Britney Spears Clears the Air About Taking Legal Action Against Halsey Over New Track 'Lucky'

Britney Spears, 42, lashed out at singer Halsey, 29, over her new music video Lucky, which seems to have struck a nerve with the Princess of Pop. Spears took to social media to express her anger and threaten legal action... before saying it wasn't her who posted the controversial and now-deleted tweet. Halsey's song, released on Friday, samples Spears' 2000 hit of the same name, and Halsey also seems to be channeling Spears' vibe from that era. Halsey wore outfits reminiscent of Spears' iconic looks, and some parts of the video also appear to be inspired by Spears' Toxic music video.

This seemingly left Spears infuriated. In a scathing message on X (formerly Twitter), she penned, "For obvious reasons I'm very upset about the Halsey video. I feel harassed, violated, and bullied." The Oops! I Did It Again singer explained, "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."

Spears also mentioned her health issues and disclosed this was why she recently took down her Instagram account. She asserted, "I will definitely be putting it back up to show I CARE," as reported by The Sun. She continued, "I'm speaking with my lawyers today to see what can be done on this matter. It feels illegal and downright cruel."

Fans quickly rallied in support. "We thought you liked this, forgive us, queen, we are with you," posted one. However, another speculated, "I’m kinda thinking now that all this mess about Britney Spears and Halsey was a PR stunt. They literally made the whole world talk about Halsey’s new single Lucky plus they used what paparazzi always do to artists. They made up fake news to use in their favor."

Interestingly, Spears deleted her rant minutes later and posted again, claiming she wasn't behind the original message. "Fake news!!! That was not me on my phone!!! I love Halsey and that's why I deleted it!!!" she wrote. This confused fans further. It's unclear what really happened with Spears' account.

Halsey's Lucky video tells a story about pop stars and their fans; it shows a teenage girl who idolizes Halsey. The glamorous public image of the pop star is contrasted with scenes of loneliness and health struggles. Halsey confessed earlier that she got Spears' okay to sample the song Lucky. When a fan asked if Spears was involved with the new song, Halsey replied, "Yes, of course! I wouldn't even dream of doing it without her blessing!" as per the Daily Mail. Halsey also talked about her own health problems. Last month, she shared that she has lupus and a rare blood disorder. The Lucky video seems to touch on these struggles.