Britney Spears vows she won't return to music: What's next for pop star

Britney Spears recently slammed rumors that she was mounting a music comeback.

The 42-year-old singer dismissed reports that she was working with other artists on a 10th studio album and vowed that she would "never return to the music industry" in an Instagram post that she shared on Wednesday. 

"Just so we’re clear most of the news is trash," she wrote in the caption of an image of artist Guido Reni’s painting "Salome Bearing the Head of St. John the Baptist." "They keep saying I’m turning to random people to do a new album … I will never return to the music industry !!!"

Britney Spears has vowed never to return to the music industry. (Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

Spears' post came after it was reported that Charli XCX and Julia Michaels had been enlisted to write songs for the "Toxic" hitmaker's first new album in eight years. Spears' last release was 2016's "Glory."

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"When I write, I write for fun or I write for other people !!!" Spears continued in her caption. "For those of you who have read my book, there’s loads that you don’t know about me … I’ve written over 20 songs for other people the past two years !!! I’m a ghostwriter and I honestly enjoy it that way !!!"

During her hiatus, the pop star has recorded singles, including 2022’s "Hold Me Closer" with Elton John and 2023’s "Mind Your Business" with Will.i.am, the latter of which she was listed as a co-writer. However, she has not been publicly credited with writing songs for other musicians.

The singer has not released a new album since 2016's "Glory." (Chris Polk/FilmMagic)

In her post, Spears also shut down rumors that her 2023 memoir, "The Woman in Me," was released without her consent. The highly anticipated book was published by Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, in October.

"People are also saying MY BOOK WAS RELEASED WITHOUT MY APPROVAL ILLEGALLY and that’s far from the truth … have you read the news these days ??? I’m so LOVED and blessed !!!"

On Friday, Spears' Instagram page appeared to have mysteriously vanished. Fans who visited the page were met with a message that it was no longer available. However, Spears' page was active again on Saturday and her Wednesday post had not been deleted.

Spears has previously indicated that she has no plans to return to music. In July 2021, while still under the conservatorship that controlled her life, money and voice for nearly 14 years, her longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, resigned, saying that she had no intention of resuming her career.

After being released from the conservatorship later that year, she took to Instagram to say she was scared of the music business and that not doing her own music was an act of defiance against her family.

Spears rose to fame at the age of 16 in 1998. (L. Busacca/WireImage)

In her memoir, Spears wrote, "My music was my life, and the conservatorship was deadly for that; it crushed my soul."

Spears also addressed her collaboration with John, who she said was "one of my all-time favorite performers." Though she wrote that working with the music legend was a "fantastic experience," she asserted that "pushing forward in my music career is not my focus at the moment."

"It’s time for me not to be someone who other people want; it’s time to actually find myself," Spears added.

While a return to the studio may not be in the Grammy Award winner's future, Spears claimed in October that she was working on a follow-up memoir.

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"Humor is the cure to everything !!! Play on !!!" she wrote in the caption of an Instagram video of a man hitting a drum with a gavel. "Volume 2 will be released next year … get ready!"

However, sources told Variety that there were no plans for a second volume of "The Woman in Me."

In November, Us Weekly reported that Spears was interested in writing a second book in which she would discuss her split from her husband, Sam Asghari. The singer and the 29-year-old actor tied the knot in June 2022 after five years of dating. However, Asghari filed for divorce from Spears in August after 14 months of marriage.

Spears and husband Sam Asghari split after a year of marriage in August. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

"Britney’s not looking to go after Sam," an insider told the outlet. "She just wants [to talk about] why the relationship broke down."

A second source told Us Weekly that Spears was inspired by the success of "The Woman in Me," which sold over a million copies in its first week.

The insider shared that Spears' memoir "just grazed the surface" and she was looking forward to sharing more stories about her life.

In addition, the source claimed that Spears plans to "speak more about being a survivor" and detail "how she stays positive" amid her struggles.

Spears' strained relationships with her immediate family became public in 2021 as she was fighting to end her conservatorship. During her legal battle, she accused her family of profiting off her conservatorship and not supporting her wish to end the legal arrangement. 

The "Gimme More" singer's estrangement from her family members continued after the conservatorship was terminated in November 2021. However, Spears has recently indicated that she has reconciled with some members of her family.

Spears is pictured with Jamie Spears, Bryan Spears, grandfather June, Jamie Lynn Spears and Lynne Spears. (Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

In early December, People magazine reported that Spears celebrated her 42nd birthday with her mother, Lynn Spears, 68, and brother Bryan Spears, 46. "Being together and celebrating her birthday was a really nice moment for the family," a source told the outlet.

Spears revealed that she and her mother had reconciled in a post that she shared on Instagram in May 2023.

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"My sweet mama showed up at my door step yesterday after 3 years … it's been such a long time … with family there's always things that need to be worked out … but time heals all wounds !!!" Spears wrote.

She continued, "After being able to communicate what I've held in for an extremely long time, I feel so blessed we were able to try to make things RIGHT !!!"

"I love you so much !!!" Spears added, addressing Lynn. "Psss… I'm so blessed we can have coffee together after 14 years !!! Let's go shopping afterwards !!!"

Jamie Lynn recently indicated that she and Spears had reconciled. (Image Group LA/Disney Channel via Getty Images)

In November, Spears shared a photo of Bryan on Instagram and lovingly teased her "big brother" in the caption.

"My big brother who’s like a dad and my best friend !! Not sure what’s going on with this outfit though," she wrote alongside a photo of Bryan wearing a green vinyl jumpsuit and a construction hard hat.

While Spears' younger sister, Jamie Lynn, did not attend her birthday celebration, she was reportedly invited. 

The "Zooey 101" alum recently indicated that she and Spears had begun to repair their fractured relationship.

While appearing on U.K. reality TV show "I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!" in late November, Jamie Lynn said that she "loved" Spears. She also mentioned that the two had been talking before Jamie Lynn left to film the show in New South Wales, Australia.

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"She’s a good big sister, she is. Yeah, I love her," Jamie Lynn said via The U.S. Sun. "Me and her throw down. The world’s seen that. I’ve learned to stop talking about it publicly, but you know what, families fight. Listen, we just do it better than most."

The current state of Spears' relationship with her father, Jamie, is unclear. (Getty Images)

The current state of Spears' relationship with her father, Jamie, who helmed her conservatorship, is unclear. Jamie is recovering after having one of his legs amputated due to a bacterial infection in December.

People magazine reported that the 71-year-old spent weeks in the hospital prior to undergoing the amputation.

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Following Jamie's surgery, Spears shared a slideshow of throwback photos, including an image of her father.

Spears has also been estranged for years from her two sons, Sean, 18, and Preston, 17. The "Toxic" hitmaker shares Sean and Preston with her ex-husband Kevin Federline, 45. In August, Sean and Preston moved to Hawaii with Federline, his wife, Victoria, and the couple's children, Peyton, 8, and Jordan, 11.

Spears' and her two sons have publicly said that they would like to reconcile. (Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)

Despite their strained relationship, Spears and her sons have publicly said that they would like to reconcile. On New Year's Eve, Spears shared a sweet throwback photo of herself with her children on Instagram, though she didn't include a caption.

Spears shared some insight into her current life during an October interview with People magazine, telling the outlet, "I am a simple girl." 

"I really love people," she continued. "I love God, I still love my family and close friends, I love tea parties and dinner parties. My friend, Cade [Hudson], has me to dinner where I meet the most creative people I admire who make me belly laugh."

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Spears added that she is still "learning this new freedom" after the end of her conservatorship, which she told the outlet "is challenging at times."

However, she said she is enjoying her day-to-day life, which includes "playing with my dogs [or] watching episodes of ‘Friends’ and belly laughing." 

"I love, love to travel and explore," Spears said. "When I was touring, I would be in a city for one day then on to the next. Experiencing cultures in the cities I visit."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.