Britney Spears is getting hit, baby, one too many times, according to her producer. An early rehearsal demo of Britney singing without autotune hit the net yesterday and critics say Spears' singing is "flat," "cringe-worthy," and "downright scary."

William Orbit, who worked on such megahits as Madonna's redefining masterpiece "Ray of Light," and who produced the Britney Spears non-autotune disaster, took to Facebook Britney's defence. Orbit says Britney was just warming up and the vocal was "not supposed to be shared with millions of listeners".

"I tried but I never figured it out/ Why I always felt like a stranger in a crowd," she sings. That was then/ Like an alien/ But the stars in the sky look like home, take me home/ And the light in your eyes lets me know I'm not alone."

No, she was not alone. Sound engineers were in the booth checking levels. People already dis Spears because she lip syncs during her performances.

Britney Spears' "Alien" is set to be the opening track to her album, "Britney Jean." The song was written by legendary producer William Orbit, who worked studio magic on Spears' vocals before the album was released. There were rumors that Alien was going to be collaboration with Lady Gaga.

Britney's demo was recorded clean and the version that was leaked had no autotune and none of the post-production tricks that make a song album-track-worthy.

Spears has been teasing about the Alien song for weeks. She called the song "really cool" and "really great."

Orbit took to Facebook to explain the recording process. His full letter follows:

"Dearest Music Lovers, I have heard that Britney vocal link that everybody's been discussing. It has been impossible not to as there have been many comments directing my attention to it. [I won't re-posting it here]. I'd like to affirm that ANY singer when first at the mic at the start of a long session can make a multitude of vocalisations in order to get warmed up.

"Warming up is essential if you're a pro, as it is with a runner doing stretches, and it takes a while to do properly. I've heard all manner of sounds emitted during warmups.

"The point is that it is not supposed to be shared with millions of listeners.

"A generous singer will put something down the mic to help the engineer get their systems warmed up and at the right level, maybe whilst having a cup of herb tea and checking through lyrics before the session really kicks off. It's not expected to be a 'take.'

"I think that 99% of you reading this will totally understand.

"Whomever put this on the internet must have done so in a spirit of unkindness, but it can in no way detract from the fact that Britney is and always will be beyond Stellar!

"She is magnificent! And that's that."

Here's the demo they preferred: