Imagine being able to work with two world music stars? Producer Andrew Watt was behind the scenes of recordings alongside Elton John and Britney Spears for the creation of the collaborative track “Hold Me Closer”. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he revealed that the moment was simply “iconic and amazing”.
++Elton John and Britney Spears Take No. 1 on the Billboard Chart with ‘Hold Me Closer’
According to Watt, when Spears arrived at her studios in Los Angeles, she arrived prepared with her own contributions. “She came up with her own ideas. She wanted to speed up the record a little bit, and we did that. She’s such a pro with dance music and understanding that kind of stuff and what works for her”, he said. “She knew exactly what she wanted to do. she had spent tons of time with the record; she knew all the lyrics; it was, like, her thing. And it was really awesome to witness and see her be so powerful and crush it. She sounds incredible on the record, and she was involved all the way up until the final mix.”
++The Weeknd reassures fans after losing his voice on stage and canceling show
The producer further said that the pop star even added some ad-libs, and eventually his vocals were mixed with John’s to create the track as it is today. “She was so free. That’s where all the improvisations came from. I was playing from the drop and that melody. These moments are so ‘her’ and so much of her personality”, he said.
“I love that they’re singing together, that their voices work so well together. Once she sang that chorus, I threw my headphones in the air. I was like, ‘Oh my God. It’s like Britney Spears singing ‘Tiny Dancer’. It’s just iconic and amazing.”
“Hold Me Closer” Tops Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart.