Does Britney Spears have her sights set back on the music industry?
The "Toxic" hitmaker could be soft-launching her return to music by interviewing an up-and-coming pop star. For the next edition of V Magazine, Spears will be sitting down with Tate McRae for a "candid" interview.
Their "candid" chat will be part of the magazine's "Beauty and the Beat" issue, which is set to be available on June 7. The two pop stars are set to discuss "finding inspiration, falling in love with music and dance, and staying grounded while in the industry.
In the interview, Spears labels McRae as an "incredible performer," noting that she has watched some of her performances and "each one continues to top the next." The "Piece of Me" singer also admits that "you broke me first" is "one of her favorite songs."
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Towards the end of the preview excerpt from the interview, the Grammy-winner asks McRae about "the hardest part about being an artist of your stature at this point." Spears famously created the archetype for female pop stars such as McRae, also facing many of the hardships that current singers no longer deal with.
"I would say the pressure I put on myself," the 20-year-old singer told Spears. "I have been a perfectionist my entire life, so sometimes the hyper-critical thoughts can fully consume you. I try to trust my gut as much as possible and not take in that many outside opinions."
The move to interview McRae is an unexpected one from Spears, who has sworn off any music industry-related projects in recent months. She revealed that she will "never return" to music after reports surfaced in January that Charli XCX had been working on music for a new Spears album.
"Just so we're clear, most of the news is trash," Spears wrote on Instagram following the report. "They keep saying I'm turning to random people to do a new album ... I will never return to the music industry !!!"
Spears has specifically taken aim at the press within the past year. She called out media outlets who were "harping on" her past experiences that she wrote about in her new book, particularly her searing indictments of Justin Timberlake.
"I don't like the headlines I'm reading ... that's exactly why I quit the business four years ago," she shared. "My motive for this book was not to harp on my past experiences which is what the press is doing and it's dumb and silly !!! I have moved on since then !!!"
The new interview might mean that Swift is dipping her toes back into the music industry, teaming up with a rising singer before she makes her highly-anticipated comeback.
While her return to the industry may be uncertain, the "Womanizer" hitmaker is enjoying her new life post-conservatorship, frequently embarking on long vacations and dancing in her living room. However, she recently complained about having "serious nerve damage" that causes so much pain on her right side that she "can't even think sometimes."
