Should Britney Spears fans support her new single amidst the #FreeBritney movement?

The #FreeBritney movement has been a hot topic for months now, but with a new Britney Spears single on the way, where do her fans go from here?

Usually, when an artist announces a new single, especially years after their last album was released, fans would be freaking out. Finally, a taste of something new — even if it’s just one song to tide you over. Unfortunately, for dedicated Britney Spears fans, it’s a bit more complicated than that.

This past week, Urban Outfitters announced that they would be releasing “Swimming in the Stars,” a previously unreleased Britney single (presumably from the Glory era, judging by the artwork) on vinyl as an UO exclusive. The announcement came as part of their Singles Day promotion, with the song being officially released in January.

The odd part, though, is the timing and Britney’s announcement — or should I say, the lack thereof?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, everybody knows about the struggles Britney Spears has faced over the years. Following her very public mental health episode back in 2007, which led to a string of strange antics, including an infamous MTV VMA performance, her shaving her head, and the eventual loss of custody of her two sons, Britney has been under what is known as a legal conservatorship. This means that her conservator — her father Jamie Spears, as well as a team of other business managers and lawyers — are in charge of her business decisions and her money, as well as other aspects of her life.

It seemed like the best decision at the time, and Britney soon flourished and made her triumphant return with her album Circus and its subsequent world tour. Since then, Britney was a judge on a season of the short-lived American version of The X Factor, released two more studio albums, embarked on two more international tours, and performed in her Las Vegas residency Piece of Me for four years.

And yet, through all of that, Britney is still under the strict control of her father. After the suspicious cancellation of her second Vegas residency, Domination, superfans started to do some digging. Soon after, the #FreeBritney movement was born. Fans pulled up court documents, business transactions, anonymous voicemails, and a number of other pieces of evidence that Jamie Spears and the rest of Britney’s team were taking advantage of her, her legacy, and her name to make money.

There’s an ongoing legal battle (which you can learn all about in a quick Google search), but this past week, Britney suffered a major blow in court. Despite her requesting that her father be removed as her conservator (after telling her lawyer she’s afraid of him and refuses to perform again until he’s removed), the judge upheld Jamie’s conservatorship.

The following day, Urban announced their exclusive single, and the only mention of it by Team Britney was in a retweet. Of course, conspiracy theorists in the fandom ran rampant, saying it was strategically planned to distract fans from the conservatorship drama (not necessarily just that day’s court decision).

The thing is, over the last few years, Britney’s team has really doubled down on Britney’s brand and cashing in on nostalgia products, new fragrances, merch lines, and even an immersive “fan experience” called The Zone in LA, which Britney allegedly refused to make an appearance at. Most (but not all) superfans, though, were quick to boycott The Zone.

But that’s where a difficult question comes up: Where do fans draw the line in supporting Britney when it’s not Britney making the decisions or bringing in the cash?

It’s easy for superfans, myself included, to be swayed by new (old) music, cute throwback merch, and anything else they throw our way. Britney hasn’t released a new album in over four years, and she hasn’t performed since her Britney: Live In Concert tour in 2018. If Britney doesn’t want to work, she doesn’t have to. But we’re starving!

We want to see Britney’s legacy celebrated like the legend she is, but we also want Britney to be happy and healthy. And by constantly releasing new products and, now, releasing music seemingly without Britney’s knowledge, it definitely looks like her team is just doing whatever they can to bring in money while Britney is on hiatus and focusing on herself.

So that leaves a question that maybe nobody can answer. Do fans support “Swimming in the Stars” and put more money in Jamie Spears’ pockets, or do they boycott? Honestly, I can’t tell anyone how to live their life, and if they want to buy the vinyl, they should go for it.

But I can speak for myself, and as a lifelong Britney fan, I will be skipping this product and looking for the song elsewhere when it (inevitably) winds up online, which I’m sure many other members of the fandom are opting to do as well. That way, I can still get my Britney fix without her dad getting more of our money.

The fight isn’t over, though. What’s important for members of the Britney Army to realize is: This is Britney’s life. It’s not a game or a TV show, and we don’t know what happens behind the scenes. Is there something shady going on with her team? Definitely. Do we know what? Not for sure, no. But now that #FreeBritney has gained worldwide attention, the right people can look into it and help Britney however they see fit — and that doesn’t include spreading conspiracy theories.

So for now, all we can do is show support for Britney in whatever way we choose and make sure we keep the conversation going.