Britney Spears Fans Send 2011 'Selfish' Song Up the Charts as Justin Timberlake Drops His Own 'Selfish' Track

Fans of Britney Spears have rallied together to push the Princess of Pop's 13-year-old song, "Selfish," up the charts amid the release of her ex, Justin Timberlake's, new track of the same name.

Timberlake dropped his comeback single, "Selfish," on Thursday, while Spears' devoted fan base seized the opportunity to elevate her 2011 track from the deluxe version of her album, Femme Fatale.

The Britney stan account BritneyxYtube claimed credit for the ingenious move, stating that it all "started as a joke" when Timberlake announced the title of his new single.

Fans then playfully speculated that Spears was making a grand return with a "brand-new song." The orchestrated effort quickly gained momentum, propelling the vintage "Selfish" song to the top 40 of the U.S. iTunes chart, with sights set on the top 10.

Expressing joy over the unexpected success, the person behind BritneyxYtube told Entertainment Weekly, "I still can't believe that it became so big, and we see the results we see now. We are all so happy to see her song making a comeback after all these years!!!"

While Spears herself has yet to make a big return to the music industry, Timberlake is set to perform "Selfish" on Saturday Night Live this weekend when Dakota Johnson hosts the show.

The timing of this chart resurgence adds an extra layer of drama to the ongoing reevaluation of Timberlake's past actions against Spears from her bestselling 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, which shed light on the complexities of their three-year relationship, which started in 1999.

In October, just after the release of Spears' book, a source told ET of Timberlake's reaction to his ex's claims, "Justin has been focusing on his own family and trying not to concern himself with Britney’s memoir. In recent years, Justin has tried to be supportive of Britney from a distance. They dated so long ago, but he still has respect for her. Justin and [wife] Jessica Biel just want everyone to grow and evolve instead of continuing to bring up the past."

"Selfish" is the first solo single by the GRAMMY-winning musician since 2018's Man of The Woods. Prior to the song's release, Timberlake teased it for the crowd during his hometown performance at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee, last week.

RELATED CONTENT:

Justin Timberlake Debuts First Solo Single After 5-Year Hiatus

Justin Timberlake Responds to Being Name-Dropped By Travis Kelce

Justin Timberlake Announces New 'Forget Tomorrow World Tour'

Dakota Johnson and Justin Timberlake Reunite in New 'SNL' Promo: Watch

Justin Timberlake Releases 'Selfish,' Reveals Date For New Album

Justin Timberlake Debuts First Solo Single After 5-Year Hiatus