Singer Billie Eilish has hit out at the German version of Nylon magazine, after they digitally altered her image for their latest cover without her consent.
The chart-topping star appears on the cover reimagined as a cyborg, with the magazine hailing her as a “digital prodigy” – though the 17-year-old has voiced her anger about having not been notified by the magazine, particularly about the suggested nudity in their cover image.
Writing in Nylon’s Instagram comments, Billie wrote: “What the fuck is this shit… I was never approached by Nylon about this piece whatsoever. I did not know it was happening nor did anyone on my team.”
“This is not even a real picture of me. I had absolutely no creative input.”
She continued: “You’re gonna make a picture of me shirtless?? That’s not real?? At 17? And make it the cover???? Even if the picture was supposed to look like some robot version of me... I did not consent in any way.”
Billie also voiced her anger about the magazine removing “all my fucking hair” for the cover.
Responding to the controversy, Nylon responded: “For this cover, it was never our intention to create a look that is confusing or insulting to Billie Eilish. It was only ever our intention to honour Billie’s impact and her work by creating this avatar which is part of a cover series highlighting the power of digital prodigy artists.
“This avatar is a piece of 3D artwork created in dedication to her achievements and the positive effect she has had on millions around the globe - including us.”
Billie won a legion of new fans earlier this year, when she unveiled her long-awaited debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, which topped the UK album chart upon its release.
She’s also had two top 10 singles in 2019, with Bury A Friend and Bad Guy, as well as critically-acclaimed festival performances at Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds.