Britney Spears has been accused of making a reference to one of Selena Gomez’s songs in her latest Instagram post.
The pop superstar, 41, who recently released her bombshell memoir, took to Instagram on Saturday (28 October) to reveal she wrote a new song.
The ‘Oops! I Did It Again’ hitmaker used a snapshot of herself in her 2001 ‘Overprotected’ music video on Instagram for the post. Although Britney didn’t reveal much about the song she’s working on, she revealed that the track is called 'Hate You to Like Me'.
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It didn’t take fans long to notice the similarity to the title of Selena Gomez’s 2019 ballad 'Lose You to Love Me'. The song, which deals with a breakup, was a massive success for the Rare Beauty founder and became her first song to top the Billboard Hot 100.
Fans of the pair have long suspected that there might be animosity between them due to a social media post made by Britney in the past.
In October 2022, Britney clarified that she didn’t throw shots at Selena on Instagram like many people assumed following a post she uploaded about women showing their bodies on Instagram.
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In a now-deleted post, Britney said: “Don’t you just love the nerve of women who stand firmly getting awards and speak on their beliefs about not showing their bodies on Instagram???!!!!!”
Fans assumed Britney was referring to Selena’s 2016 American Music Awards speech in which she declared: “I don’t want to see your bodies on Instagram - I want to see what’s in here [puts hand on heart].” The 31-year-old did not name and shame anyone in her speech.
Meanwhile, in Britney’s post she said: “They say ‘This is NOT something I would do’ yet those women are the very ones who get 4 million dollar budget videos made about sucking and licking on homemade ice cream !!!!”
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Fans believed that Britney was referencing Selena’s cheeky innuendo-filled 2020 collaboration with Blackpink titled ‘Ice Cream’.
In response to the rumours about their alleged beef, Britney said: "Let me clarify about me sharing my beliefs on women judging other women for their own rights in expressing themselves… what I said had nothing to do with anyone specific at all…”
She continued: “I was honestly referencing my days when i was younger when I got discriminated against harshly.”
The Only Murders in the Building star was one of the A-listers who watched Britney tie the knot with her now-estranged husband Sam Asghari in June last year.
In her latest post, Britney said: “I wrote a new song !!! Hate you to like me !!! No beef with anyone … just being a narcissist in a claimed, self-entitled way !!! It’s to accumulate interest by giving ego with my eyes closed because I hear important people do that these days.”
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Fans have taken to X - formerly known as Twitter - to question if Britney was referencing Selena Gomez.
“Is she shading Selena again?” one user asked the internet.
While another social media user added: “Britney Spears can’t enjoy her memoir and all the praise she’s getting… she just had to find a way to insult Selena somehow.”
However not everyone thought that Britney was trying to be shady. “Just because Britney Spears posted a lyrics [sic] kinda mimicking Selena Gomez song does not mean its a shade for her,” a fan declared.
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Tyla has contacted representatives for Britney Spears and Selena Gomez for comment.
Featured Image Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images/Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesTopics: Celebrity, Selena Gomez, Britney Spears