Britney’s back – one more time

AFTER a career spanning two decades of highs and lows, pop singer Britney Spears discussed her inspirations and aspirations, and tried to explain why her latest album should not be seen as a return to music.

“I don’t really see it as a comeback. I’ve been here for a really long time,” the singer said ahead of her performance at the Apple Music Festival in London on Tuesday.

Hundreds of fans cheered, sang and danced at the Roundhouse venue in Camden as Spears and a troupe of dancers performed her charttoppers including Baby One More Time and Oops! I Did it Again.

The singer changed several times during the gig, her outfits ranging from a sparkly leotard to a schoolgirl-inspired skirt, shirt and tie.

The concert comes a month after Spears’ ninth album Glory and she delivered a steamy, high-octane performance at MTV’s Video Music Awards, thrusting herself back in the national spotlight.

“I feel like it’s been a while since I brought new music to the table,” Spears said.

“I didn’t want to do a typical pop record. I wanted to do something really different.”

Spears, 34, said Glory, which features the hit song Make Me, is still her style but with “a little bit of a flair to it,” drawing inspiration from pop singer Selena Gomez’s most recent Revival tour.

“I just love her music. I think she’s really great.

“I was really, really inspired by her work,” she said.

The new album cements a steady return to music after Spears took a hiatus following a personal and career meltdown in 20062007 that included shaving her signature blonde locks, losing custody of her two children and being placed under a court-ordered conservatorship.

She made a comeback in late 2008 and since 2013 has helmed a successful residency show in Las Vegas, extended through 2017.

As for future musical collaborations, Spears has a couple of rockers in mind, specifically Aerosmith’s charismatic frontman.

“I love Steven Tyler, he’s great.

“He’s like rock ’n roll, man, like just crazy cool. I think he exudes sex and electricity and you’re just like a magnet when you get next to him,” Spears said.

“I would love to work with Lenny Kravitz too. I think he’s great, he’s a legend,” she said. — Reuters