Britney Spears’ movie Crossroads came out and star Justin Long is reflecting on what it was like to work with the star in her heyday!

Britney Spears deleted Instagram.

Justin Long has revealed he thought Britney Spears was a very 'normal' and 'easy-going' when they worked together on the film Crossroads. In an interview promoting his latest project, Long - who worked with the singer on the 2002 movie - described his interactions with the the star on her feature film debut to Etonline.com, saying 'I remember her being so down-to-earth, like disarmingly down-to-earth.''I remember, being struck by how normal and easygoing she seemed for all the hoopla surrounding her,' the 44-year-old actor recalled, 'and then a couple years later seeing what the paparazzi did to her.''It was really sad that we live in that kind of culture that can do that to a human being. She was so nice to everyone.' Sweet: Justin Long, 44, has described Britney Spears as a very 'normal' and 'easy-going' when they worked together on the film Crossroads in 2002The romantic dramady focused on three teenage girls, played by Britney, who was about 19 or 20 at the time, Zoe Saldana and Taryn Manning, as they took a road trip across the US.

Justin Long says Britney Spears used to be very "normal" and "easy-going". The actor worked with the pop superstar on her 2002 movie 'Crossroads' and reveals he saw a very different side to Britney on-set as she seemed to be a totally different person before her life spiralled out of control and she was placed under a conservatorship in 2008. Justin told Etonline.