Kaia Anderson, pretty girl
It’s official: the princess of pop has made her comeback. After swearing she would never return to the music industry, Britney Spears has just released her newest song, “Pretty Girls,” featuring Iggy Azalea, who collaborated with members of Little Mix during the writing process. This is an awe-inspiring collaboration the likes of which the world never expected to see. I know I was shocked when the song was randomly dropped on April 1, although it seems like I’m alone in that thought since nobody is covering it? I haven’t seen any other news outlets talking about this legendary comeback, like come on people, it’s Britney b*tch!
Back in 2014, the “Toxic” singer mentioned that she wanted to work with either Azalea or Katy Perry. Now, 11 years later, that wish has come true as the two of them embark on a brand new musical adventure. Despite being no stranger to the electronic dance genre, this is a new sound for Spears, who takes the lead on this very Azalea-heavy song. This track is a tribute to Spears’ vocal prowess. Her voice floats above a synth track complete with a heavy bass line and tinny bells during the chorus; a variety of claps, snaps, and sighs finish off a very simplistic backing track — leaving the voices of Spears and Azalea to carry the song that never slows.
Lyrically, “Pretty Girls” is a powerful anthem. The line “All around the world pretty girls / Wipe the floor with all the boys” opens the song and soon becomes the chorus. Narratively, this track focuses on pretty girls who capture the attention of all the boys and get perks like jumping to the front of the lines. These lyrics, however, don’t have to be overly pretentious to bring in listeners; with a catchy hook and two great voices, “Pretty Girls” is sure to be a hit. Especially with the recent success of Charli XCX’s “Brat,” an album steeped in the sound of dance-pop that captured the public’s attention. The final verse is given to “Fancy” singer Iggy Azalea. The addition of pads, an atmospheric sustained cord and the short change-up adds the final piece to create pop perfection.
Narratively, this track focuses on pretty girls who capture the attention of all the boys and get perks like jumping to the front of the lines. These lyrics, however, don’t have to be overly pretentious to bring in listeners; with a catchy hook and two great voices, “Pretty Girls” is sure to be a hit.
Kaia Anderson
Azalea knew what was up while writing, and with some help from producers Jason Pebworth, George Astasio, and Jon Shave (The Invisible Men), “Pretty Girls” captures the feeling of getting ready to go out with your girls. It brings us back to the summer of 2015 when girl pop was dominating the charts, almost like it was actually written and released way back then — but we all know that isn’t true. While recording, Spears and Azalea became quite close. I theorize that they will stay best friends forever and definitely never have a media fueled feud. Maybe we’ll even get another song from them in the future!
“Pretty Girls” is what current pop artists should be aspiring to, especially as we head into the summer months. With the return of other pop dance icons like Lady Gaga, this is the perfect time for Britney Spears to reenter the popular zeitgeist and I can only hope this leads to another album from the star.