Britney Spears finally launched her comeback with an Elton John duet, and the new music video for “Hold Me Closer” dropped on Sept. 27 — sans Brit. And while that surprised some of her fans, who were looking forward to an appearance by their favorite pop icon, a source told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that despite her absence onscreen, she was heavily involved in the production. “Britney did have an active role in the production of the ‘Hold Me Closer’ video and she is so proud of it and the way that it turned out,” a source close to the Everytime songstress said.
“She got super emotional and cried happy tears when she saw the final version. The interpretive dancers were flawless and, being a dancer herself, she feels that they conveyed the feeling that she wanted the video to have, which is hope, love, and triumph.” Brit also loved the video’s colorful aspects, the source added. “She loved the colorful element of the video and how every color of the rainbow is represented. She is very grateful to Elton for asking her to be a part of this, as it was eye-opening for her. Even though neither of them appeared, it was a very costly production.”
Britney’s absence onscreen, the source clarified, was because of “scheduling conflict and timing,” making it impossible for either her or the “Rocket Man” singer to appear in the dance video filmed in Mexico City locales. Originally, a separate source told HL in earlier comments that they’d planned for the production to be a big one, with Britney involved from the outset, and that remains true. “Of course, it is going to be a huge production, but Britney is now ready for this,” the source told us back in August. “She is ready for this video, and she is now ready to get back to her music. ‘Hold Me Closer’ has given her a voice again and she is ready to use it.”
The song has been a massive hit and marked Britney’s official return to music after a restrictive 13 year conservatorship finally ended in November 2021.