Halsey channels Britney Spears, health struggles in ‘Lucky’ video

Halsey is bringing Y2K back in a big way with her music video for new single “Lucky.”

The video, which is directed by Gia Coppola (Palo Alto, Mainstream) with cinematography by Alexis Zabe (The Florida Project), stars Halsey as a pop star struggling with the pressures of fame. Actor Simon Rex (Red Rocket) makes a cameo. 

The millennial-tinged video is similar thematically to Britney Spears’ music video for her song of the same name, which is appropriate, because Halsey’s “Lucky” features an interpolation of Spears’ 2000 song in the chorus topline.

In Halsey’s version, the lyrics are changed to the first person, though: “I’m so lucky, I’m a star/ But I cry, cry, cry in my lonely heart, thinking / If there’s nothing missing in my life / Then why do these tears come at night?”

According to reps for Halsey, Spears heard the new song early in the process and gave her blessing. Halsey also referenced this when asked by a fan on social media if Spears had signed off on it, telling the fan, “Yes of course! I wouldn’t even dream of doing it without her blessing!”

Halsey’s new song, and the video itself, also references her recent 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 s—, 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.”

In the video, the star is shown with a shaved head and receiving treatment. Last month, Halsey shared that she had been diagnosed nearly two years ago with Lupus SLE and a rare T-cell Lymphoproliferative Disorder, and has been struggling with her health privately. After the announcement, Halsey issued a statement thanking her fans for their support and noting that both conditions “are currently being managed or in remission; and both of which I will likely have for the duration of my life.”

The 29-year-old continued, “After a rocky start, I slowly got everything under control with the help of amazing doctors. After 2 years, I’m feeling better and I’m more grateful than ever to have music to turn to. I can’t wait to get back where I belong: With you all.”

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In a post Friday thanking her “Lucky” collaborators, Halsey expressed a lot of “conflicting emotions” with its release. “The lucky music video is out, and it’s a lot of feelings happening over here,” she shared on her Instagram. “It was really challenging to incorporate so many conflicting emotions in just a few minutes. this campaign has been fun because I WANT to have fun, but I made lot of this art when I was suffering. I have so many people to thank for being a part of this monumental moment in my life.”

Watch and compare both “Lucky” music videos above.