Alien (Britney Spears song)

Lore & Background

After serving as a judge on the second season of the American version of The X Factor, Spears began work on her eighth studio album in December 2012. In May 2013, record producer William Orbit was announced to be working on the project. Upon the announcement of her record in September 2013, titled Britney Jean, Spears described her collaboration with Orbit, titled "Alien", as "really cool" and "really great". Early reports speculated that the song would feature American recording artist Lady Gaga, as suggested by a tweet posted to Twitter by executive producer will.i.am, although such a collaboration never came to fruition. On November 18, 2013, preceding the release date of Britney Jean on December 3, a demo version of the track was leaked online; Orbit commented that it was the "right song [with the] wrong chorus notes", which had been corrected on the final production. On December 22, 2013, Spears announced through her E! documentary special I Am Britney Jean that "Alien" would likely be released as a single from Britney Jean, although it never came to fruition.

In July 2014, an audio leaked of Spears singing the song without pitch correction. Critics described Spears' vocal performance in the leaked track as "flat at best and, at worst, like a strangled cat", "noticeably off-key", "unpolished [and] unflattering", "a style that might kindly be described as tentative", and "toxic to the ears". CNN defended the track, saying that its quality is irrelevant as Spears is not known for her vocal ability. Orbit claimed that the audio was a vocal warm up, not expected to be a take, and not intended to be heard by the public, adding, "Whomever put this on the internet must have done so in a spirit of unkindness, but it can in no way detract from the fact that Britney is and always will be beyond stellar! She is magnificent! And that’s that."

Reader's Guide

"Alien" stands as a notable track within Britney Spears's discography for its personal lyrical content and its production by William Orbit, known for his work with Madonna. The song's acclaim from critics highlighted it as one of the more vulnerable and personal offerings on Britney Jean, with reviewers praising its experimental folktronica-influenced sound and intimate atmosphere. Despite never being released as a single, it charted modestly in the US and France. The song's legacy is also marked by a leaked vocal track without pitch correction, which sparked debate about Spears's vocal abilities and drew defense from Orbit. The track was performed during Spears's Las Vegas residency Britney: Piece of Me in 2014, though it was later cut from the set list and only performed ten times total. Its inclusion in the residency and the controversy around the leaked audio have kept "Alien" a point of interest among fans and critics, illustrating the intersection of personal expression and production experimentation in Spears's later work.

Did You Know?

• A demo version of "Alien" leaked online on November 18, 2013, before the album's release.
• William Orbit claimed a vocal glitch at 2:14 in the song might be a production fail by executive producer will.i.am.
• Spears performed "Alien" only ten times during her Britney: Piece of Me residency, in February and August 2014.
• A leaked audio of Spears singing "Alien" without pitch correction in July 2014 was described by critics as "flat" and "off-key".