Britney Spears’ Comeback Single Goes Platinum

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 24: (L-R) Recording Artist Britney Spears and Sir Elton John attend ... [+] the 21st Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party at West Hollywood Park on February 24, 2013 in West Hollywood, California. Britney Spears and Elton John's "Hold Me Closer" earns its first gold and platinum certifications from the RIAA two years after it was released. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for EJAF)

Getty Images for EJAF

After years of quiet—at least when it came to releasing new music—Britney Spears returned to the medium that made her a superstar in 2022 with a high-profile collaboration. The singer celebrated becoming a free woman once again with "Hold Me Closer," a duet with none other than Elton John. The tune was a quick win, and it showed that the world still loved her.

More than two years after it was released, "Hold Me Closer" earns its first certifications from the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). The organization hands out honors when tunes and albums hit certain consumption thresholds, such as gold (500,000 equivalent units) and platinum (one million units).

"Hold Me Closer" is now a platinum-certified smash in the U.S. The single collects both a gold plaque and a platinum one at the same time, going from no awards to two in a heartbeat.

Spears earns her first new RIAA-certified single in nearly a year. The last time she saw any of her releases collect any wins from the music industry organization was back in October 2023. That month turned out to be perhaps the biggest in the decades that Spears has been a household name, when it came to these honors.

On October 24, 2023, more than two dozen of Spears' songs earned some kind of recognition from the RIAA. That's most of her well-known hits. Some of her singles collected their first honor, like "Do Somethin'," "Sometimes," and "Overprotected," which all went gold. Other smashes advanced much higher, such as "Womanizer" (six-times platinum) and "Circus" (five-times platinum).

John, meanwhile, hasn't scored a new RIAA singles award in more than two years. He last collected any honor from the organization in May 2022 when "Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)," another superstar collaboration with Dua Lipa, went from nothing to double platinum at once.

"Hold Me Closer" saw John mashing up his past hits "Tiny Dancer," "The One," and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" to create something fresh and new. He paired those lyrics with electronic pop production, which ensured the tune appealed to younger listeners. He tried the same thing with "Cold Heart," and that turned out to be a huge global smash, so it made sense that he'd try it again.

John and Spears sent "Hold Me Closer" into the top 10 on the Hot 100, and it still stands as the latest major win for both musicians. While the track wasn't a longstanding win, its lofty debut made it an important win, and it showed that there was still an appetite for pop smashes from Spears—though she has yet to follow the tune up with another big single.