Britney Spears tweeted out the link to a 22-minute audio broadside detailing the painful reality of her controlled life under her former, thirteen-year conservatorship. The link to the audio file was originally shared by the singer without context before being deleted, yet remains available online.

“I woke up this morning and I realised there's a lot going on in my head that I haven't shared with anyone,” says a worn-down, authentic Spears at the start of the recording.

She then goes on to detail the constraints placed on her by her father, who oversaw a majority of the conservatorship, which included being forced to work unwillingly on tour, cutting off contact with friends and not being allowed to drive her own car, and knowing that her phone was tapped. The singer explained this same lifestyle to a California courtroom last year during her trial.

In the audio clip, Spears further reveals that those in control of her life would shame her over her appearance or weight, admitting, “They made me feel like nothing, and I went along with it. It was demoralising.”

The conservatorship, largely controlled by her father Jamie Spears, was finally terminated by the Los Angeles Superior Court in November of last year, following online scrutiny by the #FreeBritney movement and the Framing Britney Spears documentary by The New York Times spotlighting some hidden truths about her life.

The southern-born pop star shot into the public eye in her early teen years with novice hits like ‘…Hit Me Baby One More Time’ and more, of which famously chronicled the teen years of young girls around the globe.

“You also have to understand, it was, like, 15 years of touring and doing shows,” she added in the audio file. “And I'm 30-years-old, living under my dad's rules.”

In 2007, the singer’s life took a downhill turn when she went through a paparazzi-fueled public breakdown, crumbling under the weight of the spotlight and unable to receive privacy. Shortly thereafter, in 2008, the conservatorship went into place.

Guardianship enforced that Spears remained under her father’s primary control for over thirteen years. It wasn’t until last year, in September of 2021 that a Los Angeles judge dissolved the conservatorship, granting Spears her long-awaited independence.

Following the court’s decision and the public judgement against her family, Spears wrote on Instagram, “I was so scared and nothing is worse than your own family doing what they did to me. I’m lucky to have a small circle of adorable friends who I can count on.”

Coming up on one year since tasting freedom again, Spears is now married to Sam Asghari and just last week released new music for the first time in six years. Her duet with Elton John, ‘Hold Me Closer,’ entered the world last Friday, August 26, and it’s a celebratory pop moment for pop’s princess.

Okie dokie … my first song in 6 years 🎶 !!!! It’s pretty damn cool that I’m singing with one of
the most classic men of our time … @eltonofficial 🚀!!!! I’m kinda overwhelmed… it’s a big deal to me !!! I’m meditating more 🧘🏼‍♀️ and learning my space is valuable and precious !!!

— Britney Spears 🌹🚀 (@britneyspears) August 25, 2022

John himself announced the duet with his longtime friend a week before its release, sharing a photo on Instagram of the pair when they were young, which is also the cover art for the track.

Listen to ‘Hold Me Closer’ by Britney Spears and Elton John below.