Pop superstar Halsey has revealed that a ‘really powerful’ music executive violated their trust by looking at their nude photographs on their phone.
The 30-year-old Gasoline singer – who uses she/they pronouns – shared that when the unnamed executive asked for a selfie with her for a younger family member, they used the opportunity to look at explicit photographs on Halsey’s phone without the singer’s permission.
Halsey left their phone with the executive when going to the bathroom, and when she returned she discovered that they had gone through her phone.
On a recent episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Halsey recalled: ‘I had a really strange situation a couple years ago.
‘I guess it was quite a long time ago, but I was out and I was with this executive, this really powerful executive who works in music in some capacity.’
The singer continued, sharing how the situation unfolded: ‘I took a selfie of the two of us and I handed him my phone and I was like, “Text it to yourself. I have to pee.” And then I went to the bathroom and when I came back, he handed me my phone like this.’
She then demonstrated how the executive handed her the phone with the screen facedown.
They continued: ‘And I saw he was going through my nudes on my phone.’
After the host of the podcast reacted in understandable horror, Halsey went on to share that they were totally unsure how to respond to the situation.
She said: ‘I was just frozen. I was like, “Did I just imagine that? Was that an accident? Did the phone scroll up? What the heck just happened?”
‘And then I was like, “Did he text them to himself and then delete the messages? I don’t even know where these are now.”’
They went on to reflect on the contradictions of fame and influence and how, despite having a lot of power as a successful singer, they’re still vulnerable to abuse of this kind.
They said: ‘I’m in this situation where I have so much power.
‘I have a bodyguard and I have, you know, all the leverage in the world and I’m in this exclusive space in this VIP, I’ve reached the ranks of like, “Oh, I am protected” or whatever else it may be. And then this invasive thing just happens on a whim.’
They went on to say that they found the event deeply demoralising, and it made it difficult to believe in their own self-worth.
‘I went from being like, “Yeah, “I’m like 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.
Halsey released their fifth studio album, The Great Impersonator, on October 25.