Halsey Says She Received Britney Spears’ ‘Blessing’ to Sample ‘Lucky’ for Her New Single

variety.com:

Thania Garcia Ahead of the release of her new single “Lucky,” Halsey has confirmed she received Britney Spears‘ “blessing” to interpolate Spears’ 2000 song of the same name.

The Columbia Records artist shared the news via X on Thursday morning in response to a fan’s question about Spears’ involvement in getting the sample cleared. “Yes of course!,” Halsey wrote, adding “I wouldn’t even dream of doing it without her blessing!” The confirmation may come as a somewhat of a surprise to those following Spears on social media, which seems to be the only source for Spears’ public communication these days.

In a now-deleted Instagram post denying rumors she was making music with Charli XCX, Spears announced “I’m never returning to the music industry.” It was later confirmed by Charli that she had actually written music for Spears, although it was never recorded.

Representatives for Halsey did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment. Halsey’s “Lucky” will arrive on July 26 after first being introduced on July 1 with a teaser that revealed the interpolation of Spears’ song, which touches on the emotional rollercoaster that comes with fame. “She’s so lucky, she’s a star/ But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking/ If there’s nothing missing in my life/ Then why do these tears come at night?” Halsey sings in the chorus of her reimagined take.