Britney Spears' 2001 Song With Justin Timberlake Surfaces Ahead of Reissue
A song Britney Spears wrote and recorded with Justin Timberlake in 2001 has surfaced after 25 years in the vault.
The track is called “She’ll Never Be Me.” It will also get a formal release on the 25th anniversary edition of Spears’ album Britney, due on Nov. 6 with five additional songs.
Spears cut the song for Britney, her third studio album, with Timberlake as co-writer, according to Rolling Stone. Timberlake also sings background vocals on the recording. Production was handled by Alex Greggs, who also works under the name Riprock ’n’ Alex G.
The recording was left unfinished at the time. It was set aside so other songs for the album could be prioritised and completed.
Word of the track spread after Spears shared the previously unreleased song, as first reported by Entertainment Weekly. The anniversary reissue now gives it a confirmed home. The new edition adds five tracks to the original album, with “She’ll Never Be Me” listed among them.
The collaboration dates to a period when Spears and Timberlake were in a relationship. They were together from 1999 until 2002, and the 2001 session fell inside that span.
Separately, Spears has sold the rights to her music catalogue, the collection of songs and recordings that earns royalties over time, to independent music publisher Primary Wave.
What makes this stand out is the paper trail. For fans, this means a chance to hear exactly who did what in the room. The writing credit, the background vocal and the producer credit are all documented. No mystery. Just a shelved session, finished or not, finally out in the open.
