Britney Spears Scores Her Second Sales Hit In A Week—Thanks To Her Drama With Her Ex

Britney Spears and boyfriend Justin Timberlake arrive at the premiere of her movie "Crossroads" at ... [+] the Mann Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Ca., Feb. 11, 2002. (photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Britney Spears hasn’t released a new single in more than half a year, and while she may be teasing more tunes, nothing is confirmed. The fact that she’s not giving fans anything new to consume hasn’t stopped her from scoring new sales hits in the U.S., as her die-hard followers look to her back catalog to help her succeed once again.

The pop superstar currently claims a top 20 hit on iTunes’ U.S.-only chart. Spears’ song “Liar” reappears on the list of the bestselling tracks in the country on that one platform after not being present for years.

Currently, “Liar” is comfortable at No. 15 on iTunes, but it looks like it might climb soon. The track recently re-launched at No. 20, and it’s rose five spots in a matter of hours.

Superfans of Spears are buying “Liar” in droves seemingly as a way to troll her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake. At a concert earlier this week, he spoke to the crowd in between songs, at one point saying, “I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to absolutely f***ing nobody.” He stated this just before singing his hit “Cry Me a River,” which is reportedly about how Spears cheated on him during their relationship.

While Timberlake didn’t outright name Spears during his concert, it’s assumed by many that he was essentially taking back an apology he issued years ago that was aimed at her and others he’d wrongedâ€"or at least not supported as he feels he should haveâ€"such as Janet Jackson. Fans of Spears took to social media to express their outrage at this perceived slight, and they also made their love for her known by purchasing not just any track by the superstar, but one called “Liar.”

Before this week, “Liar” was not a hit for Spears. The song was featured on her album Glory, but only the deluxe version. That CD, which was released back in the summer of 2016, stands as her most recent full-length. If the song can continue to sell well, it may reach a number of Billboard charts in a week or so.

This isn’t the first time that fans of Spears have turned to iTunes to potentially rain on Timberlake’s parade. In fact, this is the second instance of their purchasing power being a favored way among her fan base to troll him. After Timberlake dropped his new single “Selfish”â€"the first taste of his forthcoming album Everything I Thought It Wasâ€"fans of Spears made sure her song of the same name became a sales win as well.

MORE FROM FORBESBritney Spears Announces New 'Project'-But What Is It?By Hugh McIntyre