“Music is therapy for lots of people; people that make music, people that listen to music,” Will.i.am said in a Thursday interview with CBS Mornings, ahead of his new song with his “Scream & Shout” collaborator, Britney Spears. “Dancing is therapy for lots of people; people that make music, people that listen to music. When you have that connection with music and rhythm and song and melody and harmony, and you express yourself through that, it helps you with anything that you’re going through. I see that every time I see [Britney] dance on her Instagram, I light up because I see how much she loves music.”
.@iamwill, who is teaming up again with @britneyspears on a surprise single, tells @nateburleson the meaning behind #mindyourbusiness: “When you’re in the spotlight, a lot of times, you just want to live your life.” pic.twitter.com/LGH1RDb8Wg
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) July 20, 2023
On Friday, Will.i.am, 48, and Britney, 41, will release “Mind Your Business,” her second song since the end of her 13-year conservatorship and the second time they’ve worked together since he included “Scream & Shout” on his #willpower album. Will said that working with Britney again felt like 2013 all over again. “To collaborate with her now and then, when you’re in the studio, and you’re making music, that’s the only thing that matters,” he said. “So I see the same light, the same joy, the same love and passion.”
The Black Eyed Peas member also shared how the new song came about. “I’ve been a fan, a friend, and a supporter of Britney throughout the years,” he said. “A supporter as far as someone who goes out and listens to her music, a supporter as far as someone that’s there to help champion her through her times where she was fighting for her liberation. She is an amazing person.”
As for the song being a possible message to Britney’s personal life, Wil.i.am was coy. Britney has feuded with her father over the way he ran his conservatorship, her sister Jamie Lynn Spears over her role within the past 13 years, her ex-husband over their kids, and her mother (though they patched things up recently) —
“When you’re in the spotlight, a lot of times you just want to live your life, and there are lyrics in the song that point to that, not just for people in the spotlight,” said Will.i.am. “Even in my verse, I say — ‘Hands up in the cookie jar / they watching me, they watching y’a’ll.’ That has to do with privacy and every individual out there who feels like they are not living a private life on social media. There’s a thin line, and everyone deserves their version of privacy. [That] is what ‘Mind Your Business’ is.”
Will.i.am teased the new song on July 17, writing, “UH OH!! You are NOW rocking with will.i.am. and @britneyspears!” Though he indicated that the song would arrive on the 18th, it was pushed back to a more conventional release date of the 21st.