Halsey is speaking out about a disturbing incident from earlier in their career, where a “powerful” music executive invaded their privacy by going through nude photos on their phone without consent.
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The singer-songwriter, who uses they/them pronouns, shared the story on the Call Her Daddy podcast, revealing that the incident left them feeling “demoralized” and deeply unsettled.
The “Lucky” singer explained that it happened several years ago while they were with the executive and two of their male managers.
“I mean, I guess it was quite a long time ago, but I was out and I was with this executive, like this really powerful executive who works in music in some capacity. It was very just celebratory, and there was a lot of industry talk,” Halsey said. “I didn’t feel weird about it at all. I never felt unsafe or anything.”
The evening took a dark turn, however, when the unnamed executive asked Halsey to send a photo of them together to his niece. Halsey took the picture, then handed over their phone, telling him, “Text it to yourself. I have to pee.”
But when Halsey returned, they immediately sensed something was off.
“I saw he was going through my nudes on my phone,” they recalled. Halsey admitted that the moment left them in shock.
“I was just frozen…I didn’t even know what to do. I was like, ‘Did I just imagine that? Was that an accident?’” They continued, “I was thinking, ‘Did the phone scroll up? What the heck just happened?’”
The thought that the executive might have even sent the photos to himself lingered heavily with Halsey. “I was like, ‘Did he text them to himself and then delete the messages? I don’t even know where these are now,’” they added, describing the disorientation and helplessness that washed over them in that instant.
The entire experience was so invasive that Halsey found themselves questioning their self-worth. “I went from being like, ‘Yeah, I’m like f—ing hot s— and I’m one of the big players.’ And then I sat down.”
“And when that happened, in that moment, I was like, ‘You’re nothing. You’re nothing. You’ll always be nothing. You’re still just that f—ing girl who’s getting taken advantage of, or like men are talking about you behind your back, or you’re some sort of like, collateral,’” she continued. “I was like, ‘You’re nothing.’ It was so demoralizing.”
Halsey shared that, although they’ve faced “worse” incidents in their career, this one stands out. “It was so demoralizing,” they emphasized. “So many worse things have happened to me than that, but that one stuck out for some reason because it was so nonchalant.”
Reflecting on the dark side of power dynamics in the industry, Halsey noted, “I’m in this exclusive space, thinking I’ve reached the ranks where I am protected…and then this invasive thing just happens on a whim.” They explained that the incident made them feel as though they had “regressed.”
Halsey recently released their latest album, The Great Impersonator, on Oct. 25.
In addition to previously released singles “The End,” “Lucky,” “Lonely Is the Muse” and “Ego,” the LP also features songs such as “Only Girl Living in LA,” “Dog Years,” “Panic Attack,” “I Believe in Magic,” “Hometown,” “I Never Loved You,” “Darwinism,” “Arsonist,” “Life of the Spider (DRAFT)” and “Hurt Feelings.” The Great Impersonator marks Halsey’s fifth studio album. It follows 2021’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
