The reason why Billie Eilish “hated” her early fame
Billie Eilish is arguably the definitive talent of Generation Z. Over the past half a decade, she’s taken the world by storm with her work and off-stage demeanour, which is incredibly refreshing for a star of her stature.
Her story is made even more remarkable when you note that she is still just 20 years old, and for Eilish to achieve all that she has with so much in front of her is the stuff of dreams. The future will undoubtedly continue to be a bright one for the American vocalist as, arguably, she is the Madonna of her generation, a title that no one can challenge given the extent of her iconoclasm.
The best thing about Eilish’s work is that although she is world-famous, it is some of the most invigorating in the mainstream, brimming with character and thought-provoking aspects, something that cannot be said of many of her contemporaries. Writing her music in tandem with her older brother, Finneas, her efforts draw on both optimistic and gloomy sides of existence, giving it a real density.
From swooning orchestral movements to moments that border on the industrial, Eilish and Finneas have created a plethora of engrossing sounds over their relatively short careers, and it is clear that both possess the rare talent of being able to write a hook with ease in what is the real key to their resounding success.
Following the artistic triumphs of her 2019 debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, Eilish and Finneas struck a more mature note on the critically acclaimed follow-up, 2021’s Happier Than Ever, and penned the majestic theme tune for the last Daniel Craig James Bond Outing, No Time To Die.
Whilst at just 20, Eilish has dealt with an immense pressure that many older heads would crumble under, when speaking to the LA Times in 2020, she revealed that the effects of fame started to hit her after the release of her second single 2016’s ‘Ocean Eyes’, saying that she “hated” it.
She explained to the publication: “I hated going outside. I hated going to events. I hated being recognised. I hated the internet having a bunch of eyes on me. I just wanted to be doing teenager shit.”
She did caveat her point by expressing that the downtime of the pandemic allowed her to “do the self-reflection [she’s] never had the time for” and to reapproach her early fame “and how it affected me — how I actually feel about it all instead of just doing it.”
Eilish then discussed the experience of such great fame, and maintained that it is hard: “And I think that’s where a lot of people in my position can get confused, saying, ‘Oh, it’s hard, blah, blah, blah.'”
She concluded: “I agree that it’s really hard. People that don’t have our lives have no idea how hard it is. It’s f—ing horrible. But you have to be respectful of people that have so much less than you and be mindful of your privilege and be polite, I guess”.
