Britney Spears had harsh words — which she swiftly retracted — against Halsey, initially lashing out at the singer for lifting inspiration from the video for her 2000 single “Lucky.”
Spears took to social media this afternoon to blast the Gia Coppola-directed music video for Halsey’s new single, which pays homage to her 2000 single “Lucky.” She stated that she felt “harassed, violated and bullied” by Halsey’s video interpretation and that it made her look like a “superficial pop star.”
But shortly after, she deleted the post and replaced it with a new one, claiming, “Fake news !!! That was not me on my phone !!! I love Halsey and that’s why I deleted it !!!”
Halsey released the song and video for “Lucky” earlier today, and claimed in the weeks leading up that she’d gotten approval from Spears to interpolate the song. On social media, she responded to a fan asking if she’d gotten permission, “Yes, of course! I wouldn’t even dream of doing it without her blessing!”
Spears lashed out at Halsey because of the video, inspired by the original “Lucky” music video storyline that being a pop star is not all it seems.
“For obvious reasons I’m very upset about the Halsey video,” wrote Spears. “I feel harassed, violated and bullied. I didn’t know an artist like her and someone I looked up to and admired would illustrate me in such an ignorant way by tailoring me as a superficial pop star with no heart or concern at all. I have my own health problems which is why I took down my IG account yesterday. I will definitely be putting it back up now to show I CARE. I’m speaking with my lawyers today to see what can be done on this matter. It feels illegal and down right cruel.”
Halsey’s video follows the duality of a young girl idolizing Halsey, who, behind the scenes, is struggling with her relationship and health. The video shows her getting infusions and removing her wig to reveal a shaved head, which she references in the lyrics.
“I shaved my head four times because I wanted to and then I did it one more time cause I got sick,” Halsey sings. “I thought I changed so much nobody would notice shit, and no one did. Then I left the doctor’s office full of tears / Became a single mom at my premiere / I told everybody I was fine for a whole damn year, and that’s the biggest lie of my career.”
“Lucky” is expected to be a part of Halsey’s upcoming, fifth studio album — her first since 2021’s Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross-produced “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power.”
From Variety US