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Although Halsey claimed she had Britney Spears’ approval to include “Lucky” in her latest single, that courtesy apparently didn’t extend to her music video, at least according to Spears.
Spears took to social media this afternoon to criticize the Gia Coppola-directed music video for Halsey’s new single, which pays homage to her 2000 hit “Lucky.” She said she felt “harassed, violated and bullied” by Halsey’s interpretation of the video and that it made her look like a “superficial pop star.”
“For obvious reasons, I am extremely upset by Halsey’s video. I feel harassed, violated and bullied. I never knew an artist like her and someone I respected and admired would portray me in such an ignorant way by portraying me as a superficial pop star with no heart or care at all,” Spears wrote. “I have my own health issues and that’s why I took down my Instagram account yesterday. I will definitely repost it now to show that I care. I am talking to my lawyers today to see what can be done about this. It seems illegal and extremely cruel.”
Last week, when a fan asked if she could cover the original song on social media, Halsey wrote: “Yes, of course! I wouldn’t even dream of doing that without her permission!”
But the acclaim didn’t extend to the video, which takes inspiration from Spears’ original song and hints at the darker side of pop stardom. The film follows the duality of a young girl who loves Halsey, and who struggles behind the scenes with her relationship and her health. The video shows her getting injections and removing her wig to reveal a shaved head, which she references in the lyrics.
“I cut my hair four times because I wanted to, then I did it again because I got sick,” Halsey sings. “Thought I changed so much that no one would notice, and no one did. Then I left the doctor’s office crying / Became a single mom at my movie premiere / Told everyone I was fine for a whole year, and that’s the biggest lie of my career.”
“Lucky” is expected to be part of Halsey’s upcoming fifth studio album — her first since the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross-produced “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power” in 2021.
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