Billie Eilish recently revealed that she didn't intend to come out publicly after saying in a wide-ranging interview with Variety last month that she was physically attracted to women.
The musician attended Variety's Hitmakers event on Saturday and spoke with a reporter who asked Eilish whether she meant to come out as part of the article. “No, I didn't," Eilish laughed.
“But I kinda thought, ‘wasn’t it obvious?'” she continued. “I didn't realize people didn't know... I just don't really believe in it. I'm like, why can't we just exist? I've been doing this for a long time and I just didn't talk about it. Whoops.”
The cover story, which came out in November and was part of the Variety Power of Women series, featured Eilish detailing her relationship with women. The artist calls herself a “girls girl” but felt she never “could relate to girls very well,”
“I love them so much,” Eilish said in the article. "I love them as people. I’m attracted to them as people. I’m attracted to them for real.”
She continued: “I’m physically attracted to them. But I’m also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence.”
After the article was released, fan speculation of her sexuality ramped up, though the musician has not used any official label. Others have accused her of “queerbaiting” in the past, but Eilish shut down the scrutiny she faces, saying in 2021, “Or my sexuality! Like, oh yeah, that’s everyone else’s business, right? No. Where’s that energy with men?”
“I saw the article and I was like, ‘Oh! I guess I came out today,’" Eilish said on Saturday. “But it's exciting to me because, you know, I guess people didn't know so it's cool that they know, but I'm nervous talking about it.”
She added: “But yeah, I am for the girls.”
During the Hitmakers event on Saturday, Billie Eilish received the award for Film Song of the Year for her hit “What Was I Made For” from the Barbie movie. The song, ironically, is featured during a pivotal moment in the film when Margot Robbie's character is changing into a woman and features heavy themes of feminity and what it means to be a woman.
When asked if Eilish still found women intimidating, she joked, “I'm still scared of them but I think they're pretty."
