Britney Spears and Will.i.am have apparently spending the last two months playing getting-to-know-you. But according to the Black Eyed Peas frontman, the time is nigh to begin her new album.
“We start next week,” Will.i.am told Billboard during the CLIO Awards in New York this week. “Before we even start we’ve had these juicy sessions, where we’ve been bonding, building the trust and comfort. I’ve never worked like this before – not even the Peas.”
As previously reported, Will.i.am is on tap as “executive producer” for the pop star’s next set, telling Rolling Stone that the “she really liked the way we worked because of my approach” after they worked on “Big Fat Bass” and “Scream & Shout Together.” “So they asked me to be involved in, not producing and writing every song, but to be an executive producer on the songs.”
Back to this week, Will.i.am explained his process of getting her to build “trust and comfort.”
“I wanted to just go to lunch for two months, which is totally different from how you typically do it. I said, ‘Let’s talk about what you’re excited about. Let’s talk about things you’ve done in you career, what you’re happy about. Let’s talk about spending time with your kids, let’s talk about your breakup. Let’s talk about how now you’re single, how independent you might feel.’ I said… ‘I don’t mean to impose but I want to interview you. I need this to create a filter,'” Will.i.am said.
On the flip side, Spears recently spoke with Extra about her family, working with Will and her “potential” Las Vegas residency.
“With Will, he’s so talented in everything he does,” Spears told host Mario Lopez, calling his style “fresh and interesting and different.”
She said they’ve done “two songs so far,” though not specifying if she’s referring to her previously released songs or new tunes. “He’s so much fun in the studio. He’s just fun to work with.”
Spears already for-sure has new music coming out this summer, as she contributed new song “Oh La La” to the “Smurfs 2” soundtrack. No word when that song drops, but the family film’s out at the end of July.