Halsey talks about a disturbing incident early in their career in which a “powerful” music executive invaded their privacy by taking nude photos on their phone without consent.

The singer-songwriter, who uses the pronouns they/them, shared the story on Call him dad podcast, revealing that the incident left them feeling “demoralized” and deeply unsettled.

The “Lucky” singer explained that it happened a few years ago while they were with the director and two of their male managers.

“I mean, I think it was a long time ago, but I was out and I was with this executive, like this very powerful executive who works in music in some capacity. It was just a celebration and there was a lot of talk in the industry,” said Halsey. “I didn’t feel weird about it at all. I never felt safe or anything.”

But the evening took a dark turn when the unnamed director asked Halsey to send a photo of them together to his niece. Halsey snapped the picture, then handed them the phone, saying, “Send yourself a text. I have to pee.”

But when Halsey returned, they immediately felt something was wrong.

“I saw it going through my nudes on the phone,” they recalled. Halsey admitted the moment left her in shock.

“I was frozen…I didn’t even know what to do. I was like, “Did I imagine this? Was it an accident?” They continued: “I was thinking, ‘Did the phone scroll up?’ What the hell happened?’”

The thought that the executive might even have sent the photos to himself lingered strongly with Halsey. “I said, ‘Did he message them and then delete the messages?’ I don’t even know where they are now,’” they added, describing the disorientation and helplessness that gripped them at that moment.

The whole experience was so invasive that Halsey found herself questioning their self-worth. “I went from being like, ‘Yeah, I’m like hell and I’m one of the biggest players.’ And then I sat down.”

“And when that happened, at that moment, I said, ‘You’re nothing. You are nothing. You will always be nothing. Încă ești doar acea fată nenorocită de care se profită, sau ca bărbații vorbesc despre tine la spate, sau ești un fel de colateral’”, a continuat ea. “I said, ‘You’re nothing.’ It was so demoralizing.”

Halsey said that while they have faced “worse” incidents in their careers, this one stands out. “It was so demoralizing,” they stressed. “I’ve had so many worse things happen to me than that, but that one stood out for some reason because it was so nonchalant.”

Reflecting on the dark side of power dynamics in the industry, Halsey noted, “I’m in this exclusive space, thinking I’ve reached the ranks where I’m protected… and then this invasive thing just happens on a whim.” They explained that the incident made them feel like they had “regressed”.

Halsey recently released her latest album, The great imitator, on October 25.

In addition to previously released singles ‘The End’, ‘Lucky’, ‘Lonely Is the Muse’ and ‘Ego’, the LP also includes songs such as ‘Only Girl Living in LA’, ‘Dog Years’, ‘Panic Attack ,” “I Believe in Magic,” “Hometown,” “I Never Loved You,” “Darwinism,” “Arsonist,” “Life of the Spider (DRAFT),” and “Hurt Feelings.” The great imitator marks Halsey’s fifth studio album. Next year 2021 If I can’t have love, I want powerwhich came in 2nd place on Billboard 200.