Britney Spears Criticizes Halsey’s "Lucky" Music Video Before Retracting Statement

 Britney Spears had some harsh words for Halsey, accusing the singer of copying the concept of her 2000 hit single “Lucky” for Halsey’s new music video. Spears initially took to social media to express her anger over the Gia Coppola-directed video, which pays tribute to Spears’ original work. In her post, Spears said she felt “harassed, violated, and bullied” by Halsey’s video, claiming it portrayed her as a “superficial pop star.”

However, shortly after posting her criticism, Spears deleted the message and posted a retraction. She stated, “Fake news!!! That was not me on my phone!!! I love Halsey and that’s why I deleted it.”

Halsey had just released the song and video for “Lucky” earlier that day. In the lead-up to the release, she assured fans that she had obtained Spears’ permission to use elements of the original song. Responding to a fan on social media, Halsey confirmed, “Yes, of course! I wouldn’t even dream of doing it without her blessing!”

Spears' initial outburst stemmed from the video’s portrayal, which echoed the storyline of the original “Lucky” music video about the hidden struggles of being a pop star. Spears wrote, “For obvious reasons I’m very upset about the Halsey video. 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 downright cruel.”

Halsey’s video depicts the duality of a young girl idolizing her, while she struggles with personal issues behind the scenes. The video includes scenes of Halsey receiving medical treatments and removing her wig to reveal a shaved head, which ties into the song’s lyrics about her own health struggles. “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 feature on Halsey’s upcoming fifth studio album, her first since 2021’s “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power,” produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.