Britney Spears has surprised fans with an unreleased song co-written with ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, revisiting her early-2000s pop era. The track, She’ll Never Be Me, arrived on Friday, October 9, as part of celebrations marking 25 years of her 2001 album Britney.
The song was originally written for the album, which featured Timberlake as a co-producer. Spears will celebrate the milestone with Britney (25th Anniversary Edition), scheduled for release on November 6.
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Meanwhile, Spears has not publicly commented on the newly released track. However, she recently shared a throwback photo on Instagram from her 2001 visit to Australia, where she posed with a koala while promoting the album.
The 2001 record marked the former couple’s first and only album collaboration. Timberlake also co-wrote What It’s Like to Be Me and contributed background vocals to the original release.
Spears and Timberlake first met in 1992 while appearing on The Mickey Mouse Club. They began dating in 1999 and remained together until their highly publicised breakup in 2002.
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Their separation attracted widespread attention after Timberlake released Cry Me a River that year. The music video featured a Spears look-alike, adding to public discussion surrounding their split.
Spears later shared her perspective in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me. She wrote that she felt unable to tell her side of the story at the time and believed the public had sided with Timberlake.
Spears has not released a new song since 2016 or performed live since 2018, making the anniversary release a notable return to her earlier musical catalogue.