Britney Spears says "Gimme More" in new song

LOS ANGELES, Sep 1 (Reuters) Troubled pop star Britney Spears has released her first new song in years on the Web, a single called ''Gimme More'' that is expected to hit radio airwaves as early as next week.

The song was officially released late on Thursday on the Web site of New York radio station Z100, and by yesterday it was heard on YouTube.

Music industry magazine Billboard said the single is expected to get its first radio play next week, and several other media reports said Spears could have a new album out in early November.

A spokeswoman for Jive Records, Spears' label, was not immediately available for comment.

Spears, 25, is attempting to resurrect her flagging career, and the new single could be the first salvo in a media blitz.

Rumors have been rampant that she will perform at the MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas on September 9, and for months she has been saying she is at work on a new album.

The singer has become a major subject for tabloid coverage for public behavior that has included being photographed with no underwear under her miniskirts, shaving her head bald, attacking paparazzi with an umbrella and performing in local nightclubs where she was accused of lip-syncing songs.

Earlier this year, she checked into a rehabilitation facility in Malibu, California, and more recently her divorce from second husband Kevin Federline was finalised. The pair remain embroiled in a bitter custody battle over their two sons.

Back in the early 2000s, Spears was a top-selling artist.

Her records had sold more than 70 million units, and in 2002 she was ranked as the most powerful celebrity in the world by Forbes magazine.

Spears' first album was 1999 CD ''...Baby One More Time,'' which featured hit songs like ''Sometimes.'' Her most recent album of original music was 2003's ''In the Zone.'' REUTERS GTHT0917