I've been on the lookout for the Princess of Pop to make her comeback for years. Thus, I can't tell you what a relief it is to see how calm and at ease Britney Spears is in this "Carpool Karaoke" teaser. I'm sure by now you've seen James Corden's bit that he does for The Late Late Show, where he gets a musical artist or just a musically-inclined celebrity in his car and has them "help him get to work." In this case, that consists of singing along to their own music, interspersed with interview questions delivered in Corden's trademark, easygoing style. He's done it before with A-Listers from Adele to One Direction to Michele Obama, and it's a form that I think works particularly well in Spears' case. This is maybe the most relaxed I've ever seen her, and it has me wondering what a show hosted by Miss Spears herself would be like; for the first time in a long time, I feel like she could handle it.
It's still just a teaser, since the full version won't be released until Aug. 25, but the pop star radiates happiness throughout the session that she filmed to promote her upcoming album Glory , which will be out on Friday. Spears sits in the front seat, smiling widely and mouthing along with "Toxic," as Corden literally belts it beside her. And, when he asks her about her sons, and whether they've seen her Vegas show, her manner is easy and open; it looks like she's really enjoying herself.
It's a stark contrast to how I felt watching her as a judge on X Factor for that single season, when she somehow managed to look more uncomfortable onstage than some of the contestants. But seeing how much she's turned things around in this teaser makes me think that she's not only making a comeback, but could potentially be the host of her very own show one day. The self-confidence evident in her smacking James Corden on the arm when he brings up seeing his mom in his underwear is all the proof I need that she's back and ready for action. Maybe another celebrity would take offense at Corden joking that she'd scarred her kids for life by letting them see the sexy show, but Spears just went into full mom mode, scolding Corden for being dirty, but smiling and shaking her head, showing that it's all in good fun. After all, she does seem most comfortable when the spotlight is on someone other than herself, like when Corden is talking about himself, so it would be a perfect if one day Spears' hosted her own show.
Not that I want Britney Spears to stop performing, mind you — I just think that this might be an area of her repertoire worth exploring. She really can do it all.
