Britney Spears Has No Plans To Rejoin The Music Industry

About two months after Britney Spears published some surprising confessions in her memoir "The Woman in Me," rumors circulated that she was going to be recording a new album. In December 2023, The U.S. Sun claimed that Spears was planning on releasing an album in 2024 to pay homage to the 25th anniversary of her first album. It name-dropped Charli XCX as someone involved in the songwriting process for the hypothetical project, and a source said it was "top secret." The source added, "Work has been going on behind the scenes for quite a while to gather a series of killer songs to bring Britney back with a bang," and claimed that Charli had started creating songs in the studio based on what Spears wanted.

In January 2024, Page Six contributed to the rumors about new Spears music. An insider told the outlet that Charli XCX and Julia Michaels were both writing songs for Spears. Although Charli's previous collaborations with Spears fell through, Michaels contributed to some tracks on Spears' 2016 album "Glory."

Page Six was also told that Spears stepped back from making music due to her memoir's release. Following the rumors about new music, Spears took to her currently deactivated Instagram page to discuss the future of her music career — or lack thereof.

Although Britney Spears' January 2024 post explaining that she was done making music for herself cannot be seen while Spears' Instagram account is deactivated, Entertainment Weekly shared its details. In the post's caption, Spears shot down rumors that she was making an album or working with other singers, calling the speculation "trash." Spears went on to say, "They keep saying I'm turning to random people to do a new album ... I will never return to the music industry!!!" Spears also said that any music she writes is just for herself or for others to perform, adding that, "I've written over 20 songs for other people the past two years!!! I'm a ghostwriter and I honestly enjoy it that way!!!"

Newsweek also said that Britney Spears' post clarified that her memoir "The Woman in Me" was published with her permission and knowledge. Regarding claims otherwise, "That's far from the truth. I'm so LOVED and blessed!!!" The post's accompanying photo was a photo of the painting "Salome with the Head of John the Baptist" by Guido Reni.

A thread on the "Music" subreddit linked to a BingeHulu article discussing Spears' January 2024 statement. Many people in the comments expressed their understanding of Spears' decision. One poster said, "Who can blame her," likely referring to the tragic details of Spears' life and career.

According to Page Six, Britney Spears explained a bit more about why she wasn't making music in a 2021 Instagram post. It had to do with her father's conservatorship of her and striking back against her family. Spears said, "Not doing music anymore is my way of saying 'F*** You' in a sense when it only actually benefits my family by ignoring my real work. It's like I've subconsciously let them win." She also said she was "scared of people and the business!!!!"

Spears also spoke about leaving the industry in a post prior to her memoir's publication. According to Mirror, Spears wrote on Instagram at the time, "My book's purpose was not to offend anyone by any means. I don't like the headlines I am reading ... that's exactly why I quit the business four years ago!" After this, her account was temporarily deactivated.

Fox News reported that after her January 2024 announcement, Spears' Instagram page reappeared and disappeared. It's possible that she will return to Instagram, although sometimes her return to the platform has left fans with unanswered questions — like when Spears dropped shocking details about her conservatorship, deactivated her account again, and returned with a post captioned only with a rose emoji.