Britney Spears is clearing the air on where she stands with Halsey after seemingly slamming the singer’s music video for her new song, “Lucky.”
“Fake news !!! That was not me on my phone !!!” Spears, 42, wrote via X on Friday, July 26. “I love Halsey and that’s why I deleted it 🌹 !!!”
Moments before her message, a statement was seemingly issued by Spears via X slamming Halsey’s video.
“For obvious reasons, I’m very upset about the Halsey video. I feel harassed, violated and bullied,” the since-deleted statement read. “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.”
According to the original post, Spears took down her Instagram account yesterday due to her “own health problems” but planned on reviving it to “show” that she cares.
“I’m speaking with my lawyers today to see what can be done on this matter,” she continued. “It feels illegal and [downright] cruel.”
The “Bad At Love” singer dropped the music video for “Lucky” on Friday. The single includes an interpolation of Spears’ 2000 hit of the same name in the chorus.
“I’m so lucky, I’m a star / But I cry, cry, cry in the lonely heart thinking / If there’s nothing missing in my life / Then why do these tears come at night?” Halsey sings.
The video, which was directed by Gia Coppola, portrays the ups and downs of a pop star, played by Halsey. While a young fan idolizes her, Halsey deals with the effects of fame as she struggles with her health and personal relationships.
“The ‘Lucky’ music video is out, and it’s a lot of feelings happening over here. It was really challenging to incorporate so many conflicting emotions in just a few minutes,” Halsey said of the inspiration for the video on Friday. “This campaign has been fun because I WANT to have fun, but I made [a] lot of this art when I was suffering. I have so many people to thank for being a part of this monumental moment in my life. From the bottom of my heart thank you @giancarla.coppola, pascale, and @simonrex415 and my entire team for making it happen.”
Before the track dropped, Halsey shared that she got permission from Spears to interpolate the chorus.
“Yes, of course! I wouldn’t even dream of doing it without her blessing!” Halsey responded to a fan on X earlier this month asking if Spears was involved in the track.
In June, Halsey revealed that she was secretly battling a series of health issues. While she was privately struggling, she turned to music.
“Long story short, I’m Lucky to be alive,” she captioned a series of videos via Instagram documenting her health journey. “Short story long, I wrote an album. It begins with The End. out now.”
Halsey didn’t publicly disclose her condition but tagged the Lupus Research Alliance and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in her post.
“I told myself I’m giving myself two more years to be sick. [When] I’m 30, I’m having a rebirth,” she said in the clip. “I’m not going to be sick. I’m going to look super-hot and have lots of energy. I’m just going to get to redo my 20s and 30s.”