Britney Spears releases first ‘new’ music in 4 years

After a four-year hiatus, Britney Spears is back. The pop princess has released music for the first time since “Glory,” her 2016 album.

“Mood Ring (By Demand)” did technically appear on the Japanese deluxe version of “Glory,” but until now, it had been previously unavailable to most fans. As of May 29, the song is available on all streaming services.

Spears also rereleased “Glory” with new album cover art, which she shared on Instagram.

“Repurposed this since we didn’t use it … You folks wanted a new album cover … ta da there you go!!!” she wrote in the caption:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAwfCgpg6cl/?utm_source=ig_embed

“What was requested next is out now,” she added. “I hope you turn #MoodRing up sooooooo loud!!!!”

Earlier in May, Spears’ loyal fan base pushed “Glory” to the top of charts with the social media campaign #JusticeForGlory. Less than a day after “Mood Ring” was released everywhere in a surprise, it reached No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes chart.

“This is incredible!” Spears told Billboard. “‘Mood Ring’ is one of my favorite songs on ‘Glory,’ it’s so vibey and sexy. I’m so grateful to the fans for pushing for its release, and then making it go No. 1 on iTunes. I have the best fans in the world! I love you all!”

Check out the official music video for “Glory” in this video posted to YouTube by Team Britney Army:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCfqAOkLpPE

“Mood Ring” was written for Spears by Melanie Fontana and Jon Asher in 2015, and the songwriters are thrilled with its recent revival and subsequent popularity.

“She’s the reason I am a songwriter,” Fontana told Billboard. “There’s a machine behind every artist, and I’ve always wanted to become part of hers, since I was a little girl.”

Asher echoed her sentiments, calling the song a “destiny fulfillment.”

“I knew when I moved to L.A. that I would be working towards a getting a Britney song,” he said. “I didn’t know how it was going to happen, but I knew it would.”

Given that the star probably won’t be releasing a new album anytime soon, as she appears to be focusing on other things, it looks like this will have to tide us over awhile!