- Music
- 28 Sep 22
Ukrainian award-winning director Tanu Muino called the project "an emotional one", due to her admiration for Britney Spears.
Pop icons Britney Spears and Elton John have released a new music video for their summer hit 'Hold Me Closer', which reinterprets Elton John's 1971 classic 'Tiny Dancer'.
The vibrant dance video was shot in Mexico City and directed by Ukrainian award-winning director Tanu Muino, who was also behind the visuals for Harry Styles’ 'As It Was', Cardi B’s 'Up', and Lil Nas X’s 'Montero'. It beautifully captures the feeling of intimacy between diverse pairs of dancers, who skillfully perform in a number of stunning locations.
While the pop duo does not appear in the video, Elton John shared a clip to his Instagram, asking fans to check out the video, which captures intimacy that's "so missing from the world through the turmoil and chaos of recent times."
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Director Tanu Muino said that it was Britney Spears who actually inspired her to work in film. "This was an emotional one for me as I grew up with Britney. After seeing "Slave For You," I decided that I wanted to become a video director," she explained in a press statement. "Elton John is an icon that I and the world grew up listening to."
On the creative direction, Muino continued, "Going into this video, I knew there would be a lot of emotional expectations the audience and fans would have. With this responsibility, I had to do something different and unexpected. The dance had to be forward-thinking to raise eyebrows and make Elton and Britney proud. To capture this magic, we shot around all my favorite architectural locations in Mexico City and brought on choreographer Jacob Jonas who does the best contemporary choreography today.
"Getting the best dancers, crew, and access to some of the most private locations in the world was simple as everyone wanted to work with Elton John and be part of his legacy," she said about the music video that was produced by Robert Katz, Frank Borin and Ivana Borin.
'Hold Me Closer' dropped at the end of August as one of the most highly anticipated singles of the year, given that it was the first new music from Spears following the end of her conservatorship last November. She had previously released her ninth studio album Glory in August 2016 via RCA Records, accompanied by a handful of singles.
Elton John has collaborated on new material with a number of artists in recent months, including with Yard Act on '100% Endurance - Elton John Version', Ed Sheeran on 'Merry Christmas' and Dua Lipa on 'Cold Heart'. He is currently on tour in the United States, with his final show in Los Angeles set to be livestreamed on Disney+ as part of a deal with Disney that includes the forthcoming documentary Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and the Years That Made His Legend.
In addition to the music video, it was announced that three collectible, limited edition CD singles of 'Hold Me Closer' will be released in November. They are available for pre-order here.
Watch the music video for 'Hold Me Closer' below.