Britney Spears slammed Halsey for her new music video, Lucky, which dropped Friday, taking to Twitter to say X, shortly before deleting the post and claiming her phone had been hacked.
The 42-year-old singer, who performed the hit Baby One More Time and gave Halsey her “blessing” to sample her 2000 song of the same name, initially said she was “upset” by the video which saw the singer, 29, channelling early 2000s Spears.
To share her thoughts, Spears hopped on X (formerly known as Twitter), after having closed her Instagram account a day earlier on Thursday.
“For obvious reasons, I’m very upset about the Halsey video,” Britney began. “I feel harassed, violated and stalked.”
“I didn’t know an artist like her and someone I admired and respected would enlighten me in such an ignorant way by presenting me as a superficial pop star with no heart or concern.”
Britney Spears, 42, slammed Halsey for her new music video, Lucky, which dropped on Friday, taking to X, shortly before deleting the post and claiming her phone had been hacked.
The Baby One More Time singer said she was “upset” by the video in which the 29-year-old singer channels Spears from the early 2000s.
The Princess of Pop explained: “I have my own health issues, so I closed my Instagram account yesterday. I will definitely reopen it to show that I CARE.”
“I’m speaking with my lawyers today to see what can be done about this,” Spears said at the end of her post. “It seems illegal and absolutely cruel.”
However, the post was soon deleted and the star explained on X that it was not her who posted the statement.
“Fake news! I didn’t do this on my phone! I love Halsey and that’s why I deleted it!” she wrote, followed by a red rose emoji.
Halsey was also quick to respond to the singer’s second post, sharing on X: “And I love Britney!!!!”
“Always have been and always will be. You were the first person who made me realize what it means to be inspired. And you continue to inspire me every day.”
Halsey channeled Spears in the music video for “Lucky,” which was officially released Friday, with the tune inspired by Britney’s 2000 song of the same name.
In the lyrics, the mother-of-one references her recent health struggles, after revealing her battle with lupus (SLE) and also “a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder.”
“For obvious reasons, I’m very upset about the Halsey video,” Britney began. “I feel harassed, violated and stalked.”
However, the post was soon deleted and the star explained on X that she was not the one who posted the statement.
Halsey was also quick to respond to the singer’s second post, sharing on X: “And I love Britney!!!!”
The Princess of Pop then explained: “I have my own health issues, that’s why I closed my Instagram account yesterday. I will definitely reopen it to show that I CARE.”
Halsey channeled Spears in the Lucky music video that was officially released on Friday, with the tune inspired by Britney’s 2000 song of the same name.
“I shaved my head four times because I wanted to/And then I did it one more time because I got sick/I thought I’d changed so much that no one would notice, and no one did,” she sang at one point.
‘Then I walked out of the doctor’s office in tears / I became a single mom at my premiere / I told everyone I was fine for a whole fucking year, and that’s the biggest lie of my career.’
In the chorus of Britney’s version, she can be heard singing: “She’s so lucky, she’s a star, But she cries, she cries, she cries in her lonely heart, Thinking, ‘If nothing’s missing in my life, Then why do these tears come at night? ‘”
However, Halsey altered the lyrics to sing in the first person: “But I’m so lucky, I’m a star, But I cry, I cry, I cry in my lonely heart thinking, ‘If there’s nothing missing in my life, Then why do these tears come out at night? ‘”
After showing a sneak peek of the music video, Halsey also revealed that she had received Britney’s “blessing” to sample the 2000 song.
Earlier last week, one social media user questioned the Without Me singer about whether Spears had been “involved” in the new single.
The star responded to the fan by writing: “Yes of course! I wouldn’t even think of doing it without her blessing!”
Her new music video Lucky was directed by Gia Coppola, the granddaughter of acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola.
Simon Rex, known for starring in the Scary Movie franchise, also made a cameo in the video.
Britney deleted her Instagram account on Thursday, explaining in her since-deleted X-rated post that the reason was due to her own “health issues.”
In the lyrics, the mother-of-one references her recent health struggles, after revealing her battle with lupus SLE and also “a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder.”
The star responded to the fan by writing: “Yes of course! I wouldn’t even think of doing it without her blessing!”
When it was revealed that she was sampling Britney’s song, fans dug up an old interview that led to Halsey being accused of dissing Spears.
In 2017, she explained that she had recently begun to consider herself a CEO after realizing she had more control over her work than other pop stars.
“At first it was naivety,” he said. Fast company“I thought every artist did everything themselves. I thought Britney Spears wrote her own music. I thought every superstar designed their own live show, so I was always doing that stuff.”
After the interview went public, social media commentators began saying that Halsey had attacked Britney, prompting Halsey to respond on social media.
“Most things are easy to ignore but that one hurts because I adore her and have always spoken highly of her and her brilliance is undeniable,” she wrote on Twitter.
“I love Britney very much and I wish people wouldn’t spread information,” he insisted. “All I said was that it takes a lot of people to complete a song.”
Lucky is the second single from Halsey’s upcoming fifth studio album, arriving nearly two months after the release of its lead single, The End.
The End was a sad acoustic ballad about someone throwing themselves into romance while battling a life-threatening illness.
Halsey, who has stated her preference for the pronouns “she” and “they,” has yet to reveal the title or release date of her upcoming album.
Her new music video Lucky was directed by Gia Coppola, the granddaughter of acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola.
When it was revealed that she was sampling Britney’s song, fans dug up an old interview that led to Halsey being accused of dissing Spears.
Last month in June, Halsey opened up to fans about her health struggle. In a post shared on Instagram at the time, she explained: “In 2022, I was first diagnosed with lupus and then a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder.”
‘Both diseases are currently under control or in remission, and I will likely have them for the rest of my life.’
However, she added positively: “After a difficult start, I gradually managed to get everything under control with the help of amazing doctors.”
“After two years, I feel better and I’m more grateful than ever to have music to fall back on,” the mother of one continued. “I can’t wait to get back to where I belong: with all of you. Singing and screaming my heart out.”
In a separate post, she also opened up about her health battle in a series of videos that appeared to document the singer receiving infusions and also showed her breaking down in tears.
“I love Britney very much and I wish people wouldn’t spread information,” he insisted. “All I said was that it takes a lot of people to complete a song.”
In 2022, Halsey shared on Instagram that she had been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjogre’s syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome, known as MCAS, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, known as POTS.
The singer also suffers from endometriosis and gave her fans an update earlier this year in March after undoing a procedure.
At the time, she posted a photo on social media and explained that she was “going back into diapers” during the recovery process.
The Bad At Love singer also previously revealed her diagnosis of ADHD and bipolar disorder.