Billie Eilish is clarifying that did in fact come out publicly.
The Grammy winner has confirmed that she did so in her recent Variety Power of Women cover story, during which she said she was attracted to women.
When asked by Variety at its 2023 Hitmakers event Dec. 2 if she meant to come out in the November interview, the singer responded, "No, I didn't, but I kinda thought, wasn't it obvious?" I didn't realize people didn't know."
Billie added that she didn't really "believe in" coming out, adding, "I'm just like, why can't we just exist? I've been doing this for a long time and I just didn't talk about it. I saw the article and I was like, 'Oh, I guess I came out today.' OK, cool. It's exciting to me because I guess people didn't know, so it's cool that they know. Ooh, I'm nervous talking about it. But no, I am for the girls."
The 21-year-old also said, regarding her thoughts about women, "I'm still scared of them but I think they're pretty."
Billie attended the Hitmakers event with her brother FINNEAS, who both collected the award for Film Song of the Year for "What Was I Made For" from the Barbie soundtrack.
In a speech dedicated to the songwriting duo, lyricist Bernie Taupin highlighted the pair's ability to create "melody and lyrics that can lift the world and touch your soul."
"Much like I've been blessed with my songwriting partner of the last 56 years and others that come to mind," he shared. "Everyone from George and Ira Gershwin to Bacharach and David Holland Dozier in Holland and Goffin and King and, of course, [John] Lennon and [Paul] McCartney. These two, Billie and FINNEAS, have each other and have that gift. The gift of songwriting through songwriting teams are a dying breed."
As Bernie noted, "What they've managed to achieve already in their young lives is nothing short of astounding, and I'm really, really delighted to be standing here awarding them for best song for a film today."
Bernie concluded his speech by highlighting the "overwhelming empathy" evoked from the single.
"Thanks to this delicate, heartfelt and understated song and I might add that understated is a key word for songwriters like all great songwriters," he continued, "they have tapped right into the psyche into the heart and made us feel something and understand things about ourselves and others that we might not have had before. A brilliant song and songwriter will do that."
In her Variety Power of Women interview, the singer, who previously dated The Neighbourhood frontman Jesse Rutherford—had said, "I have deep connections with women in my life, the friends in my life, the family in my life. I'm physically attracted to them. But I'm also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence."
Billie continued, "I love them as people. I'm attracted to them as people. I'm attracted to them for real."
She also said she'd "never felt like a woman" or feminine herself, although she identifies as "she/her."
Days after the interview was published, Billie reflected on her feelings about her gender identity while giving a tearful speech at Variety's Power of Women event in Los Angeles.
"It's really hard to be a woman out here guys," she said at the Nov. 16 gala. "I have never felt truly like a woman. And I've spent a lot of my life not feeling like I fit in to being a woman."
She continued, "For a couple years, because of that insecurity, I became almost like very 'pick me' about it and I'd be like, 'Well, I'm not like other girls 'cause I don't do this and this, and I've grown to be very resentful of that period of time because I'm so much more interested in being like other girls, because other girls are f--king tight and I love women."
See photos of Billie and more celebs at Variety's Hitmaker event below:
boygenius's Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus & Phoebe Bridgers & Billie Eilish
Mark Ronson & Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling
Billie Eilish
St. Vincent
Olivia Rodrigo
FINNEAS & Billie Eilish
Victoria Monét
Maren Morris
Sabrina Carpenter