HEAR THIS: Britney & Iggy Are "PRETTY GIRLS"

I'll be honest. I wasn't expecting to really like this but now -- like a proverbial moth to a flame -- I can't get it out of my head.

News of The Invisible Men-produced summer pop-trap jam "Pretty Girls" first started making the rounds last year as a supposed possible album cut/single for my girls in Little Mix's upcoming third album (that era will be officially beginning soon via the new single "Black Magic" and I. Can't. Wait.). The excitement for it was mainly because the writing credits included rapper-of-the-moment Iggy Azalea. However, just as the news broke, Iggy herself confirmed that the song has nothing to do with Little Mix and I went back to not caring a fig.

However, the possibility of a Britney Spears/Iggy collabo was running rampant in the pop machine for months and when it was confirmed that this "Pretty Girls" song was said collabo, the excitement returned. I couldn't tell you why -- I'm not your typical Britney fan. I enjoy her uptempos and I like to see her happy but during her heyday I wasn't what you'd call a stan, mostly because I wanted to marry her then boyfriend Justin Timberlake. You see where I'm going with this.

"Pretty Girls" has since officially dropped to the public and will be performed live for the first (and probably only) time with Brit & Iggy at the Billboard Music Awards. Yes, it does sound a bit like a "Fancy" retread -- it's kind of what The Invisible Men are known for to the mainstream American marketplace at this point, which is kind of disappointing since they also gave us Jessie J's "Do It Like A Dude" and The Noisettes's "Don't Upset the Rhythm" among other Brit-Pop smashes.

(In Brit's first verse, she sings "Don't you know that it's always the same / From Australia down to L.A...." -- they easily could have switched the "L.A." reference to "U.K.". I'm just saying. I think Iggy saying this never was meant for Little Mix is a bit far fetched. Both Iggy and Britney need a hit in 2015 but of the two, Britney is the only icon. A part of me is glad that Little Mix didn't have to rely on the "relevant rapper" approach for their next single especially if they plan on an American rollout again. Just my two cents.)

The music video also dropped this week and it's ridiculous. It's yet another busy Iggy-"directed" video homage to a film classic (in this case, it's Earth Girls Are Easy). But if you're not an Iggy fan or even an Iggy tolerator, it's worth watching if only because Britney looks incredible.

I mean it -- she really looks incredible. Like her former glory incredible. And when the dance breakdown bit happens and she begins to dance in formation, a part of me got really excited. Sure, it lasted all of five seconds but who's counting?

The song itself is silly and goofy and super catchy in a chanty kind of way. But it's not really about that or the tacked-on Iggy bit at the end. It's about Britney looking and sounding happy for the first time in a while and it warms my heart. Not all pop has to be highbrow, as we all know, and this definitely isn't. But does it deliver on the syrupy fun? Yes.