Billie Eilish has addressed and apologised for an old, edited video circulating on social media in which she appears to mouth a racist slur.
In a lengthy statement posted on her Instagram story, Eilish wrote that she is “appalled and embarrassed” about an edited video that resurfaced on TikTok, which appears to show the singer mouthing an anti-Asian slur along to a song 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.”
Read Eilish’s statement in full, as taken from her Instagram story, below.
Eilish also addressed a second video of her which led to accusations that she was mocking accents, arguing that this wasn’t 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 have 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 apologised 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 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 spoke out about the reaction she got to her record-breaking British Vogue cover upon its unveiling back 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 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’.”
Eilish is set to release her second album ‘Happier Than Ever’ on July 30. It comes over two years since the release of her debut album ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’, which she recently said she “hated every second” of making.
The post Billie Eilish apologises for mouthing racist slur in resurfaced video: “I am appalled and embarrassed” appeared first on NME.
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