Halsey featured Britney Spears' song 'Lucky' in her new music because she had been using the track as a "coping mechanism" while she was ill.

The 29-year-old pop star - who uses she/they pronouns - spent a lot of time receiving treatment in hospital after being diagnosed with Lupus and a rare lymphoproliferative disorder and she's revealed 'Lucky' became one of the songs she would hum to make herself feel better.

She told Paper magazine: "I have this weird coping mechanism where, if I’m not dealing with something internally, I’ll catch myself singing a song that relates to it. Often, the most random songs gets suck in my head ...

"'Lucky' became one of those songs. I would lay there, attached to a pump, like 'I’m so lucky, I’m a star.' It was facetious ... "

However, it inspired her to use the track to create her own 'Lucky' - which is the lead single from her new album ' The Great Impersonator'.

Halsey added: "I was in the studio, and was singing it under my breath, and went 'Wait, let’s do this. Has anyone done this? This has been done, right? Why hasn’t this been done? There’s no way I’m actually going to interpolate this Britney Spears song in this major way'.

"I asked my team, 'Guys, can you just make sure no one has done this? Like, I’m not missing a huge chunk of culture?' The verses just came to me, and the bridge was the last thing to come. It was obviously the most revealing part."

It comes after Britney, 42, recently deleted a social media post slamming Halsey's 'Lucky' music video - which pays homage to Britney's 2000 single of the same name - but Halsey rubbished the idea that she kept the singer in the dark about her plans.

Speaking to BBC Radio 1, Halsey shared: "I shared everything with her every step of the way, down from like the first demo of the song. And I sent her like a shot for shot treatment of the music video, just because I wanted to make sure I was totally nailing it."

Halsey also revealed that she's recently been in touch with Britney, sadying: "It's def a pinch-me thing. I didn't even know she knew who I was kinda, and so every day I'm kinda just looking around like, 'There's a six-year-old girl in my heart that's freaking out.'"

Her comments came after a post on Britney's X account criticised the 'Lucky' music video. The post read: "For obvious reasons I’m very upset about the Halsey video. I feel harassed, violated and bullied. 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.

"I have my own health problems which is why I took down my IG account yesterday. I will definitely be putting it back up now to show I CARE. I’m speaking with my lawyers today to see what can be done on this matter. It feels illegal and down right cruel. (sic)"

However, Britney subsequently denied writing the message. She wrote on X: "Fake news !!! That was not me on my phone !!! I love Halsey and that’s why I deleted it !!! (sic)"