Swimming in the Stars
"Swimming in the Stars" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from the deluxe reissue of her ninth studio album Glory (2020). It was released as the lead single of the reissue on December 2, 2020, coinciding with the singer's 39th birthday. The song was conceived during the initial recording of Glory, with the track being written in 2015 by the producers Matthew Koma and Dan Book, with an additional writing provided by Alexei Misoul. An electropop ballad focuses on optimism and escapism over a synth groove. "Swimming in the Stars" was announced through becoming available for pre-order as a part of the Urban Outfitters's "11/11 Singles Day" promotion as an exclusive 12-inch vinyl single on November 11, 2020. The song was met with positive reception of music critics, whom praised its production and positive message. The single did not generate commercial success, charting on digital component charts in Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, however it managed to peak at number three in Malaysia, and within the top 20 in Hungary. Background and composition "Swimming in the Stars" was written by Matthew Koma, Dan Book, and Alexei Misoul in 2015 when Koma revealed he had been working with Spears though his tracks never made it on to the initial release of the album. During an interview with PopCrush, Koma said that Spears is "extremely talented" and is "super surreal to sit there and hear [her] sing one of your songs". The song was recorded in 2016. "Swimming in the Stars" is an electropop ballad containing a synth-laden groove. The song contains optimistic and catchy lyrics with dreamy escapism spread throughout its chorus. According to Jenzia Burgos of StyleCaster, the song is reminiscent of Spears's interest in astrology, with giving an example of the song's bridge, where she is singing about her sister zodiac sign: "What if we could float here forever? / In these Gemini dreams together". Release Following the #JusticeForGlory campaign that was launched by Spears's fans on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, the singer unveiled a new cover art for Glory on May 8, 2020, nearly four years after its release. Three weeks later, Spears announced that "Mood Ring" would be released worldwide on all streaming and download platforms the next day, on May 29, 2020. Later that year, "Swimming in the Stars" was unveiled since it became available for pre-order as part of the Urban Outfitters's "11/11 Singles Day" promotion as an exclusive 12-inch vinyl single on November 11, 2020; however, orders would not ship until January 15, 2021. The release took critics by surprise, having been released amidst the #FreeBritney movement and Spears's work hiatus. After the announcement of the song's vinyl release, a 12-seconds long snippet was released by Urban Outfitters via Instagram. "Swimming in the Stars" was released to digital download and streaming media on December 2, 2020 as the fourth single from Glory, coinciding with Spears's 39th birthday. Two days later, the track was included on the