Halsey gives empowering speech in London after homophobic bus attack
Halsey performed in Camden last night, and gave an empowering speech about LGBTQ Pride and bigotry.
For background, recently, two women were beaten in a homophobic attack on a London bus that garnered a lot of attention online.
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Also, it’s Pride month, and some people in Boston are pushing for a “straight pride” parade, causing major outcry.
At the show in the city, Halsey wore a shirt with their faces on it that read “Fuck your straight pride” on the back.
tonight in camden @halsey wore a shirt with that picture of melania and chris after their assault and a message that said “fuck your straight pride”. it made me fucking cry and i’m very thankful for her. pic.twitter.com/sbZTR1gKgd
— promise (@WHERElSMUNA) June 10, 2019
halsey is currently on stage with a t shirt with the picture of the two girls who got beaten in camden on and just did the biggest speech about why we need pride i love her so fucking much
— marnie ??♂️ (@delicatenico) June 10, 2019
She then gave a passionate speech, slamming straight pride and homophobia.
“After the Pride parades are over and after the bars close their Pride nights and the glitter is being swept out of the streets, a lot of people get on those trains and they get on those buses and try to wash the rainbows off their bodies and they’re peeling the stickers off their close because when Pride is over, it’s not safe to be gay anymore because they’re worried that someone is going to viciously assault them or viciously attack them. So when the people around the world ask the question, “Why isn’t there a straight pride parade? The answer because if there was one, you wouldn’t have to get on the bus and be terrified of being fucking beaten or killed afterwards. That’s why there’s not a straight pride parade because every fucking day on public transport is a straight pride parade.”
She then led the room in a powerful chant of “I will not be afraid.”
The entire moment is extremely moving, and was caught by fans at the show. You can her full speech below.
Halsey getting a room full of queer kids to scream “I WILL NOT BE AFRAID” after two women were beaten for being gay in the exact same town she’s performing in. She’s wearing a shirt with their faces on the front, and “FUCK YOUR STRAIGHT PRIDE” on the back. pic.twitter.com/VssWprS3gX
— Sucker!! (AKA Becca!!) (@iamsuckeriam) June 10, 2019
After the show, Halsey praised the night on Twitter and her intimate gigs in general.
CAMDEN pic.twitter.com/Vg2vujuNGb
— h (@halsey) June 11, 2019
I fucking love these small shows we’ve been playing I feel like myself in my fuckin skin again
— h (@halsey) June 11, 2019
More Halsey news
Halsey has covered “Sucker” by the Jonas Brothers in her own signature style that has us totally hooked.
She did the rendition of the song on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge, which was praised by the trio of brothers themselves.
Before her performance, BBC Radio 1 teased on Twitter that she’d be performing “Nightmare” and a “very special cover.”
You’re not dreaming – @Halsey will be in the Live Lounge at 12pm today! ?
Hear her perform ‘Nightmare’ and a very special cover ??
Listen on @BBCSounds pic.twitter.com/KXXgxzta9f
— BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) June 6, 2019
Then, she came out and did the Jonas Brothers hit song, which you can see a clip of below.
Dear @Halsey,
We’re officially obsessed with your Live Lounge cover of ‘Sucker’ by the @jonasbrothers ?
Come back soon xoxo pic.twitter.com/NipYtofW0b
— BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) June 6, 2019
The Jonas Brothers basically freaked out like we did about the cover, and you can see a video of their reaction and tweets below.
WOW! @halsey cover of sucker on live lounge is incredible! @BBCR1
— Nick Jonas (@nickjonas) June 6, 2019
— Nick Jonas (@nickjonas) June 6, 2019
HALSEYYY!! That #Sucker cover on @BBCR1 was so sick ??? We love you!! @halsey #LiveLounge pic.twitter.com/hEDVLRfzxm
— Jonas Brothers (@jonasbrothers) June 6, 2019
Halsey saw their praise, and thanked them for the response to the cover.
??? I love you guys too!!!!! And I love this song! Thank you!!!!!!!! https://t.co/XiSvi3Zt7x
— h (@halsey) June 6, 2019
This wasn’t Halsey’s only surprising twist to a performance lately. She recently brought YUNGBLUD on stage with her to perform “11 Minutes” at the iHeartRadio Wango Tango.
Before that, she performed “Bad At Love,” “Eastside” and “Now or Never” to the crowd before bringing out her special surprise guest.
“I brought a friend with me tonight,” she told the crowd. “How many people are here tonight with someone you love?”
Halsey’s new song “Nightmare” is undoubtedly intense. It’s an anthem that makes fans want to jump around, scream and apparently, speed on the road.
One fan shared a story about getting a speeding ticket while listening to the new song that led to Halsey reaching out herself.
Twitter user @_fran_cesca made the confession on Twitter.
“Driving home from Penn State I got pulled over/given a ticket for the first time ever and when asked why I was going 99 in a 70 I was ~dangerously~ close to admitting I was bangin out to@halsey’s new song Nightmare,” the tweet read.
Then, the singer reached out herself and offered to pay the fines.
“What’s your Venmo. I’ll pay your ticket. DRIVE SAFELY PLEASE!!!!” she wrote.
What’s your Venmo. I’ll pay your ticket. DRIVE SAFELY PLEASE!!!! https://t.co/rZJxRXb7Nj
— h (@halsey) May 21, 2019
Halsey’s right, we should drive safe. But she obviously can’t blame the fan either who just went a little too hard to her new song.
As for the story of “Nightmare,” it’s pretty intense itself. Earlier this month, Halsey embarked on the new era by blacking out her social media after the Billboard Music Awards. Then, she posted a link in her social media bios that directed fans to a site where they could sign up for email alerts and proceed to share their worst ever nightmare.
Following more lyrical scavenger hunts and teasers, Halsey finally unleashed “Nightmare” on the world.
The song serves as an empowering anthem detailing themes of bodily autonomy and independence. It also featured appearances from actress/model Cara Delevingne and rock icon Debbie Harry of Blondie, the latter of which Halsey called “a no brainer” when including her.
She’s an icon. It was a no brainer! We’ve done interviews together and she presented me my billboard women in music award a few years ago! https://t.co/Ea0W1zOlNX
— h (@halsey) May 18, 2019
You can watch the official music video for “Nightmare” below.
Halsey recently released a “Nightmare”-inspired shirt where 100% of the proceeds go to The Yellowhammer Fund for abortion accessibility. More information is available here.
Halsey has a handful of dates in the U.S. and U.K. this summer with a full list here.
What did you think of Halsey’s speech? Sound off in the comments below!
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