Billie Eilish has revealed that she felt it was “weird” when people labelled her music “depressing” and “sad” as she first began to rise in popularity. Not because she disagrees, necessarily. More because it’s no more sad and depressing than lots of other pop music.
Speaking in a new Audible series of interviews with musicians, called ‘Origins’, she says: “It was so weird to me when I was first coming up and, the thing everybody said was, like, ‘Billie Eilish’s music is so depressing, and it’s so sad, and it’s too dark’”
“I was like, ‘What are you talking about?” she goes on. “Have you listened to the Beatles and ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ and ‘Yesterday’, and Lana Del Rey? Like, what the hell?’ It was so surprising to me that people thought anything I was creating was dark. I mean, it’s real”.
Yeah, everyone knows that the best pop mixes upbeat music with downbeat lyrics. That is an indisputable fact. The more depressing the better, I say.
Other artists interviewed in this series include Doja Cat, King Princess, Koffee, Mickey Guyton, Flying Lotus, Camilo and Tobe Nwigwe. Audible subscribers can have a little listen here.