Halsey has opened up about how she decided to sample Britney Spears’ iconic hit Lucky, a choice that has sparked some controversy.
The 29-year-old singer, who recently criticised “mean fans”, revealed that the 2000 song “got stuck in her head” while she was being treated for her diagnosis of T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder.
“I have this weird coping mechanism where if I’m not internally dealing with something, I’ll catch myself singing a song that relates to it,” she began in her Paper interview published on Thursday.
‘I was lying there, strapped to a pump, like, “I’m so lucky, I’m a star.” It was funny, and then I was in the studio, singing it softly, and I was like, “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 going to interpolate this Britney Spears song in this big a way.”‘
After Halsey confirmed that none of the Lucky covers matched her vision, she said, “The verses just came to me, and the bridge was the last thing that came.”
Halsey opened up about how she came to sample Britney Spears’ iconic hit Lucky, a choice that caused some controversy
The 29-year-old singer, who recently criticized her “mean fans,” revealed that the 2000 song “got stuck in her head” while she was being treated for her diagnosis of T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder
The actress also noted that she saw many similarities between her career and Britney’s.
“I will obviously never know what it’s like to achieve the magnitude and monolith of fame, notoriety and lack of autonomy that she experienced in her career,” she said.
‘I’ll never know, 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 adored her.
“I was jealous of her. I thought she had the perfect life, as did most of us at the time, and I always, at every stage of her career, really rooted for her.”
When Halsey released the music video inspired by Spears’ song Lucky, she appeared virtually naked.
When the singer shared the YouTube link without a caption on X, it sparked strong reactions on his account.
Spears’ account responded to the post, writing, “For obvious reasons I am very upset about the Halsey video. I feel harassed, violated and bullied,” despite the 29-year-old previously saying she had Britney’s “blessing” for the reference.
‘I didn’t know that an artist like her, someone I looked up to and admired, would portray me in such an ignorant way by portraying me as a shallow pop star with no heart or care.
“I have this weird coping mechanism where if I’m not internally dealing with something, I find myself singing a song that relates to it,” she began in her interview with Paper, published Thursday.
After confirming that none of the Lucky covers matched her vision, Halsey said that “the verses just came to me, and the bridge was the last thing that came”; (Spears in 2021)
The actress also noted that she saw many similarities between her career and Britney’s; (Spears in the 2000 Lucky video)
“I am speaking with my lawyers today to see what can be done in this matter. It feels illegal and downright cruel,” the message reads.
A few hours later, a new post appeared on the Toxic singer’s account, clarifying that the previous comments were “not mine.”
“Fake news!!! That wasn’t me on my phone!!! I love Halsey that’s why I deleted it!!!,” Britney said online.
Halsey reposted the note, adding, “I love Britney!!!! I always have and I always will. You were the first person to ever make me realize what it means to feel inspired. And you continue to inspire me every single day.”
Amid the initial confusion, Britney later expressed her support for the song and shared her love for Halsey.
Halsey revealed in a recent interview that she and Britney stayed in touch leading up to the song’s release and even exchanged 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 said their conversations also turned to the music video.
Spears’ account responded to the post, writing, “For obvious reasons I am very upset about the Halsey video. I feel harassed, violated and bullied.”
‘Fake news!!! That wasn’t me on my phone!!! I love Halsey that’s why I deleted it!!!’ Britney said online
“I sent her a shot-by-shot edit of the music video because I wanted to make sure I got it absolutely right,” Halsey revealed.
“We also traded merchandise. She sent me Lucky merchandise for the Lucky anniversary and I sent her some merchandise and stuff like that,” she said, adding that it was “really a pinch-me thing.”
Halsey added: ‘Like I didn’t even know she knew who I was.
“So every day I look around and I think, ‘There’s a six-year-old girl in my heart who’s freaking out.’ You know?”
