How Billie Eilish's "Ocean Eyes" Turned Her Into an Overnight Sensation
The 15-year-old talks Drake and “Bellyache”.
Imagine going to sleep as a regular 14-year-old girl and waking up the next morning with your inbox flooded with email messages inquiring about your bourgeoning music career. That's what happened to Billie Eilish who, in 2015, made a somewhat unintentional arrival onto the music scene after uploading a track called “Ocean Eyes” to SoundCloud.
Written and produced by her older brother and featuring her vocals, the song was originally created for Billie's dance teacher, who wanted to choreograph a routine to original music. Within hours, the tune garnered praise from various websites and she's been on the upswing ever since.
Now, with numerous other singles to her name, including the newly released “Bellyache” (more on it below), and both an album and an EP in the works, it's clear that the 15-year-old vocalist belongs in the spotlight. Don't miss her headlining tour, which she'll be embarking on this year. It's going to be a family affair, with brother Finneas along for the ride to provide sonic support.
Teen Vogue: Have you always wanted to be a singer/songwriter? What's your musical background?
Billie Eilish: My whole family is really musical. My brother and my mom both write songs and my dad has always played the piano and ukulele. When we were little, my dad would make us mix tapes with songs by artists like the Beatles and Avril Lavigne, so we learned a lot from those. Even though I never really thought of being a singer, I’ve always loved it. I’ve been in the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus since I was about 8, which has helped my technique so much. It’s showed me all of the different types of classic music there are and how beautiful they can be. When I was 11 or 12, I started writing songs because it’s a good way to express your feelings. My brother is a really good songwriter so we’d give each other notes and write stuff together.
TV: Your debut single, “Ocean Eyes,” is what really put you on the map. How did that song come about?
BE: Yeah, it came out a little over a year ago. Aside from singing, I’m also a dancer. I’ve been dancing since I was 8. Last year, one of my teachers asked if I would either write a song or have my brother write a song to choreograph a dance to. I was like, ‘yes, that’s such a cool thing to do!’ Then, my brother came to me with “Ocean Eyes,” which he had originally written for his band. He told me he thought it would sound really good in my voice. He taught me the song and we sang it together along to his guitar and I loved it—it was stuck in me head for weeks. We kind of just decided that that was the song we were going to use for the dance.
TV: Once you recorded “Ocean Eyes,” how did it make its way onto SoundCloud and start to gain attention?
BE: We put it on SoundCloud with a free download link next to it so my dance teacher could access it. We had no intentions for it, really. But basically overnight a ton of people started hearing it and sharing it. Hillydilly, a music discovery website, found it and posted it and it just got bigger and bigger. It was really surreal. Then, Danny Ruckasin, who is now my manager, reached out to my brother and was like, “dude, this is going to get huge and I think you’re going to need help along the way. I want to help you guys.” We were like, “that’s swag!”
TV: Did that early on support and recognition prompt you to then write your next single, “Six Feet Under?”
BE: Pretty much my whole life I’ve been a performer and have loved singing and writing songs in my room for my own ears. I never thought a career as a musician was possible. When “Ocean Eyes” came out my brother and I already had a bunch of songs that we’d written including “Six Feet Under.”
TV: You just released a new single, “Bellyache.” Can you tell us a bit about it?
BE: “Bellyache” is totally fictional. I like writing about things that aren't real. The song is about not trusting anyone and then putting trust in yourself and realizing that you don't know what you are doing, either. Or realizing that things you do with a group of people that you think are cool in the moment are ultimately all on you. In the end, you might think, "That was stupid," and feel bad about what you did. So basically it’s about doing what you think is right and cool and not following what other people want you to do.
TV: Are you working on an EP or album? What’s it going to sound like?
BE: Yes, that’s the ultimate goal! But I’m not really looking to define a sound right now. I think it is cooler to be unpredictable rather than have everyone knowing what is coming next.
TV: What other artists inspire you?
BE: I like Tyler the Creator a lot. He does anything he wants, really, and doesn’t care if it works out or not, which I totally, completely admire. I also really like Earl Sweatshirt and Drake and Big Sean. Childish Gambino is also an incredible lyricist. I don’t know how he does it. I love A$AP Rocky, Lana Del Rey, and Aurora, too.
TV: How do you balance high school with your career? Are you trying to keep some sort of normalcy to your life?
BE: I’m homeschooled and have been for my whole life, which makes it a lot easier. Instead of being forced to learn certain things in school that I won’t really ever use in the world, I get to learn about things that I’m actually interested in and want to pursue. Of course, there’s stuff in regular school that you should know and learn because it’s necessary. But with everything happening with my music right now being homeschooled has been really great.
TV: You have such a unique style — what about fashion speaks to you?
BE: I like being able to express myself with clothing. I don't mind being judged so if someone doesn't like what I wear I am OK with it. Each day I try to wear stuff that I haven't worn before or I’ll wear a part of an outfit in a different way. I will draw on my shoes, turn my shirt inside out, or cut up my pants. I like mixing thrift store clothing with brand names. Some of my favorites are Gucci, Fendi, Off-White, and Golf Wang.
TV: Ultimately, what do you hope your music will inspire in others?
BE: I hope it will inspire people to try to achieve their goals, no matter how difficult they might be. I didn’t think I would get anywhere but I did because I worked hard and really believed in myself. I also hope to show people that they shouldn’t care what other people think of them. I am really weird and, you know what? I like it, it’s special to me, and it’s fun to be weird. It’s you and it’s your life. Do what you want.
