MUMBAI: Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys are finally giving the people what they want.
The famed performers teamed up for the new song "Matches," which premiered at 9 p.m. PT on Thursday, Dec. 7 and can be heard in the video below. This dropped at the same time as the release of the deluxe edition for Britney's 2016 album Glory.
"'Matches' featuring my friends @BackstreetBoys is out now!!!!" she posted to Instagram. "I'm so excited to hear what you think about our song together!!!! You can also listen to Glory Deluxe everywhere now ... including 'Swimming in the Stars' and the 'Mood Ring' remixes!!!! The love you guys have shown this album this year has been stupid amazing … like I can't even believe it!!! I hope it brings you joy. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!!!"
The Backstreet Boys were equally effusive on social media as they noted the fact that it took so long for a pairing of two of the definitive artists from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
"What a GLORIOUS day it is... we've been asked about the possibility of a collab like this for the past 20 years and today is the day!!" the group posted. "#BritneyXBackstreet is finally here! #Matches is out now on @britneyspears' Glory Deluxe."
The new version of the album includes the 17 tracks originally released on Glory, along with "Mood Ring" remixes and the two previously unreleased tunes, "Matches" and "Swimming in the Stars."
At the time of Glory's original 2016 release, with "Make Me..." as its first single, the album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
With a white-hot new track like this one, it's anyone's guess how popular the revamped collection could be.