By Ralphie Aversa, “Ralphie Tonight”
She helped usher in a new era of pop music in the 90’s, becoming the best selling teenaged artist of all time in the process. She overcame personal issues to release some of her most heralded songs to date; before 2011’s Femme Fatale she never placed three singles in the top 10 off one album. And in a move that certainly looks visionary in hindsight, she helped change the idea that only “legacy” or “past their prime” acts take up a residency in Las Vegas. Her show at Planet Hollywood is one of the hottest tickets on The Strip.
It is obvious that throughout her much-publicized career, despite the trials and tribulations, Britney Spears has always found a way to set new trends. This is no different with the release of her new song, “Pretty Girls,” which features rapper Iggy Azalea.
The weekend prior to the single’s scheduled launch, Spears teamed up with Uber in Los Angeles to give fans a preview of the track. On Sunday, any user of the car sharing service in LA that requested a “Bee” ride at 3 pm west coast time was eligible to be picked up in a SUV branded with Spears’ name. When inside, the fan would get to hear the track ahead of its official midnight release, and even leave with a few pieces of Spears merchandise.
Unfortunately for Spears’ camp, a trend the singer could not buck is the leak of a record ahead of its on-sale date. A version of the song hit the Internet on Saturday. This could explain the push to release the song Monday at midnight, as opposed to the originally announced date of May 5.
“Pretty Girls” is the first new music Spears has released since her 2013 album Britney Jean. The collaboration with Azalea was produced by the Invisible Men, the same production team behind last year’s anthem “Fancy.”The songs share similar bravado but Britney brings a distinctively different sound to the track – which the duo can only hope duplicates the success of Azalea’s breakout hit. Spears’ last chart-topper in the states was “Hold It Against Me” in 2011.
Spears and Azalea have already filmed the music video although no release date has been set. The two will team up to premiere the song on television in a few weeks, performing it live on the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. The award show airs live May 17 at 8 pm on ABC from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Vegas.
So @Uber & I are bringing #PrettyGirls to you! Request a “Bee” ride in LA @ 3pm PT to hear it http://t.co/7Bi6lwdDqe
https://t.co/DGHRVO3onh
— Britney Spears (@britneyspears) May 3, 2015