After a nearly three-decade-long career, pop icon Britney Spears has definitively announced her departure from the music industry, refuting recent speculations of a potential comeback. Reports had circulated that the 42-year-old singer was planning a major return with the assistance of pop heavyweights Charli XCX and Julia Michaels, who were allegedly involved in crafting songs for what would have been Spears’ first album in almost a decade.
Taking to her Instagram account to address the rumors, Spears clarified her stance, stating, “Just so we’re clear most of the news is trash !!! They keep saying I’m turning to random people to do a new album … I will never return to the music industry !!!” She continued, shedding light on her recent focus on ghostwriting for others, expressing her enjoyment in that capacity.
The Princess of Pop also addressed false claims regarding her memoir, “The Woman in Me,” dismissing reports that it was released without her approval as “far from the truth.”
According to Rolling Stone, a source close to the Spears project mentioned that her team was assembling music to entice her back to the studio. The insider revealed, “Right now, management and A&R are trying to get her excited for the music. As of right now, she’s not actively in recording but they’re getting [songs] done to present to her. Nothing is cemented or in stone.”
Spears’ decision to retire from music doesn’t come as a surprise to devoted fans, as she had previously expressed her intention to step away after being freed from her 13-year conservatorship in 2021. In a statement at the time, she emphasized the personal toll the industry had taken on her and declared her withdrawal as a way of saying “fuck you” to those who had mistreated her.
The pop sensation’s last studio album, “Glory,” was released in 2016, with Spears briefly returning to music in 2022 for a revamped version of Elton John’s “Hold Me Closer.” Her 2022 collaboration with will.i.am, “Mind Your Business,” served as a follow-up to their 2012 hit “Scream and Shout.” With Spears’ recent announcement, fans bid farewell to a chapter in music history as the pop icon embraces retirement.
