The singer/songwriter teased some new work on Instagram to start the week off with (July 1 2024), to tease a new song which listeners identified as having a sample from the pop megastar - the 2000 hit “Lucky.”
In the post, Halsey revealed “When I was five, it always felt like Britney was singing directly to me. 24 years later, these words hit different. Love you forever,” before singing the bittersweet lyrics to the song in the Instagram post.
But Halsey is not the first to sample the “…Baby One More Time” singer - in fact, according to WhoSampled, “Toxic” happens to be the one Britney Spears song that has constantly been sampled in songs, from hip-hop beats to polka medleys.
So who else has sampled Britney Spears - and have you picked up on any other artists who have sampled the musician previously?
Known more for his parody songs including the hit “White and Nerdy,” “Weird Al” Yankovic is also known for his polka-themed medleys where he borrows parts from other songs. In the case of “Polka Face” (2011), he incorporated elements of “Womanizer” alongside all the other pop hits of the era - including “Poker Face.” | Getty Images
Speaking of older trends - many of a certain age will remember “The Hills” and the power couple of Heidi Montag (see here on the right with Lauren Conrad) and Spencer Pratt. Such was their fame/infamy (delete as appropriate, reader) that the pair ended up briefly competing in “I’m A Celebrity” in 2009 and Montag released an album, which included “Dramatic (Remix)” in 2008. That song was pretty much used Britney’s track of the same name, albeit the original “Dramatic” came out a year earlier. | Getty Images
Mercury-Prize-nominated British group Black Midi is not opposed to sampling from the pop megastar either. On their track “Ded Sheeran (Ed Sheeran Send) Part 1” back in 2020, the group sampled Britney’s collaboration with Will.I.Am, 2012’s “Scream and Shout,” highlight that even art-rock groups have a soft spot for the singer. | Dan Kendall
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