Elton John previews new collab with Britney Spears

Elton John on Tuesday released a live preview video of himself performing his new collaboration with Britney Spears, "Hold Me Closer," an electronic remake of his 1971 song "Tiny Dancer." 

"Britney Spears. Elton John. Here we go!" the 75-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famertells a beachfront crowd under a pergolaat the restaurant La Guérite on the French isle of Sainte-Marguerite, across from Cannes. In the more than 5-minute live recording, John stands beside house DJ Christophe Szenberg and sings along to the track. Afterward, he thanks the cheering audience and reminds them of the Friday release date. Wandering into the crowd as he is led out by a bodyguard, John poses for a photo or two.

On Instagram Stories, where posts cycle out after 24 hours, John uploaded additional angles of the performance, culled from audience-members' Instagram videos.

Grammy Award-winning pop star Spears, 40, has not commented publicly. She and John have been teasing the song's release since Aug. 8, and John on Friday posted the drop date on Instagram. He included what appeared to be the song's release artwork, which includes side-by-side childhood photos: Spears in a pink ballet tutu, and John, in a black-and-white shot, seated at a piano; each child smiles for the camera. John additionally posted what appeared to be a recent shot of himself and Spears together.

On Saturday Spears had posted on Instagram, without comment, a photo of herself in a baseball-uniform-themed leotard, standing before a black-and-white vintage photo cutout of John in a stylized Los Angeles Dodgers uniform, resting a baseball bat on his shoulder and smiling. Graphical text on it gives the stars' names and the song title.

This is Spears' first release since her nearly 14-year conservatorship ended on Nov. 12. In December 2020, she and fellow '90s hitmakers Backstreet Boys released "Matches" as a new bonus track on the deluxe reissue of Spears' most recent album, 2016's "Glory."

"Tiny Dancer" was the lead track from John's fourth studio album, "Madman Across the Water" (1971). Composed by himself and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, it did not crack the Billboard Top 40 on its initial release as a single, peaking at No. 42. Following its inclusion in a singalong scene in filmmaker Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous" (2000), a digital reissue was certified gold, meaning a half-million units sold, by the music industry group RIAA in 2005. As of 2018, it had gone triple-platinum, meaning 3 million units sold.