Halsey said she feels like an outsider when it comes to her pop star peers.
In an interview with The Guardian on Friday, the “Bad at Love” artist claimed her reputation for being outspoken has caused fellow female musicians to tread carefully in developing a relationship with her.
“Nobody wants to be my friend,” began the 25-year-old. “They’re scared I’m gonna pop off about something. I’m drama by association.”
“I put myself out there with my peers,” she continued. “I don’t know if people really ever wanted to do the same with me. So I stopped wasting my energy.”
Halsey argues her public provocations have played a part in not only ostracizing her from her contemporaries, but a wider fan base as well.
She gave an impassioned speech about sexual abuse at The Woman’s March in 2018. The same year, she performed a risque dance with another woman on “The Voice.” And she’s been very open about advocating for mental health awareness, women’s issues, and race.
“It’s hard to figure out when being an activist deflects attention from my art,” she told the publication. “Sometimes when you’re the center of ‘having something to say’ you start losing your agency. People don’t wanna hear it.”
Whether Halsey considers them friends or not, some of her music industry peers have voiced their support for the chart-topping songwriter.
Ariana Grande congratulated Halsey when “Without Me” dethroned her “thank u, next” on the Billboard Hot 100 in January of 2019.
“F–k it up @iamhalsey,” Grande wrote. “To girls on top all 2019.”
Halsey responded, “Luv u bb. Dynamic women who are headstrong + compassionate all 2019.”
When Halsey won the first award of the night at the American Music Awards last November and slammed the idea of trophies being a “validation” for the “soul-crushing and heartache-inducing work” of songwriting, Taylor Swift took the stage at the end of the event and said, “Speech of the whole night goes to Halsey.”
Halsey has in the past, however, called former Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui one of her BFFs.
“Lauren is so special because best friend or not, her music would still be exactly what I need in the moment and it gives me goosebumps. It’s just even better that I’m lucky enough to know and love her,” she wrote in an October 2018 tweet.
As they say, all you need is one true friend.
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Halsey Rocks Custom Hand-Painted Gown for Aria Awards 2019