Britney Spears’ infamous, meme-able 2007 era is being commemorated in musical form.
Los Angeles-based artist blackbear’s new single “britney in ’07” is a track inspired by the pop star’s vulnerable public lives (and ultimately resilience) that social media fans still find “relatable” today.
Ahead of its official release, Blackbear gave Page Six an exclusive first listen to the song and revealed what inspired him to write it. Not as a mockery, but as a “universal cultural symbol” that “keeps hope alive” amidst the noise.
“Everyone has seen that iconic photo of a bald Britney holding an umbrella and thought, ‘Yeah, I think so too.’ That shaved head, umbrella moment shaped culture. Britney has shaped culture…and continues to do so,” the singer, who has worked with artists like Demi Lovato, MGK, and Justin Bieber, exclusively tells Page Six.
“Sometimes people may think you’re at the top of your game, but you actually want to shave your head and bang out car windows. You never know what people are going through.”
The “Hot Girl Bummer” singer (real name: Matthew Tyler Musto) added that the song is about the “vibes” Spears felt during a tumultuous period in her life. A “feeling” that many other artists have experienced while living their lives with fame and the public eye.
“I wonder how Miley[Cyrus]felt during the ‘Wrecking Ball’ era while everyone was being nice to her. I wonder how the Olsen twins[Mary-Kate and Ashley]probably felt all the time,” he continued.
“You’re doing your best here, but you feel like you’re not good enough regardless. And everyone is judging you without knowing the whole story.”
Blackbear said he originally had the same goal in mind when he and producer Andrew Goldstein wrote the song during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. The goal was to create music that would help listeners overcome their pain and smile.
“I ultimately didn’t announce it because I thought time (and) general anxiety was fleeting,” he explained. “At the end of the day, five years later, we still feel that way.”
The song spotlights the pressures of the industry and feeling like you’re about to collapse under pressure, but masks that struggle with humor, chaos, and pop culture references.
“I feel like Britney in 2007, you’re trying to catch this hand / Doing some shit and no one seems to understand,” Blackbear sings at the beginning of the song, adding, “I’m gonna get carried away and post it all on Instagram.”
Other lyrics include, “I’m trying to shave my head, I’m deleting my YouTube channel / ‘Cause they’re taking away all the money I make” and “What’s wrong with me, I’m not okay / But if Britney could survive 2007, you can do it today.”
Back in 2007, Spears made headlines for several public outbursts, including shaving her own head and attacking a paparazzi’s car with an umbrella.
At the time, she had just released her fifth studio album, Blackout, and was recovering from her divorce from ex Kevin Federline, with whom she was battling over custody of their two children, Sean Preston and Jayden James. Additionally, she was also grieving the loss of her beloved aunt, Sandra Bridges Covington, to cancer.
“Everyone was scared of me, even my mom, because I had shaved my head. I was flopping around for weeks without my kids, and I lost it over and over again,” the pop icon recalled in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, noting that she “didn’t really know” how to take care of herself during that tumultuous time.
“I will admit that between severe postpartum depression, the pain of being abandoned by my husband and separated from my two babies, the death of my beloved aunt Sandra, and constant pressure from the paparazzi, I have learned to think like a child in some ways.”
A public incident led to Britney being placed into a controversial conservatorship in 2008. Her father, Jamie Spears, served as her conservator (lawyer Andrew Wallet was appointed co-conservator) and oversaw the pop star’s life, finances, and career decisions.
Britney said in the 2008 MTV documentary Britney: For the Record, “I would have felt so liberated if I didn’t have all the shackles I have now with lawyers and doctors and people analyzing me every day.”
“When I tell them how I feel, they seem to be listening, but they’re not really listening,” she added. “Like, it sucks. It’s sad.”
The court-ordered deal was ultimately finalized in November 2021 following Britney’s shocking testimony and support from the fan-led #FreeBritney movement.
“Oh my god I love my fans so much it’s crazy 🥺❤️!!! I think I’m going to cry all day today!!!!,” the “Lucky” singer wrote on Instagram at the time, celebrating the win.
“Best day ever… Praise the Lord… Can I say Amen 🙏🏼☀️🙌🏼 ???? #FreedBritney.”
“Britney in ’07” airs Fridays at midnight ET. The banger is Blackbear’s first single from Analog Dream, his first album in more than three years since 2022’s In Loving Memory.
