Billie Eilish: Road to Fame 

By Samantha Shea, Grade 6

December 18, 2001: a star is born.

Finneas Eilish was only five years old when Billie entered the family. She was born blond, and into a family of prestigious actors and musicians. He was to be a famous singer and songwriter, their mother was the same, and their father was an incredible actor. However, Billie never had a clue she was to be the biggest star of them all.

Finneas and his sister were homeschooled by their parents (which obviously seems a bit bland), so Billie learned early on that when life gives you oatmeal, you pour hot sauce on it!

At age six she picked up a ukulele for the first time, and she instantly fell in love. A passion for music blossomed, and two years later she joined the Los Angeles Children's Choir. The same year, she started taking dance lessons.

Billie's love for music never wavered as she grew. When she was around the age of twelve, she started writing songs and singing them herself. Billie was encouraged and inspired by her big brother Finneas, so when he wrote a song for Billie to sing, she might as well have grown wings.

The song was called Ocean Eyes- you've probably heard of it. Finneas produced it after it was properly recorded, and Billie uploaded it to SoundCloud. Surprisingly soon, it started booming. Billie and Finneas had their first (of many) hits.

More followed. Six Feet Under, Bellyache, Bored, Watch. I'm sure you've heard of at least two. A couple were written and produced by her brother Finneas, and a few also went viral on SoundCloud before anything else.

All this time, Billie and Finneas have maintained a close relationship. They sing, play and perform together. Wait, does that mean siblings can actually get along with each other? Nah, probably not.

Now, that covered most of Billie's life so far. So, here are some little tidbits and fun facts I doubt you ever knew.

Ever thought of being vegan? It would be hard, but not impossible. After all, Billie Eilish has been doing it since 2014! As she says, "I just can't go on in my life knowing what's going on in the animal world and like, not doing anything about it." Fun fact, she also has something called 'tics.' Tics are just little muscle movements that kind of look like a little twitch.

Have you ever seen a professional photograph with Billie Eilish smiling? NO. I know you haven't. Although it might surprise you, she's a generally cheerful person. So why the no-smiling policy? Well, she says it makes her feel "weak and powerless," and that "girls are taught they look prettier when smiling," which is something she makes sure everyone knows is false.

"In the public eye, girls and women with strong perspectives are hated. If you're a girl with an opinion, people just hate you. There are still people who are afraid of successful women, and that's so lame."

-Billie Eilish

Citations

Teen Vogue

Seventeen.com

Thefamouspeople.com

NHS.uk