"The Britney song came to me as a commercial pop song," the Daily Times quoted Rich as saying while speaking to BBC. "The song was great, but what I sent back to them is a real street edge with a bit of Asian influence," he said.

"I actually didn't want to put too much Asian in it, because I wasn't sure what they wanted," Rich said. "Steve Lunt, who was the A and R for the records in New York, just went 'we want more, just put all in--we'd rather want you put it all in, then we can take little bits out'. That's what he wanted--he wanted the full Asian thing," Rich added.

Rich said that while bhangra had been established in UK for quite some time, it has only just begun influencing music in the US. And, therefore, Spears would be seen as at the cutting edge of musical change there. "Bhangra in America has just kicked off, and it's not as big as it is here," Rich said adding "people are loving the sounds and they want that sound." "I think that you need something that is going to be more innovative. I think just generally if you mix Asian music with Egyptian music or Spanish music or pop music -- you get a different sound." While bhangra's recent explosion into the UK mainstream may not last, Rich is simply happy it is now getting the exposure and airplay it deserves.

The Indian influence is the latest change for Spears, who has previously gone from pop princess in pigtails to sex kitten and is reportedly 'over the moon' with the record.