Billie Eilish’s fame began when she debuted her single, “Ocean Eyes”, on SoundCloud back in 2016. She received a lot of praise and promotion for the song, ideally paving her way to fame. Now at 18 years old, Eilish has released three platinum-selling singles, has over a billion plays, and holds the 2019 best-performing studio album called When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Before fame, Eilish was just an ordinary girl living her best childhood. Her parents support her and her elder brother, Finneas O’Connell, in whatever they wanted to do including art classes and acting. When Billie was younger she wanted to ride horses but her parents could only afford to pay for her to attend the rec center horse camp for only one week. However, one week was not enough and she decided to do something to make it possible for her to get two years of riding lessons.
Here are 15 facts few people know about Billie before she became famous.
15 She Got Her Start In A Famous Choral Group
After being shushed, enough times for singing too much at home, Eilish finally decided to do something with her talent and joined the Los Angeles Children’s choir at the age of eight. To her, this was one of her best decisions; the choir helped her learn the ins and outs of music performance as well as the proper way to sing without ruining one’s voice.
14 Her Favorite Childhood Show Inspired Her First Song
Those who know Eilish know that she is into dark humor and horror. Therefore, it was no surprise that one of her favorite apocalyptic horror TV shows, The Walking Dead, inspired her to write her first real song. She used the show’s script lines and episode titles to come up with the lyrics. This girl was only 11 when she wrote her first song about the Zombie apocalypse.
13 The Story Behind Her Middle Name
The singer’s full name is Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell. Fan fact, Eilish's conception was through in vitro fertilization, her first name was supposed to be Pirate, and not her middle as it is now. We would probably be referring to her as Pirate Eilish. Honestly, we are happy with her folks' decision, she looks more like a Billie than a Pirate.
12 She Was Homeschooled
Billie and her brother were both homeschooled and their mother taught them the basic skills of songwriting. That is where she gets most of her inspiration. Since her homeschooling allowed her to focus on a creativity-focused curriculum, Eilish was able to fit in all these activities she wanted to do including joining a choir and dancing, which all eventually helped jump-start her singing career.
11 Her Debut Song Was Not Originally Hers
Billie’s career skyrocketed after the release of her debut hit single, “Ocean Eyes.” What few people know is that the song was not originally meant for Billie but her brother’s Band, The Slightlys. At that time, her brother Finneas was part of the band but gave the song to her when her dance teacher asked her to write a song for choreography.
10 Billie's Brother Has Always Helped Her With Her Music
Finneas is a dope songwriter. He has won five Grammy’s to date. Way before fame, Finneas was always helping her sister with her music and still does. They started working together on some music in their bedrooms before upgrading to studios. Finneas revealed that when writing for Billie, he thinks of songs that she can relate to and will enjoy singing.
9 Billie Is A Belieber
Billie is famous now but what her fans might not know is that she was and has always been a huge fan of Justin Bieber since she was about 12. Billie is a true belieber, she even felt that in her head Justin was reciprocating the love. She eventually met him at the 2019 Coachella and they have even collaborated on a track.
8 She Got Into Music By Accident
Don’t get us wrong, Eilish has always enjoyed singing since she was a little girl but it was more or less a hobby. At one point, she was more into dancing than singing until her dance teacher diverted her attention to singing and recording a song and she liked it. With her brother's help, she recorded an amazing song. The great thing is that she has continued to do so since then.
7 She Has Struggled With Tourette Syndrome Her Entire Life
Eilish recently revealed that she has been struggling with Tourette’s syndrome; what fans know little of is that she has been struggling with Tourette's Syndrome her whole life. For the longest time, Billie has shied from sharing her condition with the world to avoid people defining her by it. Tourette is a disorder characterized by multiple movements known as tics.
6 Her Favorite Singers Inspired Her To Pursue Music
Eilish’s songs do not have a connection to a specific genre, because she gets inspiration from various artists. However, her favorite genre of music is Hip Hop. Way before she started singing professionally, singers and rappers Childish Gambino, Aurora, Tyler the Creator, and Lana Del Ray inspired her to pursue music. Now that she is a star, she particularly admires Ariana Grande’s vocal ability.
5 She Had An Interesting Side Hustle Before Fame
It may seem Eilish’s success happened overnight but what fans do not know is that she has been working hard to get to where she is today. When Billie was young, she wanted to ride horses but her parents could not afford, therefore, she decided to work at a stable. She had to do birthday parties and cleaning the stables in exchange for riding lessons for two years.
4 She Has Never Been A Fan Of Smiling
Looking back at Eilish’s baby pics, she has never been a huge fan of smiling, this is why. After naming her first extended play, Don’t Smile at Me after her least favorite command, Eilish shared with us why she rarely smiles for the cameras. According to her, smiling makes her feel weak and powerless and out of control; that is why she prefers wearing a serious face.
3 She Is The Ultimate ‘The Office’ Fan
Before Billie was filling stadiums and arenas, she spent her free time glued to the screen watching her favorite TV series The Office. She has watched the entire series a dozen times. She showed her undying love for the show by using audio clips from the show in one of her songs “My Strange Addiction.” That is how much she loves it!
2 She Provided Background Vocals
Eilish is popular as a singer and songwriter today but what fans might not know is that she tried acting but never liked the auditioning process. Instead, she opted to provide background dialogue for group scenes in movies like Ramona and Beezus, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and X-Men series.
1 Her Struggle With Depression
Eilish struggled with body dysmorphia since her early teenage years. On top of body issues, she had no choice but to quit dancing after she ruptured her hip at 13 and this is when her depression kicked in. It was so bad she even contemplated taking her life, but the thought of how sad her mum would be stopped her. Today the pop singer has revealed that her mental health has been getting better.
Sources: yahoo,, eightieskids., theconversation, yourteenmag, factinate, cheatsheet.