Britney Spears\u2019 infamous, meme-coded 2007 era is now being commemorated in musical form.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles-based artist blackbear\u2019s new single, \u201cbritney in \u201907<\/a>,\u201d is a track inspired by the pop star\u2019s vulnerable public breakdowns (and eventual resilience) that social media fans still find \u201crelatable\u201d today.<\/p>\n Ahead of its official release, blackbear gave Page Six an exclusive first listen of the song and shared what inspired him to write it \u2014 not as a mockery, but as a \u201cuniversal cultural symbol\u201d that \u201cstays hopeful\u201d through all the noise.<\/p>\n Page Six has your exclusive first listen of blackbear\u2019s new single, \u201cbritney in \u201907.\u201d WireImage<\/p>\n The catchy track is inspired by the pop star\u2019s infamous, meme-coded 2007 era. AP Photo<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone has seen the iconic picture of Britney bald with the umbrella in her hand and has been like, \u2018Yeah, I feel that.\u2019 The head-shaving, umbrella moment shaped culture<\/a>. Britney has shaped culture \u2026 and still does,\u201d the singer \u2014 who has worked with artists like Demi Lovato<\/a>, MGK<\/a> and Justin Bieber<\/a> \u2014 exclusively told Page Six.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes people can think you\u2019re at the top of your game, but you really feel like shaving your head and beating a car window in. You never know what people are going through.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201chot girl bummer\u201d singer (real name: Matthew Tyler Musto) added that the track is about \u201cthe vibe\u201d of how Spears felt during that tumultuous period in her life; a \u201cfeeling\u201d many other artists have experienced while navigating fame and life in the public eye.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re out here doing your best \u2026 and everyone\u2019s judging you without having the whole story,\u201d he told Page Six. Garrett Brockschmitt<\/p>\n The latest track from blackbear shines a spotlight on the pressures of the industry, masking the struggle with humor, chaos and pop culture references. AP Photo<\/p>\n \u201cHow Miley [Cyrus] felt while everyone was giving her s\u2013t during the \u2018Wrecking Ball\u2019 era. How the Olsen twins [Mary-Kate and Ashley] probably always feel,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re out here doing your best, but you feel like s\u2013t regardless \u2014 and everyone\u2019s judging you without having the whole story.\u201d<\/p>\n Blackbear told us he originally wrote the song with producer Andrew Goldstein during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 with the same goal he always has in mind: to create music that helps listeners smile through the pain.<\/p>\n \u201cI ultimately didn\u2019t put it out because I thought that time [and] general unrest was fleeting,\u201d he explained. \u201cTurns out, we\u2019re still feeling that way five years out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like Britney in \u201907, you about to catch these hands \/ going through some shit, it seems like no one understands,\u201d he sings on the track. Garrett Brockschmitt<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with me, I\u2019m not OK \/ but if Britney could survive \u201907, you could do today.\u201d Garrett Brockschmitt<\/p>\n The song shines a spotlight on the pressures of the industry and feeling like one is going to collapse under pressure \u2014 but masking the struggle with humor, chaos and pop culture references.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like Britney in \u201907, you about to catch these hands \/ going through some shit, it seems like no one understands,\u201d blackbear sings at the beginning of the track, adding, \u201cI\u2019m bout to f\u2013k s\u2013t up and post it all on Instagram.\u201d<\/p>\n Other lyrics include lines like \u201cI\u2019m bout to shave my head, delete my channel on YouTube \/ because I make all my money, they take it all from me,\u201d and \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with me, I\u2019m not OK \/ but if Britney could survive \u201907, you could do today.\u201d<\/p>\n Back in 2007, Spears made headlines for several public breakdowns, including shaving her own head<\/a> and attacking a paparazzo\u2019s car with an umbrella. <\/p>\n Spears made headlines in 2007 for several vulnerable breakdowns, including shaving her own head and attacking a paparazzo\u2019s car with an umbrella at a gas station. \u00a9 Robert Galbraith\/Reuters\/Corbi<\/p>\n At the time, she had just released her \u201cBlackout\u201d album, was grieving the death of her beloved aunt, recovering from her divorce from Kevin Federline and battling for custody of their two kids. AP Photo<\/p>\n At the time, she had just released her fifth studio album, \u201cBlackout,\u201d was recovering from her divorce from ex Kevin Federline and battling him for custody of their two kids: Sean Preston and Jayden James. On top of that, she was also grieving the beloved loss of her aunt, Sandra Bridges Covington, from cancer.<\/p>\n \u201cWith my head shaved, everyone was scared of me, even my mom. Flailing those weeks without my children, I lost it, over and over again,\u201d the pop icon recalled<\/a> in her 2023 memoir, \u201cThe Woman in Me<\/a>,\u201d noting that she \u201cdidn\u2019t really know how\u201d to take care of herself during that tumultuous time.<\/p>\n \u201cI am willing to admit that in the throes of severe postpartum depression, abandonment by my husband, the torture of being separated from my two babies, the death of my adored aunt Sandra and the constant drumbeat of pressure from paparazzi, I\u2019d begin to think in some ways like a child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith my head shaved, everyone was scared of me, even my mom,\u201d Spears wrote in her 2023 memoir. \u201cFlailing those weeks without my children, I lost it, over and over again.\u201d WireImage<\/p>\n The public incidents led to Britney being placed under a controversial conservatorship in 2008, with her father, Jamie Spears, serving as her conservator for over a decade. ZUMAPRESS.com<\/p>\n The public incidents led to Britney being placed under a controversial conservatorship<\/a> in 2008. Her father, Jamie Spears, served as her conservator<\/a> (with attorney Andrew Wallet assigned as co-conservator), overseeing the pop star\u2019s life, finances, career decisions and more.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I wasn\u2019t under the restraints I\u2019m under right now \u2014 with all the lawyers and doctors and people analyzing me every day \u2014 if that wasn\u2019t there, I\u2019d feel so liberated,\u201d Britney said in the MTV documentary \u201cBritney: For the Record\u201d in 2008.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I tell them the way I feel, it\u2019s like they hear but they\u2019re really not listening,\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s like, it\u2019s bad. I\u2019m sad.\u201d<\/p>\n The court-ordered arrangement was eventually terminated in November 2021<\/a> following Britney\u2019s bombshell testimonies and support from the fan-led #FreeBritney movement.<\/p>\n The court-ordered arrangement was eventually terminated in November 2021 following the #FreeBritney movement. AP<\/p>\n \u201cBest day ever \u2026 praise the Lord,\u201d the singer wrote via Instagram after her big victory, adding, \u201c#FreedBritney.\u201d Alberto Reyes\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n \u201cGood God I love my fans so much it\u2019s crazy \ud83e\udd7a\u2764\ufe0f!!! I think I\u2019m gonna cry the rest of the day !!!!,\u201d the \u201cLucky\u201d singer wrote in celebration of her victory<\/a> via Instagram at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cBest day ever \u2026 praise the Lord \u2026 can I get an Amen \ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffc\u2600\ufe0f\ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffc ???? #FreedBritney.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBritney in \u201907\u201d drops Friday at midnight ET. The banger marks blackbear\u2019s first single off \u201canalogue dream,\u201d his first album in over three years following 2022\u2019s \u201cin loving memory.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t