All over TikTok, women are coming out and sharing their formative queer experiences. With a little help from Billie Eilish.
The sound
@averycyrus its a window at this point
♬ original sound – ᴮᴵᴸᴸᴵᴱ
Accompanying a slowed-down pulsing pop beat, a woman sings the lyrics: “Open up the door, can you open up the door.”
And for many of the women under this sound, the door in question is a route to becoming a more authentic self.
The sound has been used a whopping 46,000 times, and most of the videos using this sound involve a woman lip-syncing while sharing profound moments from their youth that made them realize that they were sapphic.
Examples include wishing they were a boy so they could date girls, saying things like “if she were a boy, I’d have a crush on her” and having all-consuming “friend” crushes which, when reflected upon, weren’t actually platonic after all. Statements which, looking back, really gave the game away a little bit.
These experiences ended up being so universal, a number of LGBTQ+ creators participated with their own “door-opening” experiences, like Avery Cyrus, Peyton Coffee, and Soph Mosca.
Where’s it from?
@peytoncoffee ♬ original sound – ᴮᴵᴸᴸᴵᴱ
This sound is a remixed, slowed-down portion of CHIHIRO, an as-of-yet unreleased song by Billie Eilish that will form part of her third studio album.
As the name implies, the song is dedicated to the character Chihiro in Spirited Away, a Studio Ghibli film which, in itself, is also rumored to have LGBTQ+ undertones.
Sound off
@sophmosca 🏳️🌈🚪🚶🏻♀️
♬ original sound – ᴮᴵᴸᴸᴵᴱ
In November 2023, Billie Eilish came out as bisexual, saying: ““I’m physically attracted to [women]. But I’m also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence.”
And in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Eilish confirmed that some songs on her new album will focus on her sexuality journey.
So, it feels right that this song has become a gentle coming out anthem before it’s even actually been released in full.