The past year has given Britney Spears fans several reasons to celebrate. November 2021 marked the end of her nearly 14-year conservatorship with her father, Jamie, and now, Spears has released her first song in six years.

Elton John recruited Spears for his new single, "Hold Me Closer," a club-ready interpolation of his 1972 hit "Tiny Dancer." Though Spears' contribution is mostly vocal harmonies, it's a meaningful moment for the singer and her devoted fans.

"I'm so excited to be able to do it with her because if it is a big hit, and I think it may be, it will give her so much more confidence than she's got already and she will realize that people actually love her and care for her and want her to be happy," John said in an interview with The Guardian. "That's all anybody in their right mind would want after she went through such a traumatic time."

Naturally, Spears' reentry to the music world has caused a frenzy of headlines and buzz. But even when she hasn't been making music, Spears' life and career have been of public interest since she burst onto the scene in 1998. 

As "Hold Me Closer" finds its way to speakers and headphones around the world, GRAMMY.com answers some of the questions that Spears' fans want to know most about her start, her discography and much more.

How Did Britney Spears Get Her Start?

After unsuccessfully auditioning three years earlier, Spears' big break came when she landed a role as a cast member on Disney Channel's The Mickey Mouse Club in 1993. Her co-stars on the variety show included Ryan Gosling, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez.

"It was probably one of the most special times in my life, The Mickey Mouse Club," Spears told Entertainment Tonight in 2018.

Her time on The Mickey Mouse Club led to a recording contract with Jive Records in 1997 at age 15. She subsequently released her first seven albums with Jive before moving to RCA in 2013.

How Many Kids Does Britney Spears Have?

Britney Spears has two children with her ex-husband Kevin Federline: Sean Preston (born in September 2005) and Jayden James (born in 2006). Spears divorce with Federline was finalized in 2007; she recently married her third husband, Sam Asghari, in June.

How Many GRAMMYs Has Britney Spears Won?

To date, Britney Spears has won one GRAMMY and has received eight GRAMMY nominations overall. She took home the award for Best Dance Recording in 2005 for "Toxic." Spears' other nominations include Best New Artist (2000), Pop Vocal Album (2001 and 2003), Dance Recording (2010) and Female Pop Vocal Performance (2000, 2001 and 2003).

Does Britney Spears Have New Music?

In August, Spears released "Hold Me Closer," a duet with Elton John that utilizes elements of his 1971 classic "Tiny Dancer." The song is Spears' first new recording since her 2016 album Glory. (Three singles were released in 2020 — "Mood Ring," "Swimming in the Stars," and the Backstreet Boys collab "Matches" — but were considered part of a re-issue of Glory.) 

As of press time, she has not announced plans to release any more new music.

Who Has Britney Spears Collaborated With?

Along with Elton John, Spears has collaborated with stars including Madonna, Rihanna, G-Eazy, Tinashe, will.i.am, Pharrell Williams, Backstreet Boys, T.I., Giorgio Moroder, Miley Cyrus, Iggy Azalea, Nicki Minaj and Kesha.

Who Are Britney Spears' Influences?

Spears has often cited '80s superstars such as Madonna, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and even her latest collaborator Elton John as chief influences.

"She asked me who my favorite artists were — Prince — and I asked her who hers was. She said Elton John," Andrew Watt, who co-produced "Hold Me Closer," told The Guardian. "The song meant so much to her, and you can hear it in her vocal performance. She's singing her ass off."

How Many Albums Has Britney Spears Released?

As of August 2022, Britney Spears has released nine albums: …Baby One More Time (1999), Oops!… I Did It Again (2000), Britney (2001), In the Zone (2003), Blackout (2007), Circus (2008), Femme Fatale (2011), Britney Jean (2013) and Glory (2016). Her discography also includes nine box sets, eight compilations and three EPs.

How Long Did Britney Spears Perform In Las Vegas?

Spears performed a successful series of concerts at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas from 2013 to 2017, earning a reported $137.7 million for 248 shows. Unfortunately, it may not have been an altogether pleasant run for the star: In 2019, Spears told the court that she was forced by her father and the conservatorship to perform against her will.

What Is Britney Spears' Biggest Hit?

Spears' biggest hit is still "...Baby One More Time," her debut single. Released in 1998, "...Baby One More Time" spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. According to the RIAA, the song was certified Platinum in January 1999.

Spears has since appeared on four additional No. 1 Hot 100 hits: "Womanizer" (2008), "3" (2009), Rihanna's "S&M" (2010) and "Hold It Against Me" (2011). Surprisingly, "Toxic" peaked at No. 9 on the chart — despite being her most-streamed song on Spotify and her second most-watched video on YouTube.

Why Do People Say Free Britney?

In 2008, after being hospitalized twice for involuntary psychiatric evaluations stemming from concerns about her mental health and possible substance use, Spears was placed under a conservatorship helmed by her father, Jamie Spears. For the next 13 (nearly 14) years, Spears was unable to make decisions about her nearly $60 million dollar fortune or any personal or professional matters in her life.

As Spears became more vocal about finding the conservatorship under her father to be abusive and wanting it to end, the phrase "Free Britney" began as a social media hashtag in 2020. The phrase sprouted a movement that grew to include in-person demonstrations at the Los Angeles County courthouse, where Spears had hearings to terminate the conservatorship. Framing Britney Spears, a 2021 New York Times documentary, examined the goals of "Free Britney" as a force for change.

In November 2021, a judge ruled that Spears is now free from her conservatorship. And on August 28, Spears posted a 22-minute audio clip to the GlitterBritney channel on YouTube discussing how she felt abused in the conservatorship.

"I'm here honestly just to open myself to others and try to shed a light on, if anyone out there has ever gone through hardships or whatever it is, just to put a light on it so that person doesn't feel alone, because I really know what that feels like," she said.

Though she hasn't teased any more new music just yet, this next chapter will be huge for both Spears and her fans. As her lawyer Mathew Rosengart said in a press conference after her conservatorship was terminated, "What's next for Britney, and this is the first time this could be said for about a decade, is up to one person: Britney."

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