Despite Halsey claiming that she got Britney Spears’ approval to interpolate the song “Lucky” for her latest single, that courtesy apparently did not extend to its music video, at least according to Spears.
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.”
“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.”
Last week, when a fan asked about interpolating the original song on social media, Halsey wrote, “Yes, of course! I wouldn’t even dream of doing it without her blessing!”
But that approval didn’t extend to the video, which lifts inspiration from Spears’ original and references the darker side of pop stardom. The plot 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.”
Source Agencies
