Katy Perry said she regrets not working with Billie Eilish when she had the chance.
In a TikTok posted by 102.7 KIIS FM on Friday, the American Idol judge, 38, told an audience at what appeared to be an intimate concert that she had once been asked to collaborate on Eilish's debut single, "Ocean Eyes" — before the 21-year-old went on to become a Grammy winner.
While it is not clear whom Perry is referring to, she said someone "sent me an email one time that was: 'Hey, check out this new artist. I'd really like us to work with her because she was working with me for Unsub [Records]."
"It was a song called 'Ocean Eyes,' and it was just a blonde girl," Perry continued. "And I was like, 'Meh, boring.' "
With her eyes widening, Perry admitted, "Big mistake. Huge mistake." She then joked, "Don't let this hit the Internet."
@1027kiisfm #KatyPerry tells the story of first hearing #BillieEilish’s Ocean Eyes! 😱 #oceaneyes #oceaneyesbillieeilish #katyperryfan #losangeles ♬ original sound - 102.7 KIIS FM
Eilish first rose to fame in 2015 with "Ocean Eyes" and has since become one of the biggest names in the industry, winning seven Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award and Oscar for Best Original Song.
The two musicians have since become friends, as seen in Eilish's 2021 documentary, Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry, when Perry introduced herself and her then-fiancé Orlando Bloom to the young singer, who initially didn't recognize the Pirates of the Caribbean actor.
"My fiancé who doesn't listen to modern music, he'll only play you in the car all the time," Perry told Eilish when they met backstage at Coachella.
Bloom then hugged Eilish and said, "I'm so proud of you."
"Congrats, I'm so proud of you," added Perry before giving some sweet advice. "I wanted to say, this is going to be wild for 10 years. If you ever wanna talk… 'cause it's a weird ride."
Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom e a cantora Billie Eilish nos bastidores do festival #Coachella pic.twitter.com/qyfXqzpKSQ
— Portal Katy Perry (@portalkatyperry) April 15, 2019
After the couple left, Eilish asked her brother Finneas who Bloom was before Finneas reminded her of Bloom's roles, especially his Pirates of the Caribbean role Will Turner.
"That guy?! That was him?!" she said. "No way! Bring him back. I want to meet him again. He kissed me on the cheek. I did not know that was him. I thought that was just some dude Katy Perry met."
Before Eilish hit the stage, Bloom returned and gave the singer a sweet, long hug. "This is the universe hugging you. I'm giving you so much love and life right now," the actor told Eilish.
