Billie Eilish Dishes About Being Labeled Anti-Pop: ‘I Did What I Wanted’
Billie Eilish stuns on the March cover of Vogue magazine and talks about being labeled anti-pop, her mental health, and sweeping the Grammys.
On being marked anti-pop, Billie does not see where the label comes from. “This whole time I’ve been getting this one sentence, like, I’m a rule-breaker. Or I’m anti-pop, or whatever. I’m flattered that people think that, but it’s like, where, though? What rule did I break? The rule about making classic pop music and dressing like a girly girl? I never said I’m not going to do that. I just didn’t do it.”
Billie goes into more detail, saying, “Maybe people see me as a rule-breaker because they themselves feel like they have to follow rules, and here I am not doing it. That’s great, if I can make someone feel more free to do what they actually want to do instead of what they are expected to do. But for me, I never realized that I was expected to do anything. I guess that’s what is actually going on—that I never knew there was a thing I had to follow. Nobody told me that s—, so I did what I wanted.”
Billie also opens up about her history with depression and how it stemmed from toxic friends, a bad relationship, and body image and appearance problems. She says it took some time, but she was able to turn some things around, “When people ask me what I’d say to somebody looking for advice on mental health, the only thing I can say is patience. I had patience with myself. I didn’t take that last step. I waited. Things fade.”
Lastly, Billie opens up about how she’s always wanted about being a pop star, “I realize now that it’s everything I ever wanted,” and she reflects on being nominated and sweeping the Grammys. She says, “That s— was f— crazy. If anything it’s an exciting thing for the kids who make music in their bedroom. We’re making progress.”
