For a former, modified video circulating on social media, which looks to mouth a racial gulf, Billie Eilish has addressed and apologized.
Eilish released a lengthy statement on her story on Instagram stating she was "sorry and confused" over an altered video that appeared on TikTok that shows the vocalist mouthing an anti-Asian twist when she was "13 or 14" years old.
“… at the time I didn’t know [it] was a derogatory term used against members of the Asian community. I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word,” Eilish wrote.
“This song was the only time I’d ever heard that word as it was never used around me by anyone in my family.
“Regardless of my ignorance and age at the time, nothing excuses the fact is that it was hurtful, and for that I am sorry.”
Eilish also spoke to her for a second video, accusing her of ridiculing accents, arguing this was not the case.
“…the other video in that edited clip is me speaking in a silly gibberish made up voice…,” she said, “something I started doing as a kid and has done my whole life when talking to my pets, friends, and family.
“It is absolute gibberish and just me goofing around, and is in NO way an imitation of anyone or any language, accent, or culture in the SLIGHTEST…”
Eilish apologized for the second video as well, saying, “regardless of how it was interpreted [I] did not mean for any of my actions to have caused hurt to others and it absolutely breaks my heart that it is being labeled now in a way that might cause pain to people hearing it”.
Eilish concluded her statement by writing “I not only believe in, but have always worked hard to use my platform to fight for inclusion, kindness, tolerance, equity, and equality we all need to continue having conversations, listening and learning.”
Earlier this week, Eilish talked about her reaction to her record-breaking cover of the British Vogue in May.
“I saw a picture of me on the cover of Vogue [from] a couple of years ago with big, huge oversize clothes [next to the new Vogue cover],” she told The Rolling Stone.
“Then the caption was like, ‘That’s called growth. I understand where they’re coming from, but at the same time, I’m like, ‘No, that’s not OK. I’m not this now, and I didn’t need to grow from that.”
The second album, 'Happier ThanEver' will be released by Eilish on the 30th of July. Two years have passed since her first album, 'When We All Fall Asleep, What Do We Go?' was released, which she says she "hated every second."
