14

There’s a reason Britney Spears is hailed the “Princess of Pop”. Although Spears had vowed to never return to music, she relived her once unfinished track “She’ll Never Be Me”, co-written with her then boyfriend, fellow musician, Justin Timberlake – who almost cost Spears her entire music career. Fans who have been following Spears since her early days would recognise her bubblegum pop vocal style, evident in this track, which never made it into her third self-titled Britney studio album back then, simply because her other songs were much better. But, hey, if you could use a distraction right now, you might want to give this a listen.

“She’ll Never Be Me” is among other tracks set for release, in conjunction with her 25th anniversary album. In the meantime, there’s the audio version out now, should you require your dose of early 2000s nostalgia.

Co-produced by Riprock ‘n’ Alex G, the song was also written by Alex Greggs and Bradley Daymond.

Apart from fan favourites like “I’m A Slave 4 U” and “I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman”, B-side “Intimidated” and “Right Now (Taste the Victory)” from the singer’s 2002 Pepsi commercial will be released, as part of the 25-song expanded version.

The upbeat, funky, erratic track is about a breakup and a former partner who has moved on with someone who’s trying to imitate her style. The song was created exactly at the transition point between “Oops!... I Did It Again” and “In The Zone”, making it bridge those two powerful sounds perfectly. So, you’re accurate if you hear influences from both, young yet aggressive, and mature, confident, yet erratic.

Listen closely and you’ll find Justin Timberlake doing backing vocals for the song.  

Spears, who is now in her 40s, will release her special album in early November 2026.

Note: B-side is a secondary song that appears on the reverse side of a physical vinyl single or accompanies a main promotional track.