On July 17, Will.i.am jumped on his socials and teased a new song in collaboration with his old friend and production charge Britney Spears, writing, “UH OH!! You are NOW rocking with will.i.am. and @britneyspears!” Changing his gears, and his release date, to July 21, the producer and co-founding member of the Black Eyed Peas then dropped his new “Mind Your Business” duet with Spears for what is her second song to be released after her 13-year conservatorship was terminated. (Spears’ other recent pairing, with Elton John on “Hold Me Closer,” became her 14th Top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100.)
The spare, electro-banging “Mind Your Business” marks the first reunion for Spears and Will.i.am since he produced and co-wrote several songs for her 2013 album “Britney Jean” (including his favorite, “Work Bitch”), as well as their triple-platinum hit “Scream & Shout” (which reached the billion-view on YouTube earlier this year).
While the producer mentioned that the most recent work on “Mind Your Business” yielded ideas that he and Spears will put off for a possible next collaboration, it’s worth noting that the first name on the single is that of Will.i.am, who’s nearing completion on his fifth solo album. Meanwhile Spears, currently celebrated on Broadway in a musical devised from her hits, “Once Upon a One More Time,” is readying a promotional push for her memoir, “The Woman In Me,” to be published this October.
A rapid-fire-speaking Will.i.am was in Saint Tropez, France, on Friday morning when Variety caught up with him about the just-out release.
Before we talk about anything Britney, it’s your name that comes first on “Mind Your Business.” Is this part of a larger forthcoming project?
Will.i.am: It is. I have a project coming toward the end of the year.
Does “Mind Your Business” sound like the other songs on this upcoming project?
The project that I’m working on right now is like…. I’m trying to do the most. The reason why I’m trying to do the most is because as far as music goes, humans – vocals, humans on microphones, humans on instruments – I want to take advantage of the moment. Right now. I want to create as much human-made music as I can as we enter this next phase. This societal shift. So, I’m doing the most, two sonic projects at the same time that are poppy, dance, festive that are like “Mind Your B.” A lot of club/electronic and disco-inspired celebrative music. Then, there’s an old-school, lyrical, jazz chord-y project at the same time – like the original Black Eyed Peas formation. Real backpack, check-out-my-lyrics stuff, check-out-these-earworms that you can’t get out of your head. That’s the duality I live in. I love doing the both of them. Also doing TikToks, streaming and documentaries are important too. So I’m working on a doc as well. Without giving too much away, the documentary will reveal why I want to do both of those projects at the same time. There’s a lot of changes coming in this decade. It’s a transformational decade.
Does the “Mind Your Business” Britney track signal additional work between the two of you, whether for your two new projects or for a potential new album for her?
Whatever, however and whenever, Britney, I am there for her. She’s a darling to work with, an amazing human being. I’ll always make myself available to her.
Before you two worked together on “Scream & Shout,” how did you know each other? What do you recall about your initial meeting?
Portugal, 2007, Black Eyed Peas did Rock in Rio and she was the headliner. “Dang, we’re rocking right before Britney. We gotta bring it.” At that time, I transformed into a huge fan because of “Toxic.” That track changed my life as far as I how I write and compete in that realm. When I heard “bleeearn-neearn-neearn-neearn” [his version of the “Toxic” intro], we produced “No, no, no, no, don’t phunk with my heart.” Same tempo. I told her that. Amazing. The video. The chorus. Even that noodle guitar. I still study that song. The structure, and how she performs it — perfect. That’s when I became an ultra-fan.
So, how does moving from ultra-fan to her producer occur?
The first song I did with her was “Big Fat Bass.” Every time I hear that I know that I could have done that better. I love it, but I would change things, still — revisit it. Back then, however, it was that revisiting that resulted in “Scream & Shout.” I had something perfect for “Big Fat Bass,” little catchphrases and its earworms. But “Scream & Shout” became an anthem. She needed something that she could always perform, that would always arouse crowd participation. My follow-up to that, which was my personal favorite, was “Work Bitch.” Deearn-deearn-deearn-deearn BUGATI. “Work Bitch” is the sassiest. If any producer asked me for my most avant-garde stuff and my intranational planet-shakers, “Scream & Shout” and “Work Bitch” are at the top of my check-it-out repertoire.
Was topping those tracks a goal for “Mind Your Business?”
I am competitive. Here it is, 2023, people want to hear this. But they ask, when did I record this with Britney? And is that really Britney on it? Yes, it is. When did I record it? That’s not important. For example, I have a track from several records ago, “Girl Like Me.” I wrote and produced it for Shakira in 2008, but it came out in 2021. That’s a lot of fermenting. Not everything should be instant. If you want to make great wine, there’s no such thing as instant wine. Intoxication on anything that you consume takes a while. Shit’s gotta sit around for a minute … fine-tune it, perfect it. Certain things come out when they’re supposed to come out. “Let’s Get Started,” we wrote and produced that in 1999, but didn’t release it until 2003. Some songs take 30 seconds to write and come out that month, like “My Humps.” BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM. “Mind Your Business” needed time. Now, at this time, it is perfect.
You started this interview talking about humanity — humanity regarding the voice and such. What’s different about the Britney you worked with in 2013 and the Britney with whom you cut “Mind Your Business”? And how old is this track?
The music was different than what you’re hearing now – different vibe, different tempo, different whole thing. When I re-addressed it, I started hearing how it fit into now. I messed around with different chord progressions and to marry the emotion to the present time. What remains true is that, as vocalists, we don’t change. The vocal tone that we (Britney and I) have now, in our 40s, we haven’t changed. Her passion… she’s explosive. Do you understand? If Britney gets into the studio to make a record right now, it’s earth-shattering. You see it when she’s dancing on Instagram. You feel it. She wants to let go. She’s the inspo-est, the most electricity-bottled-up, and ready to burst. The most amazing array of colors. She’s love and passion, perspective and introspective. Whenever she wants me to be part of her next project I am there. It’s going to be the most human, something every single person can relate to.
You alluded to something during the CBS Morning Show – how you have been supportive of her as a person. Does this mean that you were privy, as a friend, to the stranglehold of her 13-year conservatorship? Were you friends enough to have that conversation?
I didn’t know the depths. I can’t even…. I was a contributor, and our connection was music, and music only. Sometimes music gets personal, but as far as the day-to-day stuff, no. I didn’t know until everyone else knew. But you put two-and-two together, and everything makes sense.
You do a verse on “Mind Your Business” about having “hands up in the cookie jar, they’re watching me, they’re watching you.” You just mentioned Britney’s Instagram. Social media is a tricky beast.
I’m so happy you pointed that out. Because we all have our own perspective on “minding your b.”
What business we want people to mind. Hers is a different business than mine, a more personal one. More extreme. “Uptown. Downtown. Everywhere I turned around… Paparazzi shot me. I am the economy.” That’s not a really nice reality where people follow you knowing they’ll get paid – that a person can’t do regular things. That’s the price of fame, sure, but damn, you can’t go to the supermarket? You have to be empathetic toward everything that a person might be going through… the things they can’t do. Everybody is up in your cookies.
Tell me about the final recording of “Mind Your Business,” and how were the writing credits shared with Britney?
She really likes recording her vocals with Anthony Preston. He’s an awesome vocal producer that she’s worked with forever. I’ll get started in the studio, get a vibe going, and Anthony will record the vocals. I wish I had recorded her vocal on that. As far as writing, we wrote it together. We’d meet up for lunch sessions in the Valley, talk about life, I’d take notes about what we discussed. She’d ask to change this, change that. She’s the first person I wrote like that with – let’s just sit and chat about life, love, news, pop culture products. Just talk… I’d show her song structures, rhymes, metaphors. She’d shape and edit the lyrics. It was the same with the music. Since the start, I changed the music around. The beat was all dance. But on this one part, “Wheresheat-wheresheat-wheresheat,” she wanted something hip-hop, sparse and half-time. That’s dope. She had other awesome ideas too for “Mind Your Business,” but it was so juicy, it would be great for a brand new freaking song – and this was last week. She’s always coming up with new songs. I can’t wait.
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