Let's Talk About Billie Eilish
Something that I’ve been silently questioning lately is the sudden and overwhelming criticism of Billie Eilish, especially on mainstream social media. I fell in love with her music about a year ago, after one of my best friends played her song My Boy for me. I fell in love with her as a person after seeing the Vanity Fair YouTube video showing her 2017 and 2018 interviews side-by-side. I feel that this video gave me an idea of who she was in 2017 and who she’s grown into in just one year. My heart definitely goes out to her and her ability to stay true to herself while many people are so quick to judge.
The singer-songwriter was raised in Highland Park, Los Angeles and has become somewhat of a viral sensation since releasing Ocean Eyes on Soundcloud in 2016. Her older brother, who produces her music, often accompanies her in song-writing endeavors and live performances. The two share many of the same experiences and they try to combine those experiences, along with some fictional situations, to create the music they’ve become known for.
Eilish has recently come under scrutiny for many, in my opinion, unfounded reasons. Some of them, coming from various Reddit posts, claim that their disdain is a result of her annoying personality, mediocre music, and that she tries too hard to be different. Others believe her talent and fame loses legitimacy because her parents work in the music industry. As with any powerful, female artist, there are always going to be people willing to hop on the bandwagon of criticism. It is important, however, to call into question whether the critics are publishing their own, original opinions or whether their opinions have been shaped by the many viral memes seen on Twitter.
I haven’t been a fan of Eilish for more than a year so I can’t personally testify to whether or not she’s “changed”, but neither can any of her original fans. Without knowing her personally, there’s no way that someone can assume why or even if she’s changed; music doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. With that being said, I can imagine some of her longtime fans have a certain loyalty to her and that her process of growing up may feel a bit like betrayal. The reality of it is, Eilish was put into the spotlight at an early age, an age when most of us have nothing to worry about except the impending doom of puberty. She’s going through the process of figuring out who she is and while most of us were lucky enough to do it in private, she’s doing it in front of the world. This is not to say that she’s not lucky, because she is, but the public pressure doesn’t just go away when you become successful.
I think many people forget that Eilish is only 17 years old, and yet she continues to withstand constant criticism while moving forward with creating new music. While she started singing at an early age, there is still so much that she’s going to learn and experience. Her music will continue to grow and become more well-versed and more in-tune with her life. I have a feeling that one reason why many people don’t respect Eilish and her talent is because of her young age; we are all guilty of looking at people younger than ourselves as immature or under-developed. I’m sure that many of the Redditors claiming that her music is “mediocre” will change their opinion in a few years, when Eilish is older and her age is more “respectable”…whatever that means.
If you’ve seen any of her social media posts or interviews, you know that Eilish has a certain sense of style that most people can’t pull off. It’s even offensive to some of the older generation that considers style like hers messy and uncontrollable. Others that are more in-tune to millennial and gen-z style will say that she’s trying too hard to be different. Why is it that whenever someone is a genuinely unique person people say they’re trying too hard? What does it even MEAN to try too hard? We all try! It’s human nature to want to be noticed by others in a way that would make them idolize you or want to be your friend. Her style, along with her music and how she portrays herself on social media, is definitely different than the average high schooler; but she is different than the average high schooler! She’s allowed to branch out and explore who she wants to be just as much as we’re allowed to try different restaurants. I hold an unwavering support of Eilish and her ability to be different despite what everyone else wants of her.
With all of that being said, there’s no doubt that she will continue to be successful and continue to become bigger and better in the music industry. MTV recently announced that Eilish has become the first artist born in the 2000’s with an album that hit number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. That album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, has the second-biggest opening for an album in 2019; it falls right behind Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next. At 17 years old, she is also the youngest women to hit Number 1 on the chart since 2009; Demi Lovato held the previous record.
So, whether or not you feel the need to join in on the Twitter memes and Reddit threads discussing Billie Eilish in the worst ways possible, she is obviously doing well. She’s probably doing better than most of us will do in our entire lifetime. I, for one, will continue to support her through her journey of growing up and growing as an artist and I’m looking forward to what new barriers she’s going to break throughout the whole process.