Britney Spears releases her first song in 6 years and it's a beautiful duet with Elton John
It's already shot to #1 in 35 countries.

Britney Spears and Elton John duet.
What's this? Sir Elton John and Britney Spears have a new song that released August 26. Well, technically it's not new. It's more like a new version of an old song. Elton John's classic, "Tiny Dancer," has been remade as a pop style duet with the queen of pop herself, ending her six-year hiatus from music. The song is just the right vibe to end summer on a positive note. That's not just my opinion either. The new version, called "Hold Me Closer," has already topped the charts at number one in 35 countries.
As you likely remember, Spears had been under a conservatorship for 13 years. While in the conservatorship, she alleged abuse from her father and others around her, and eventually refused to perform or record any music. The pop star's hiatus lasted six long years before coming to an unexpected end, which has Spears' fans thrilled. While there have been hints and teases to her millions of followers, no one was prepared for the immaculate mashup that was just dropped.
The song marries the chorus of John's 1972 hit "Tiny Dancer" to verses from "The One," another song of John's, but this time from 1992. Both Spears and John documented the momentous release on their social media platforms. With Spears tweeting, "Okie dokie … my first song in 6 years 🎶!!!! It’s pretty damn cool that I’m singing with one of the most classic men of our time … @eltonofficial 🚀 !!!! I’m kinda overwhelmed… it’s a big deal to me !!! I’m meditating more 🧘🏼♀️ and learning my space is valuable and precious !!!"
Spears goes on to say in the Twitter thread that she's choosing happiness and learning to forgive herself and others. This comes after a public spat with her ex-husband, who shared videos of her allegedly scolding her children. The duet with John could be Spears testing the waters of a possible comeback and John is certainly happy to help.
John tweeted, "I'm thrilled with the response to #HoldMeCloser 🚀 I wanted to do a fun, happy summer track so was ecstatic when @britneyspears agreed to be a part of it! She truly is an icon, one of the all-time great pop stars & I love her dearly. I hope you all love it!" Later, he retweeted Spear's reaction to finding out the song was #1 on the charts.
\u201chttps://t.co/1vShOsFlDh\u201d— Britney Spears \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80 (@Britney Spears \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80) 1661536476
This is probably the most excited the public has seen Spears since the end of her conservatorship and quite honestly, I'm here for it. We have seen her star rise rapidly from a child star to a full-blown pop icon before it was nearly completely extinguished. Everyone loves a good comeback story, and we could be in the midst of witnessing Spears reclaim her crown.
Who knows what's next for the mom of two but it's safe to say she has legions of fans behind her and a new hit song dominating the charts. The world will be waiting and rooting for what could be the most fierce comeback yet.
- Britney Spears - Upworthy Weekly podcast ›
- Britney Spears shared a moving post on Instagram in response to ... ›
- Ed Sheeran and Elton John's viral Christmas song has some epic ... ›
- Elton John moved to tears over National Humanities Medal - Upworthy ›
- Elton John viscously pranked Rod Stewart in 1985 - Upworthy ›
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."