Will.i.am on Working with Britney Spears: ‘Always a Joy’ (Exclusive)

Will.i.am may be busy touring with the Black Eyed Peas, but he is never too busy to drop new music with Britney Spears.

The pop star and the Grammy winner’s latest collaboration, “Mind Your Business,” dropped Friday and is already a hit.

As Will.i.am told “Extra’s” Melvin Robert, this song is not an overnight success, revealing he and Britney first began working on it back in 2000.

“Like, some songs are meant to come out immediately when you write them and some songs are supposed to sit for a minute, and ‘Mind Your Business’ is another one of those songs that was written and, you know, we started putting the concepts together.”

He continued, “’Mind Your Business’ was what summarized that banter between she and I — that, and everybody has that right to have things that are precious to them. You shouldn't have to share everything. Her picture is a price and people are chasing to get paid. Like, how is that a life to live?”

The Black Eyed Peas group member also spoke about what it was like working with Britney.

“She’s a doll. She's like one of the nicest, dearest people in our industry,” he said. “And working with her is always a joy. And it's an honor and a pleasure to have worked with her in the past and work with her now.”

“It's awesome working with her in the studio,” he added. “She has tons of ideas, but writing the song, I took a different approach. So, we went through these discussions, and I would take notes. We would just talk about all these different types of subjects: fame, love, aspirations, dreams. It was about privacy and fame.”

Asked how Britney is currently doing, Will.i.am said he sees “joy.”

“I don't see Britney every day,” he said, “but I see her the way a lot of people see her, and that is what she shares on Instagram, and what I see on Instagram is joy. I see her loving to express herself and dance. I see frustration when it comes to people prying into her private life. But I see joy. I see a person that has fought for their independence and that is inspirational.”

The singer went on to share why he thinks Britney plays a key role in shaping the legacy of pop music.

“The icons, growing up in the 90s - Michael Jackson and Prince — these pop icons, that was like if you grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, those were the ones. You know — Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince, Lionel Richie. And then, in the late ’90s, 2000, you had, like, the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC… Britney was the shining star for a new generation of a pop star.”

As for whether he thinks Britney will make more music, Will.i.am said to sign him up!