Billie Eilish has reflected on her early fame in a new interview.
Speaking to the LA Times, Eilish said she felt the effects of fame keenly after the release of her debut single, ‘Ocean Eyes.’
Eilish told 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 s—.”
Eilish went on to say the pandemic gave her time to “do the self-reflection [she’s] never had the time for” and to think about her early fame “and how it affected me — how I actually feel about it all instead of just doing it.”
Eilish went on to discuss her new album’s opening track, ‘Getting Older’, on which she reflects on how her growing fame has made her feel.
“Things I once enjoyed/ Just keep me employed now”, Eilish sings on the track. Eilish elaborated: “That line isn’t really, like, ‘Oh, boohoo, I’m sad’ — it’s really just a f—ing fact. Things that I enjoy can sometimes just turn into things that feel like a burden, and it’s really weird. Like, ‘Oh, this is something I used to love and now it feels like a job.’ It’s not, like, ‘Oh, I hate this now.’ It’s different. It’s changed.”
Speaking about people’s reactions to her feelings on fame, Eilish added: “And I think that’s where a lot of people in my position can get confused, saying, ‘Oh, it’s hard, blah, blah, blah.
“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.”
Earlier this year, an intimate documentary about Eilish was released on Apple TV+. In its five-star review, NME called Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry a “searingly honest documentary offers a warts-and-all look at life as a young megastar.”
Meanwhile, Eilish and Finneas recently shared a new acoustic live performance of Eilish’s recent single, ‘Your Power’.
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