Halsey felt "defeated" after her sexual assault confessional at the 2018 Women's March failed to capture the attention of the crowd.
The singer told a crowd of 2,000 she had been sexually assaulted on several occasions, while also sharing she once accompanied a close childhood friend to an abortion clinic after she was raped and became pregnant.
Her candid comments were viewed by over 10 million online users within days, but the Without Me hitmaker admits she was discouraged by the reaction of those right in front of her.
"There were 2,000 people in front of me, and no one was listening or paying attention," she told The Times. "If you watch it, there was barely even a cheer at the end. I felt defeated. I had written this poem (and) I thought it was going to matter."
Halsey felt relieved when she discovered the impact the speech was having online, as it became widely shared and viewed on YouTube.
"I got on a plane straight after, back from New York to L.A., and when I landed, I turned my phone on," she added. "The video had 10 million views. I’m sitting at home reading about thousands of women’s experiences, which of course I’m absorbing, little empath girl. And that speech is still getting a response."
