Britney Spears fans got an unexpected surprise with a previously unreleased song by the pop icon.
On October 9, Spears and her team released “She’ll Never Be Me”, a song recorded in 2001 for her third self-titled album, “Britney”.
The song comes weeks before the album celebrates its 25th anniversary with a special edition re-release called “Britney (25th Anniversary Edition),” which includes songs from the vault.
“She’ll Never Be Me” is a quintessential Britney Spears song, with bubblegum pop, an early buzz sound, girl power lyrics, and the singer’s signature girly and bold vocals.
The 3-minute track talks about an ex-girlfriend who is now with someone who looks like her.
“You know I’m one of a kind/Boy, this is what I see/Your girl looks just like me/Blonde hair and dressed to a T,” it begins. “Tell me how it could be/Does he know it’s me that turns you on/But you don’t want to talk about it.”
According to the song’s YouTube description, Spears is listed as the songwriter, associated performer and composer.
She is also credited as a songwriter and composer with her ex Justin Timberlake, as well as Bradley Daymond and Alex Greggs. Riprock ‘n’ Alex G is a producer.
“She’ll Never Be Me” is one of five new songs featured on the “Britney” re-release; these include “Am I a Sinner”, “When I Say So”, “My Big Secret” and “Right Now (Taste The Victory)” from the 2002 Pepsi commercial.
Fans will be able to hear the songs when “Britney (25th Anniversary Edition)” is released on November 6.
Spears’s new song “Mind Your Business”, which she recorded with Will.i.am, was last shared in 2023. In 2020, he also dropped a never-before-heard collaboration with the Backstreet Boys called “Matches.”
The song was featured on the deluxe edition of his 2016 album “Glory”.