Halsey says trolls sent her rape threats after her The Voice performance

14 October 2019, 14:14

By Sam Prance

Halsey performed 'Without Me' with a lesbian narrative on The Voice.

WARNING: This article may contain triggering descriptions of sexual assault. If this could affect you, please read with caution.

Halsey has spoken out about threats she's received for being openly bisexual and refusing to shy away from it in her music.

At the end of 2018, Halsey faced backlash from homophobic trolls for her performance of 'Without Me' on The Voice. Halsey delivered a stunning rendition of the Number 1 single but she received huge criticism because the staging included intimate choreography between Halsey and one of her female dancers.

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In response, Halsey tweeted that she was "very proud" of the performance and also "very proud to have pissed off the homophobic viewers at home who missed the message."

Now, Halsey has opened up about further homophobia she experienced right after the performance aired.

Talking to The Times, Halsey defended her performance and explained what happened in the aftermath.

"People were going, ‘What is this lesbian garbage on my TV?’ Yet there are performances by other artists that are way more sexual," she said. "But all hell broke loose. My phone number leaked, my email leaked. People were texting me things like, ‘I’m going to rape you straight.’ Heinous stuff."

Halsey then went on to say why she doesn't regret her performance: "Here’s what’s important, though — the young people sitting on the couch next to that angry dad, that angry mom, hearing them spewing hatred. The kid that’s scared to come out needs to see that on the TV.”

Throughout her career to date, Halsey has always included same-sex narratives in her work.

Halsey - 'Without Me' (The Voice 2018 Finale)

The horrific threats which Halsey received just go to show how widespread sexism and homophobia still are today. Her work is so important and and it's so inspiring to see an artist in Halsey's position be so honest, open and fearless.