Halsey revealed how she came to sample Britney Spears’ iconic hit Lucky, a choice that sparked some controversy.
The 29-year-old songstress — who recently slammed ‘mean fans’ — revealed the 2000 ditty was ‘stuck in her head’ while getting treatment for her T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder diagnosis.
‘I have this weird coping mechanism where, if I’m not dealing with something internally, I’ll catch myself singing a song that relates to it,’ she began in her Paper interview published on Thursday.
‘I would lay there, attached to a pump, like “I’m so lucky, I’m a star.” It was facetious, and then I was in the studio, and was singing it under my breath, and went “Wait, let’s do this. Has anyone done this? This has been done, right? Why hasn’t this been done? There’s no way I’m actually going to interpolate this Britney Spears’ song in this major way.”‘
After confirming that no cover of Lucky matched her vision, Halsey said that ‘the verses just came to me, and the bridge was the last thing to come.’
Halsey got candid on how she came to sample Britney Spears ’ iconic hit Lucky, a choice that sparked some controversy
The 29-year-old songstress — who recently slammed ‘mean fans’ — revealed the 2000 ditty was ‘stuck in her head’ while getting treatment for her T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder diagnosis
The actress also noted that she saw many similarities between her career and Britney’s.
‘Obviously I will never know what it’s like to reach the magnitude and the monolith of fame and exposure and lack of autonomy that she’s experienced in her career,’ she said.
‘I will never know that, but in a way, there are some parallels. She was the first pop star I fell in love with and I knew everything about her, and I was in love with her and I worshiped her.
‘I was jealous of her. I thought she had the perfect life, as did most of us at the time, and I’ve always, through every stage of her career, really rooted for her.’
When Halsey released the music video inspired by Spears’ song Lucky, she appeared nearly nude.
Sharing the YouTube link on X without any caption, the post sparked a heated reaction from the singer’s account.
Spears’ account commented on the post, writing: ‘For obvious reasons I’m very upset about the Halsey video. I feel harassed, violated, and bullied,’ despite the 29-year-old previously said she got Britney’s ‘blessing’ for the reference.
‘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 this weird coping mechanism where, if I’m not dealing with something internally, I’ll catch myself singing a song that relates to it,’ she began in her Paper interview published on Thursday
After confirming that no cover of Lucky matched her vision, Halsey said that ‘the verses just came to me, and the bridge was the last thing to come’; (Spears in 2021)
The actress also noted that she saw many similarities between her career and Britney’s; (Spears in 2000’s Lucky video)
‘I’m speaking with my lawyers today to see what can be done on this matter. ‘It feels illegal and downright cruel,’ the message read.
A few hours later, a new message appeared on the Toxic singer’s account, clarifying that the earlier comments were “not me.”
‘Fake news !!! That was not me on my phone !!! I love Halsey and that’s why I deleted it !!!’ Britney said online.
Halsey reposted the note, adding, ‘I love Britney!!!! I always have and always will. You were the first person who ever made me realize what it means to feel inspired. And you continue to inspire me every day.’
Amid the initial confusion, Britney later expressed her support for the song and shared her love for Halsey.
In a recent interview, Halsey revealed that she and Britney stayed in contact leading up to the song’s release, even exchanging gifts.
‘I shared everything with her every step of the way, you know what I mean? From the first demo of the song,’ Halsey said during an interview on BBC Radio 1.
Halsey mentioned that their conversations also touched on the music video.
Spears’ account commented on the post, writing: ‘For obvious reasons I’m very upset about the Halsey video. I feel harassed, violated, and bullied’
‘Fake news !!! That was not me on my phone !!! I love Halsey and that’s why I deleted it !!!’ Britney said online
‘I sent her a shot-for-shot treatment of the music video just because I wanted to make sure I was totally nailing it,’ Halsey revealed.
‘Also we traded merch, she sent me Lucky merch for the Lucky anniversary, and I sent her some merch and stuff like that,’ she said, adding that it was ‘definitely like a pinch-me thing.’
Halsey added, ‘Like I didn’t even know she knew who I was.
‘So every day I’m kind of just like looking around being like, “There’s a six-year-old girl in my heart that’s freaking out,” you know?’
