Read This: Britney Spears steps back into the studio for the first time since conservatorship ended

Britney Spears has had a hell of a few years. After fighting relentlessly for the end of her 13-year-long conservatorship, she won the fight in court, earning her personal freedom and paving the way for her to yield full control over her music career.

After expressing some reluctance about returning to the music industry, it took someone like Elton John to pull her back. Marking her first single release since 2016, Spears joined the legend for “Hold Me Closer,” a summery mashup of John’s hits “Tiny Dancer,” “The One,” and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” In July, Spears recorded her contributions to the song in the home studio of producer Andrew Watt, arriving ready to go with a razor-sharp focus.

“She was so prepared. She had spent time with the record and knew how she wanted to do it,” Watt says in an interview with The Guardian, taking us behind the scenes of the song’s recording.

“She sang fantastically,” John says of his collaborator. “Everyone was saying they don’t think she can sing anymore. But I said, she was brilliant when she started so I think she can. And she did it, and I was so thrilled with what she did.”

Watt offers insight into Spears’ work ethic and recording process, which for “Hold Me Closer” took all of about two hours to complete.

“She’s unbelievable at layering her voice and doubling, which is one of the hardest things to do. She really pushed herself, vocally,” Watt says of the experience. “Sometimes when you produce, the greatest thing in the world you can do is say nothing, so I just let her do her thing. She’s so good at knowing when she got the right take. She took complete control.”

Watts stepped back and witnessed the pop icon hold herself to her own high standards, re-recording lines and bringing in new ideas without his input. When the recording wrapped, Spears even brought in her own ideas concerning the mixing of her vocals.

“She was really collaborative and had really good ideas about the production. She’s an expert in music to make you dance” Watt says.

“Hold Me Closer” may be a tepid offering that fails to utilize everything Spears brings to the table as a pop star, but it serves as a triumphant victory lap regarding the end of her lengthy conservatorship. While Spears’ music career used to be a space where she was constantly exploited for others’ gain, she can now sing and dance for no one’s benefit but her own. You can check the entire story out over at The Guardian.