Neo-goth and new school cool, Billie Eilish is one of the freshest pop stars out there today. Seriously, she’s not only fresh music-wise, but she’s also fresh age-wise. At just 17 years old Billie Eilish has taken the world by storm and sung her way into our hearts. It feels a little silly talking about her childhood when she’s still so young, but there’s quite a bit in there to discover. Growing up with famous parents and a superstar brother had quite an influence on her. Not to mention the fact that she’s had both incredibly normal experiences as well as incredibly weird experiences growing up.
Eilish is a little bit of everything, and her childhood is no exception. We’ve gone through and found the 20 most interesting facts about it, just to put her so-far-life and success into a bigger context.
20 Her Brother Helped Her Gain Her Fame
For those that didn’t know, Billie Eilish is not an only child. Her and her bro are incredibly close, and he was the one who initially got her started on the road to fame. Yahoo tells us that he has producer/production credits on many of Billie’s songs, including that first huge hit, Ocean Eyes.
19 But They Also Just Work Well Together
Yahoo continues talking about the partnership between the Eilish siblings, and it’s clear that the two of them just work well together. Why? Well, according to the two of them, it’s easier to work with someone they’re familiar with already. It makes it easier to cut down ideas that neither of them are liking.
18 Mom And Dad Are Also Performers
Her background in general is an interesting one. A mix of histories/heritages, Eilish’s most immediate influence in her young life was her parents. Her mom and dad are both famous in different ways. Popbuzz tells us that “her mother Maggie Baird is a musician and her father Patrick O’Connell is an actor,” so she’s been living the star life since she was born.
17 Tourette Syndrome Caused Some Trouble For Her
One of the most surprising things about Billie is the fact that she’s come out about having Tourette Syndrome. This syndrome causes twitches and vocal tics that are uncontrollable. In an interview with Ellen, Billie Eilish discussed how she used to hide it out of shame, but now she’s more confident in being open about it.
16 A Dance Company Inspired Ocean Eyes
Super fans will know this story already, but it’s worth mentioning. Yahoo tells us that Ocean Eyes was originally written by Eilish’s brother. Billie Eilish wanted to use the song to choreograph a dance to in her dance company, so she ended up recording it rather than her brother (but with his blessing, of course).
15 The Office Was One Of Her Favourite Shows
Listen to her most recent album and you’ll hear a unique sample in one of the songs. What voice is that? Why, it’s none other than samples from The Office. That TV show is one of Billie’s favourite things, and she’s mentioned just how much she loves it in many of the interviews she’s done.
14 Billie Used To Sing In Choir
We used to think that she must have had a decade of vocal training in order to be able to sing the way she does. However, it seems like the opposite is true. Seventeen describes her time singing in children’s choirs as being the most influential thing for her voice. That’s where she learned her skills, which accentuate her natural gifts.
13 Music Was Always In Her Life, Even Before Fame
Choir was just the natural next step, though. Billie Eilish is definitely the kind of person who’s been around music forever. Her mother was a musician, yes, but her father also played music. Specifically, piano. Considering the fact that her brother was one of the Glee stars and a musician as well, it’s safe to say she’s been steeped in music forever.
12 She’s Always Hated Being Judged
One of the big things that she dislikes is judgement. Though, to be honest, she doesn’t come across like she’s scared of it. It’s the opposite, actually! Eilish is so undeniably herself. From her fun fur pants to her lime green hair roots, she’s always doing something creative and new. And we all know that being unapologetically ourselves is the best way to say “heck no” to judgement.
11 She’s Been Writing Music Since Age 11
This might seem super young, but let’s keep in mind the fact that she started to launch into superstar status when she was 15; that’s like 4 years after she began writing music! Seventeen tells us that she started writing music because of her brother, whom she definitely looked up to. Now they write together!
10 She Was Homeschooled
Greatest doesn’t come through sitting in class for 8 hours a day, but it does come through hard work and consistent study. It’s not that Eilish didn’t do any kind of school. Childhood Biography tells us that she was homeschooled, which might be part of the reason she was able to work her “day to day” schedule around her superstar concert schedule.
9 And Still Lives With Her Parents
Homeschooling is one thing, but home living? When someone has so much money they could buy their own apartment, let alone a house, it’s a surprise to think that they still live at home. It must be a nice reminder of regular life to come home to a supportive environment every day, though.
8 Mostly Because She’s Too Young To Move
Remember, Billie Eilish is only 17 years old. That’s definitely not old enough to move out on your own, which is part of the reason Eilish is staying put where she is. As much as her family gets along, we’re sure that she won’t be there forever. For now, though, she’s forced to keep living at home.
7 But Old Enough To Have Her First Tattoo?
Eilish stays covered up most of the time. While she’s got her reasons for that, it does make it harder to tell if she has any tattoos. Childhood Biography mentions the fact that a famous tattoo artist of the stars implied that he tattooed Billie Eilish’s foot. We’re not sure we believe it, but we’ll keep our eyes on her social media to see.
6 She Was Super In Love With Bieber
Like, legitimately in love with him. Not only did she have a major crush on him when she was young, but she was an active “belieber”, according to Seventeen. It’s funny to think about the fact that Eilish has taken a similar trajectory to Bieber now as well. He was also discovered online, and launched to superstardom quite young.
5 She Even Thought She Was In A Relationship With Him
Yeah, it was that serious. We want to be clear though and specify that it’s not that she was ever in a relationship with him. It’s just that she thought she was in a relationship with him. Seventeen goes on to say that she would pretend to talk to him in her head, as if they were together. Now that’s some intense love.
4 She’s Not The First Super Star In Her Family
While Eilish is the first to reach this level of fame (in our opinion), her brother could also be considered a super star. Childhood Biography mentions that he was cast as one of the characters on the show Glee, as well as being in several bigger name bands. That’s definitely some kind of famous!
3 She’s Got Faith
One of the tenements (literally) Eilish was raised with was having faith. Her parents are both practicing believers, and Childhood Biography mentions how Billie Eilish also identifies as faith being a part of her identity. This might be why themes such as devils and heaven come up in her songs often.
2 Even Movie-Making Was Up Eilish’s Alley
Between all the homeschool work, dance, and choir practice, Billie Eilish also seemed to be the type to make movies as well. Childhood Biography listed the fact that she used to enjoy making short films as a way to pass the time when she was a kid. We’re personally big fans of interdisciplinary artists, and are happy to hear that Eilish tried everything as a kid.
1 She Was Found On Soundcloud
An article about Eilish wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t talk about her origin story. Recording Ocean Eyes was originally just for her dance class, but when they put it up on Soundcloud certain labels took notice. The rest, as they say, is history: she started recording EPs and albums, and hasn’t looked back since.
Sources: seventeen.com, childhoodbiography.com, popbuzz.com, yahoo.com