Katy Perry Reflects on ‘Huge’ Mistake of Passing on Opportunity to Work With Billie Eilish

Katy Perry is looking back on some of her past musical regrets.

The 38-year-old American Idol judge revealed in a TikTok video posted by 102.7 KIIS FM on Friday (Jan. 27) that she had once passed on the opportunity to work with Billie Eilish ahead of her 2016 debut single “Ocean Eyes.”

During a Q&A portion of what appeared to be an intimate concert, Perry revealed that someone had “sent me an email one time that [said],’Hey, check out this new artist. I’d really like us to work with her, because she was working with me for Unsub [Records].”

The “Dark Horse” singer continued, “It was a song called ‘Ocean Eyes,’ and it was just a blonde girl. And I was like, ‘Meh, boring.’”

With her eyes widening, Perry admitted that passing on the chance to work with Eilish — who was not yet a household name — was a “huge mistake, big mistake.” She then playfully added, “Don’t let this hit the internet.”

Following the release of “Ocean Eyes,” Eilish went on to win seven Grammys, a Golden Globe, and an Oscar. She also has five top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including chart-topper “Bad Guy.” Eilish earned her second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with her sophomore album, Happier Than Ever, in 2021.

Perry and Eilish have since become friends, as shown in Eilish’s Apple TV+ documentary The World’s a Little Blurry. At one point in the film, Perry pulls Eilish aside before the singer’s 2019 Coachella performance and tells her she can call if she ever needs any help understanding the bizarre world of pop stardom.

Watch Perry reveal her “big mistake” of not working with Eilish in the TikTok video below.