Elton John and Britney Spears have released the official video for their duet, “Hold Me Closer.”
The single started as a solo song for John before he reached out to Spears with the idea of turning the single into a collaboration. Spears “immediately said yes,” according to a press release.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have had the chance to work with Britney Spears,” John said at the time. “She truly is an icon, one of the all-time great pop stars, and she sounds amazing on this record. I love her dearly and am delighted with what we’ve created together.”
Directed by award-winner Tanu Muino, the video, shot in vibrant Mexico City, accompanies the danceable track with footage of dancers performing the beauty of human embrace and intimacy.
“This was an emotional one for me as I grew up with Britney. After seeing ‘Slave 4 U’, I decided that I wanted to become a video director. Elton John is an icon that I and the world grew up listening to,” Muino said in a statement.
“Going into this video, I knew there would be a lot of emotional expectations the audience and fans would have. With this responsibility, I had to do something different and unexpected,” she added.
“The dance had to be forward-thinking to raise eyebrows and make Elton and Britney proud.”
Neither John nor Spears appears in the video.
“Getting the best dancers, crew, and access to some of the most private locations in the world was simple as everyone wanted to work with Elton John and be part of his legacy,” Muino said.
Muino has also directed other high-profile videos, including Lil Nas X’s “Montero”, Harry Styles’ “As It Was”, Lizzo’s “Rumors” and more.
Watch the video below.
