This is a story about a girl named tiLLie. Britney goes hyperpop-punk in the artist’s new cover of "Lucky," which she dubbed Spears’ "best emo anthem of all time." The update is an ode to TikTok’s infatuation with both the song and pop-punk covers, but it also has a lot of meaning to the up-and-coming artist.
"It speaks to that deep void I think we all have within us: Will anything ever be enough? Is happiness truly attainable? And sometimes it feels good to sit in that feeling for three minutes," tiLLie says. "It’s a reminder to find happiness even if you don't ‘have it all’ because you could and still not feel satisfied."
The artist, who describes her own original music as "nightmare pop," has been covering it for years on acoustic guitar and performed it every night on her recent tour with Lights before — finally — releasing the studio version: "luckie."
"With my cover of it, i wanted to lean into the satirical nature of the lyric by making it uptempo, and nodding to pop-punk and hyperpop," the singer says. "I think it’s one of her best songs, certainly a fan favorite, but was slightly underplayed at the time of its release."
In celebration of the cover being out, PAPER asked tiLLie to complete a near-impossible task for us: rank her top 10 favorite Britney songs. (And "luckie" for us, she did.)
"(You Drive Me) Crazy"
The production are melodies are peak Y2K goodness for me. You cannot deny the power play of her demanding everyone to "STOP!" for no other reason other than to flex.
"Stronger"
I had this in a HitClip when I was like six and that 30 seconds got me through every dentist appointment.
"Anticipating"
Utterly delicious saucy sweet pop banger. Like, put this on and my first thought is, "Where is the convertible with all my bitches in it?"
"Boys"
Yes, honey. Taking the power back and objectifying boys for once. Go off, king. This whole album was a statement into her reclaiming her sexuality and I'm here for it.
"Overprotected"
The intro is so dramatic, I love. Also, has to be one of my favorite productions of all time. I actually have a little nod to this production in my song, "Peachie." Overall, I love this record because you can hear her stepping into her true baddie goddess form. I think this was the first time I heard her cuss ("damn").
"Toxic"
The sheer power this song has. It's so musically complex, but no one would ever realize because it's done so impeccably well.
"Circus"
If Britney is a circus, I am the tent and will protect her forever. Who doesn't want to be in a circus with Brit as the ring leader? The correct answer is no one.
"If U Seek Amy"
The word play is genius. Again, I love any moment where she’s owning her sexuality and power.
"Work Bitch"
Bro, you could clean your whole house, make a million dollars and respond to all your emails in three minutes thanks to the motivation this song provides.
"Oops!... I Did It Again"
Everyone loves this song. Recently, I saw her do Carpool Karaoke with James Corden and he asked her what this song was about. She said, "I have no idea," and I truly respect that honesty and conviction. Not trying too hard to make something into something it's not. It’s a pop banger, period.
This is another song of hers where the drama and theatrics of the production — including the skit in the bridge — truly built the foundation for the production I incorporate into my songs.
Photography: Lindsey Blane
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