Billie Eilish denies shading Taylor Swift over comments about vinyl variants

She addresses fan backlash about artists having multiple vinyl versions were interpreted as criticism of Taylor Swift

Billie Eilish has responded to angered Taylor Swift fans who believed she was criticising the "Anti-Hero" singer's practice of releasing multiple album variants.

In a recent Billboard interview, the "Bad Guy" singer expressed frustration with the music industry's disregard for environmental impact when artists release numerous vinyl versions with minor packaging differences.

While Eilish didn't name anyone specifically, Swifties assumed she was targeting their idol. Swift is known for re-releasing older albums and offering multiple physical and digital versions of new projects.

Fans took to social media, accusing Eilish of "dissing" Swift and even comparing their sales figures. The backlash prompted Eilish to clarify her statement via Instagram Stories, tagging her Billboard interview.

“Okay so it would be so awesome if people would stop putting words into my mouth and actually read what I said in that billboard article,” she wrote. “I wasn’t singling anyone out, these are industry-wide systemic issues,” she explained, referring to sustainability.

Eilish admitted to releasing her own album variants but questioned whether such decisions are made by artists or record labels.

“When it comes to variants, so many artists release them, including me, which ! clearly state in the article,” she added, before concluding with: “The climate crisis is now and it’s about all of us being part of the problem and trying to do better sheesh.”

In her Billboard interview, Eilish stated, “Some of the biggest artists in the world [are] making f—king 40 different vinyl packages that have a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more... It’s so wasteful, and it’s irritating to me."

The Grammy winner's commitment to the environment includes supporting Reverb's Music Decarbonization Project, aimed at reducing the industry's carbon footprint. She even used recycled materials for her album "Happier Than Ever."