Blackbear drops new single inspired by Britney Spears’ infamous 2007 era

Britney Spears’ infamous, meme-coded 2007 era is now 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 breakdowns (and eventual resilience) that social media fans still find “relatable” today.

Ahead of its official release, blackbear gave Page Six an exclusive first listen of the song and shared what inspired him to write it — not as a mockery, but as a “universal cultural symbol” that “stays hopeful” through all the noise.

“Everyone has seen the iconic picture of Britney bald with the umbrella in her hand and has been like, ‘Yeah, I feel that.’ The head-shaving, umbrella moment shaped culture. Britney has shaped culture … and still does,” the singer — who has worked with artists like Demi Lovato, MGK and Justin Bieber — exclusively told Page Six.

“Sometimes people can think you’re 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.”

The “hot girl bummer” singer (real name: Matthew Tyler Musto) added that the track is about “the vibe” of how Spears felt during that tumultuous period in her life; a “feeling” many other artists have experienced while navigating fame and life in the public eye.

“How Miley [Cyrus] felt while everyone was giving her s–t during the ‘Wrecking Ball’ era. How the Olsen twins [Mary-Kate and Ashley] probably always feel,” he continued.

“You’re out here doing your best, but you feel like s–t regardless — and everyone’s judging you without having the whole story.”

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.

“I ultimately didn’t put it out because I thought that time [and] general unrest was fleeting,” he explained. “Turns out, we’re still feeling that way five years out.”

The song shines a spotlight on the pressures of the industry and feeling like one is going to collapse under pressure — but masking the struggle with humor, chaos and pop culture references.

“I feel like Britney in ’07, you about to catch these hands / going through some shit, it seems like no one understands,” blackbear sings at the beginning of the track, adding, “I’m bout to f–k s–t up and post it all on Instagram.”

Other lyrics include lines like “I’m bout to shave my head, delete my channel on YouTube / because I make all my money, they take it all from me,” and “What’s wrong with me, I’m not OK / but if Britney could survive ’07, you could do today.”

Back in 2007, Spears made headlines for several public breakdowns, including shaving her own head and attacking a paparazzo’s car with an umbrella.

At the time, she had just released her fifth studio album, “Blackout,” 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.

“With my head shaved, everyone was scared of me, even my mom. Flailing those weeks without my children, 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 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’d begin to think in some ways like a child.”

The public incidents led to Britney being placed under a controversial conservatorship in 2008. Her father, Jamie Spears, served as her conservator (with attorney Andrew Wallet assigned as co-conservator), overseeing the pop star’s life, finances, career decisions and more.

“If I wasn’t under the restraints I’m under right now — with all the lawyers and doctors and people analyzing me every day — if that wasn’t there, I’d feel so liberated,” Britney said in the MTV documentary “Britney: For the Record” in 2008.

“When I tell them the way I feel, it’s like they hear but they’re really not listening,” she added. “It’s like, it’s bad. I’m sad.”

The court-ordered arrangement was eventually terminated in November 2021 following Britney’s bombshell testimonies and support from the fan-led #FreeBritney movement.

“Good God I love my fans so much it’s crazy 🥺❤️!!! I think I’m gonna cry the rest of the day !!!!,” the “Lucky” singer wrote in celebration of her victory via Instagram at the time.

“Best day ever … praise the Lord … can I get an Amen 🙏🏼☀️🙌🏼 ???? #FreedBritney.”

“Britney in ’07” drops Friday at midnight ET. The banger marks blackbear’s first single off “analogue dream,” his first album in over three years following 2022’s “in loving memory.”