“That’s a luxury you don’t have most of the time,” I said.
“It’s true!” He laughed. “But it makes me feel a little like I’m not real?”
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His entire career has been unreal. Eilish, who turns 23 this month, has more than 100 million followers on Spotify, a passionate fan base that has filled the United Center in Chicago.
A few hours before showtime, Eilish wandered backstage, introducing us to her backup singers … her band … and ushering us into a room full of rescue dogs, providing stress relief. are “Welcome to the dog room!” he said. A couple has already been adopted.
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He’s filled his crew with friends (even the cute kind) because this tour is different. Since Eilish broke out at age 14, her older brother, Phineas, has been her producer, songwriting partner and backing band. For the first time, he is on tour without her. “I have never done a show without my brother in my life,” he said. “I mean, I’ve barely performed and sung without my brother, like, ever.”
But they agreed it was time to strike out on their own. Phineas told us, “I was built in an irreplaceable way on the show for so many years. And I was always trying to make myself changeable.”
His mother, Maggie Baird, came to the show in Chicago. But Elish’s parents are also no longer going with him. “It feels weird, yeah,” Baird said. “But it feels good, too. And there are a lot of jobs I used to do that I love, I’m glad I don’t have to do those anymore!”
“Honestly, she won’t admit it, but I think it was really good for her that I left,” laughed Billy. “And then she can come see me and it’s not just her whole life. I mean I’ve been her whole life for 23 years.”
“Very good life, though,” I said.
“Yes, a lot! But, yes . . .”
Earlier this year, Eilish won her second Oscar for the “Barbie” theme, “Who Was I Made For?” He already has nine Grammys, and now has seven more nominations. His nominations include Record of the Year and Song of the Year, for a song (“Birds of a Feather”) that he almost didn’t put on his album.
Billy and Phineas had struggled with the song. “We wrote, like, the first half and it was great,” he said. “And then we thought about it for months and months and months.”
I asked, “When you sing it, do you hear everything you created it with?”
“Sometimes,” he replied. “Sometimes when I listen to it, I hear parts that I’m like, ‘Oh, that was a nightmare! That was so punishing!'”
Watch Billie Eilish perform “Birds of a Feather”:
Eilish admits that, until recently, she didn’t think of herself as much of a songwriter. He has changed. “I’ve written more on this album than I’ve ever written before,” he said. “But here’s what I’m trying to say: I’ve been writing music since I was 11. But because I wasn’t as fast at it, or as good, as my brother, I thought , ‘Oh, I’m not one Songwriter.'”
But when he sat down to write Billy’s third album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” Phineas felt uninspired.
“We’d go into the studio to write and I’d be like, ‘Can we go play Pickles?'” he said. “I think I was a little tired there.”
Billy said they are in “different places” and she feels lonely. In the past, Phineas used to help his sister draw out a song. This time, he had to get the words out on his own. “And then, just given that space, I’ll come with it,” she said.
On the final chorus of “Birds of a Feather,” Eilish reaches for a note she’s not sure she can hit. Her vocal prowess came when she started taking singing lessons.
I asked, “Have you found a part of yourself that you didn’t even know was there?”
“Yes! Oh, yes, I mean, my voice!” He laughed. “I can’t express how gratifying and satisfying and fulfilling it has been to learn these things about my own voice – it in my body – that I didn’t even know I was capable of. … It’s so freeing.”
Listen to Billie Eilish’s isolated vocal track for “Birds of a Feather”:
For all that we might think we know about Billie Eilish, the singer is just starting to get to know himself.
I asked, “What’s interesting to me is, you’re talking about two things now: One, you’ve discovered a part of your voice that you didn’t even know was there. ; and you discover where the songwriter is more than you ever thought. That Leave you?”
“Very good question,” said Elish. “We’ll see. I don’t know!”
Watch part two of Anthony Mason’s discussion with Billie Eilish on Tuesday, December 10 on “CBS Mornings.”
You can stream the Billie Eilish album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” by clicking the embed below (free Spotify registration required to listen to the track in full):
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Produced by Jon Keras and Rebecca Castagna. Editor: Lauren Barnello.
