Halsey Speaks out After ‘The Voice’ Performance Sparks Major Backlash

Singer Halsey responded to the criticism her performance of “Without Me” during Tuesday’s The Voice finale by embracing the haters.

During the performance, Halsey was joined by actress/dancer Jade Chynoweth. The two wote cropped tops and high-waisted shorts, with some sensual choreography that alarmed a number of viewers.

After the broadcast, the 24-year-old singer responded to the outcry by saying she was “proud” to annoy homophobic viewers who missed the point of the performance.

“Very proud of the emotional performance i did with [Jade Chynoweth] on [The Voice] tonight. And also very proud to have pissed off thw homophobic viewers at home who missed the message. Thanks for watching,” she tweeted.

In the next message, she added, “[Representation] matters. Thanks [The Voice] for giving a space for this vision to come to life… and thank you [Jade Chynoweth] for being an incredible human who used her body like the ultimate instrument for this collaboration.”

However, some Twitter users continued complaining, with many saying it was too hot for primetime television.

“This had nothing to do with homophobia,” one person wrote. “I am homosexual and I was sickened by the demonstration of domestic violence and vulgarity. Not appropriate for a show featuring and watched by teens.”

“Not homophobic, but I believe erotic performances don’t belong on prime time television. Hetero or Homosexual,” another wrote. “I’m a parent and a teacher and obviously that is not appropriate for children. If you wish to pay and see that performance in concert, then by all means go ahead. It should not have been foisted upon the masses of families watching the finale.”

“There’s a time and place for everything. Wrong forum,” another wrote.

But these voices were outnumbered by Halsey’s fans who praised her performance.

“This was profound. What a break through performance. Thank you for your courage and incredible story telling. Those with an open heart will have truly felt your performance,” one person wrote.

“I loved every second of your performance tonight! It was beautiful. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. Send the messages out even when some people don’t like it. Do you. Be you. Don’t back down from anyone or anything,” another added.

The criticism of the performance’s content was not the only response that riled up Halsey. She also had to defend herself against allegations of “lipsyncing.” Halsey said she did not understand why people keep bringing that up in 2018.

“i don’t get why everytime I do TV people say I’m ‘lipsynching.’ like it’s 2018 are people even allowed to do that anymore? I’m not even sure these programs would allow a singer to do it if they begged to cause they’d be scared of tech difficulties compromising the show’s integrity,” she wrote. “Like I feel so dumb even having to address this lmao.”

The Voice Season 15 ended with Chevel Shepherd, who was coached by Kelly Clarkson, winning the title.

Photo credit: Kevork S. Djansezian/Getty Images