Billie Eilish has said Variety magazine “outed” her on the red carpet where the singer was interviewed by the US outlet.
In the Variety Power of Women cover story, the American hitmaker, 21, said she was “physically attracted” to women.
Eilish then appeared at Variety’s Hitmakers awards, where she accepted the film song of the year gong for the Barbie movie song What Was I Made For?, and was asked on the red carpet by the magazine about “coming out”.
She said: “I kind of thought, wasn’t it obvious? I didn’t realise people didn’t know. I just don’t really believe in it. 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. Whoops.”
Laughing, Eilish also said she “didn’t” mean to talk about her sexuality and explained that she was “nervous” about opening up about it.
Following the Saturday event she has since posted on Instagram, on Sunday evening US time.
Eilish wrote: “Thanks variety for my award and for also outing me on a red carpet at 11am instead of talking about anything else that matters(.) I like boys and girls leave me alone about it please literally who cares stream ‘what was i made for’ (disguised face emoji).”
In the original magazine interview, published in November, she 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.”
She also said she has “never really felt like I could relate to girls very well”.
Eilish said: “I love them so much. I love them as people. I’m attracted to them as people. I’m attracted to them for real.”
The publisher of Variety magazine has been contacted for comment.