MC's Music Lounge: Three decades of vaulted Britney Spears recordings finally see the light of day

We only just celebrated the 25^th anniversary of Glitter a few weeks ago, and now it’s time for another major diva anniversary: the deluxe version of the iconic 2001 album, Britney, complete with 11 bonus tracks, 5 of which were not available on streaming before. One of those tracks “My Big Secret” has never been heard before by even the most devoted of fans (including me).

Britney will forever be my ultimate favourite Britney Spears album. It has everything that one could think of to describe Britney at her “peak”. The songs on the album are a perfect mix of bubble-gum pop and rhythmic R&B; her looks during this period were always killer; and she delivered some of her best live performances too. I’m talking the snake, the Bellagio hotel, the HBO Las Vegas special. The moments that gave us the image of Britney at her strongest powers all happened at this time. She was unstoppable. It’s also the album where much of her lyrical content centered on independence and becoming a woman. This of course is an important narrative in the story of Britney and one that means even more today in 2026 than it did in 2001. It’s also the era in her career that gets referenced the most in terms of popular culture. The outfits she wore are constantly recycled by wannabe pop stars, and her boy bander ex-boyfriend from that time is still finding ways to bring her up to save his reputation. Beyoncé had a point when she sang “you know you’re that bitch when you cause all that conversation”.

The release of these “lost” songs that were left on the cutting room floor comes less than a year after Britney sold the rights to her music catalogue to Primary Wave for an estimated $200 million. You can read my deep dive into the sale on The Squawk where I talk about why the sale was the best thing for both Britney and her fans. Brit has made it clear she has no interest in returning to music, but she has a vault with almost three decades worth of recordings that never saw the light of day. Now that she’s sold her catalogue, we are all finally getting to hear those tracks. There’s also the bonus of the deal giving her other older songs a chance to shine. “Get Naked (I Got a Plan)”, one of her most adored deep cuts from Blackout, just got a major boost in streams after it was used in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. There’s even a new “Toxic” toy at German McDonald’s locations. The sale is giving new life to her catalogue whether Britney cares or even knows it or not. At the very least, her work gets the chance to live on while she gets the chance to live her life on her own terms, a win-win.

Next week, U2 has a new album that includes a duet with the late Dolly Parton. It was the last song she would record. This week, new music from Britney Spears, Jack Harlow & Babyface, Skepta, Rex Orange County and Chxrry. Plus, everyone’s recreating the music video to “I’m With You” by Avril Lavigne.

Listen on…

MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK

“My Big Secret” by Britney Spears

It’s been six years since an unheard solo Britney Spears song has hit the internet for fans to indulge in. This one is extra special because it’s an unreleased cut from her 2001 recording sessions with The Neptunes, a song that she once called a “ballad” and a “beautiful folk song”. It’s the furthest thing from a folk ballad, but I love how my girl has always been so colourful with her descriptions. The same sessions that would go on to produce the songs “I’m A Slave 4 U” and “Boys”, all originally written for Janet Jackson for her All for You album before turning them down. That’s when Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo linked up with Britney, and the rest is history. “Slave” of course became the iconic hit that it now is; “Boys” got the big screen treatment for Austin Power in Goldmember; while “Secret” was discarded. For years, “My Big Secret” was believed to be titled “Baby, Can’t You See” and went unheard, living on as just a piece of lost Britney lore amongst fans. Listening from a 2026 lens, it’s shocking that this song was not considered for the album because it sonically fits with the lead single better than most of the songs that ended up on the album, and it supported the musical departure that she was clearly trying to make at this stage in her career. Then again, her image was still very controlled in 2001 and a song about being a side chick isn’t the best look coming off “Oops!... I Did It Again”… or is it? It’s that classic early 2000s Neptunes sound that was all over Kelis and Jay-Z’s records, and with Britney’s spoken word verses and sultry vocals in the chorus, it’s like we’re finally getting the full picture of what she originally wanted the Britney album to be. Not that I have any issues with how it turned out, but it’s cool to be able to experience an album we’ve all known so well for so many years in a whole new way. The song has made such a stir online that even the vocalist who recorded the original 1997 demo of the song when she wrote it with Pharrell posted her reference on IG. Side bar: the song is credited as being written by Pharell Williams and Chad Hugo, meaning Tammy Lucas could very well not have been credited properly for her work. She seems to be in good spirits though and genuinely proud to hear Britney’s rendition of a song she thought was lost forever.

“TOO SOON” by Jack Harlow, Babyface

Jack Harlow may have taken a few Ls earlier this year when he made a pivot to R&B music with Monica, but his latest EP is him showing that there is a world where both his love of R&B and his identity as a rapper can co-exist. I’m always going to encourage artists to experiment in their songs, but when something works for someone, it’s always a great space to come back to and for Jack, that something lies in the middle of both genres; rhythmic rap as I like to say. I for one am just so glad to hear rap music over something other than a trap beat. “TOO SOON” features a smooth chorus by the iconic Babyface asking whether it’s too soon to hook up with someone new after relationship. The music is whimsical with some notes of an acoustic guitar that give the song a yacht rock tinge. The music video is what really brought the song home for me. It’s a funeral that doubles as a speed dating event? The funeral is presumed to be for a previous relationship which would complement the songs lyrical theme. Jack performs his verses as a eulogy; the scene where Jack says the line “Wondering if you getting laid/is it someone that I really hate, bitch?” and the camera pans to an attendee smiling made me chuckle. It’s a fun concept and refreshing to see a rap video use a narrative rather than the traditional twerking models. All songs on his latest EP Sweet Action II have an aura about them that his older music had: hip-hop with a hint of sophisticated production.

“Currency” by Skepta

Another banger courtesy of Skepta has hit the playlist. “Currency” has the signature sound that has become known to Skepta, but with a little more risk. The production is not as two-step driven and has more of a bluesy tone. The song is a head bopper; it had me feeling myself on my third set at the pec fly machine on Friday. There’s something about the way that Skepta raps that can make the listener feel powerful. There’s an aggression in the way that he delivers his lyrics that translates very well to both an intense gym workout and a night at the club. After countless collabs in both the music and fashion world, Skepta has returned with his first new solo album in seven years, The Fork and Knife. He brings out the big guns of the UK scene such as Central Cee and Jorja Smith, all while maintaining his credibility as one of the illest rappers to come out of Britain. In an Instagram post celebrating the album’s release, he talks about how long the creative process was and how he wanted to create “something conscious but still turnt up”. Basically, bangers with a message.

“Elvis” by Rex Orange County, Brandon Yates

If you’re ARMY, then you probably have already listened to both this new track and its accompanying album that dropped over the weekend. V from BTS just on Saturday revealed to fans on Weverse that Rex Orange County’s new album Dream Fatigue was in his rotation – and sure enough, the comments on the lyric video to “Elvis” became FLOODED with comments from ARMY sharing that Taehyung brought them there. Ahh, community! “Elvis” is an acoustic jam complete with strings, guitar, and a vibe. This is the perfect music to play on a chilly fall evening with a candle burning and a soup on the stove. It’s that classic coffee house sound that dominated the mid-2000s teen drama shows. Take a listen to “Elvis” and tell me that you can’t hear this playing in a climactic romantic scene on an episode of The OC. It’s a melancholy love song about a man who is pining over a woman whom he loves and wanting to stay with her “forever like it’s Vegas” and how his demeanor around her leaves him shaking his legs like he’s Elvis. The Elvis and Vegas of it all is used to describe the intensity of his feelings for her. Cute. The song is so soothing that it could double as a lullaby. Alexander (Rex’s real name) has a calming tone to his vocals that complement the laid-back structure of the songs very well. There’s a whole lot of talent being delivered here, and who doesn’t love a hipster guy in a backwards cap and acoustic guitar on his lap? Well, I guess tons of people, but V of BTS likes it, so naturally, I expect this song and album to shoot to the top of the charts in no time.

“Big Shot” by Chxrry, Rema

Chxrry is beefing up her debut album U, Me & My Ego with four new tracks expanding from 10 to 14 new songs. One of them features Nigerian artist Rema who is more widely recognized for his global hit “Calm Down” and the remix with Selena Gomez. The song is a flirtatious back-and-forth between the two as they sing about a potential fling. Chxrry has got some serious game on the song, oozing sexual confidence as she sings lines like “Tonight I’m gonna f-ck you like a star” and “If you really like that, show me you like that”. Basically, she knows she’s that bitch and she’s got that “good good” as the streets say. With the influx of 2000s inspired R&B girls like Tyla, Victoria Monet and Tinashe (just to name a few) who are earning success with their respective projects, there is certainly room for Chxrry to have her moment with these songs. Rema’s verse doesn’t necessarily add much to it as Chxryy does most of the heavy lifting, but what he lacks in quality he makes up for in visibility. He’s easily one of the biggest artists that she has collaborated with on the project, so the extra sets of eyes that will now be on her project is worth the feature on its own. All four tracks on the deluxe work to elevate her album, and she killed it. Plus, I always love to support a fellow Torontonian on her rise to the top. Earlier this year I got the chance to see her perform live in a very small room, and she has the stage presence for an arena stage. Whether or not the new tracks will get her to that level remains to be seen, but at the very least, she’s putting out the content to help her get there.

MC’s VIRAL PICK

“I’m With You” by Avril Lavigne

Most millennials have a similar memory of attempting to re-create a music video we saw on MTV using the family video camera. This week’s viral trend that is taking over my feed is reminiscent of the way things used to be: fun. Avril Lavigne’s 2003 smash hit “I’m With You” is timeless and remains a staple in pharmacies, throwback playlists and dental offices worldwide, but the real reason why the song is so special to so many of us is because of its iconic music video. Avril on a “damn cold night”, walking around the city lost after leaving a party she very clearly didn’t want to be at. The slow-motion walks, the perfectly sleek straight hair, it’s as 2000s of a music video as one could get. Now people online have turned re-creating the slow-motion walk from the video into a trend.

The trend first picked up steam when a popular Brazilian content creator created his own slow-motion lip synch of the song on a rollercoaster ride. That clip now has millions of views and helped create a trend for creators to create their own slow-motion Avril Lavigne lip-synch where they live out their own Y2K music video fantasies. Of all the trends that I’ve written about in this column, this is the one that is most up my alley and the one that will have the most probability of seeing me contributing my own version. It’s just so nostalgic, and I’ve always been particularly amazed at the process of filming a slow-motion video. This creator laid out perfectly in his behind-the-scenes clip that you need to be lip-synching to the song at a 2x speed. People have been having fun with it too. Some are dressing up as Avril, some got their kids involved, and some just want to sparkle. The common denominator? A love for Avril Lavigne and all things 2000s.