Get ready to “Scream & Shout,” courtesy of will.i.am and Britney Spears. The pair’s new single premiered in full on Ryan Seacrest’s syndicated radio show on Monday (Nov. 19). Click here to listen.
Featuring a dark, slithering beat and a slew of club commands, “Scream & Shout” features a very different look for Spears, whose voice is roboticized to a nearly unrecognizable degree. “I wanna scream, and shout, and let it all out,” Spears and will.i.am sing in unison on the chorus, before the pop star drops a signature “Britney, bitch” and the percussion is dutifully ratcheted up.
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As reported on Seacrest’s show, “Scream & Shout’s” music video is due to debut on Nov. 28. (It had been previously reported to arrive during the Nov. 22 episode of Fox TV’s “The X Factor,” on which Spears serves as a judge.) The single will also go on sale via digital retailers shortly, although an exact release date hasn’t been announced yet.
“Scream & Shout,” from will.i.am’s upcoming second solo album “#willpower,” isn’t the first song the pair of pop superstars have worked on together. On Spears’ “Femme Fatale” album, released in spring 2011, will.i.am wrote and produced the track “Big Fat Bass.”
“#willpower” was originally slated to be released in October but was pushed back (to a date to be announced) in September after will.i.am delayed its release due to leaks. He tweeted on Sept. 18 that he was “trying to finish ‘willpower’ . . . & now because of all the leaks I have push(ed) the album back to make new songs… I will give you updates soon.”
The album has been preceded by two singles in the U.S.: “T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever),” featuring Mick Jagger and Jennifer Lopez, and “This Is Love,” featuring Eva Simons. The former debuted and peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 almost a year ago (Dec. 10, 2011). The latter hit No. 4 on the Dance/Club Play Songs chart in October; overseas, it was a smash hit, reaching No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
“Scream & Shout” marks Spears’ first new music in more than a year. “Femme Fatale,” her seventh studio album, bowed atop the April 16, 2011, Billboard 200 and became her first to generate three Hot 100 top 10s: the No. 1-peaking “Hold It Against Me,” “Till the World Ends” (No. 3) and “I Wanna Go” (No. 7).
The set has sold 767,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
(Editor’s note: This story was updated on Nov. 19 at 4:24 PM PST to include new information about the song’s video premiere.)