Britney Spears Is Back With New Album After 6-Year Hiatus & End Of Conservatorship

After six years of hiatus, the American pop singer and songwriter Britney Spears rebooted her career with a new duet album Hold Me Closer with British musician Elton John. The album released on August 26, 2022.

Spears is back in her Beverly Hills studio six years after her last album Glory and nine months after her 13-year-long conservatorship ended with her father. At the beginning of the legal battle with her father in 2019, the pop singer had announced an “indefinite work hiatus”.

The Conservatorship

The 39-year-old singer had been in what she termed an “abusive” conservatorship with her father since 2008. This came after the American pop singer’s public meltdowns during her divorce and custodial battle with Kevin Federline. This legal arrangement gave her father control over her financial affairs, estate, and her personal life, and the singer fought a lengthy court battle to end it.

In June 2021, during one of the hearings in the case, Spears addressed her own trauma over the years for the first time directly to the judge in a 24-minute speech, which was live-streamed. During which, she spoke about her mental health, the therapy and medical treatment she had taken. She also mentioned how she was monitored and looked after by six different nurses and psychiatrists, who had put her on high doses of medication that had impacted her health. Spears further added that she had gotten an Intrauterine Device (IUD) to prevent pregnancy, which she had wanted to take out but was not allowed to, at the time. She also mentioned that she was not allowed to get married or pregnant, as per the terms of her conservatorship.

“So, basically, this conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good,” she had said.

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Spears’ fans started a #FreeBritney movement in support of her legal battle which took momentum in 2019. In March 2021, The New York Times released a documentary titled Framing Britney which is an “examination of the Free Britney movement by the fans of the pop singer”. However, the singer took to social media and said she was “embarrassed” by the light they put her on.

The conservatorship finally came to an end in November 2021. Meanwhile, two months before her conservatorship ended, Spears announced her engagement with fiance model Sam Asghari in September 2021. A few months later, in April 2022, she announced her pregnancy, however, a month later the couple announced their miscarriage in a long emotional social media post in May.

Talking to The Guardian, John, who has previously helped musicians facing personal and professional difficulties, said, “It’s hard when you’re young. Britney was broken. I was broken when I got sober. I was in a terrible place. I’ve been through that broken feeling and it’s horrible. And luckily enough, I’ve been sober for 32 years and it’s the happiest I’ve ever been. Now I’ve got the experience to be able to advise people and help them because I don’t want to see any artists in a dark place. A lot of artists, you’d think they’d have a lot of self-esteem but they don’t, and that’s why we go onstage and we get the applause, and then we come offstage and we’re back to square one.”

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Spears Deletes Instagram

A day before her new album released, Spears deleted her Instagram account. She took to Twitter and penned her feelings regarding coming back after six years and choosing “happiness” over everything else.

“I’m learning everyday is a clean slate to try and be a better person and do what makes me happy … yes I choose happiness today. I tell myself every day to let go of the hurt bitterness and try to forgive myself and others to what may have been hurtful. I want to be fearless like when I was younger and not be so scared and fearful. Yes … I choose happiness and joy today!”