Why Billie Eilish Says the Most 'Frustrating' Thing About Fame Is That 'You Can't Defend and Explain Yourself'

• Billie Eilish spoke to Lana Del Rey about her frustrations with being young in the public eye
• She said she often feels as though she's not allowed to grow and change
• "My want and need to explain myself I have found to be extremely damaging to my life and my sense of self," Eilish said

Billie Eilish continues to open up about the difficulties of growing up in the public eye.

The Grammy winner recently spoke with Lana Del Rey for Interview magazine, and the 22-year-old singer shared the “frustrating” elements of growing up in the public eye. 

Eilish hit the scene when she was 14 years old with her hit single, "Ocean Eyes," and two years later, she released her EP Don't Smile at Me; and shortly after her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? in 2019 and won three Grammys for the album itself.

And since releasing her third album Hit Me Hard and Soft in May, the two time Oscar winner has continued to flourish by showcasing her personal and professional development over the years.

“It’s so weird to grow up and change in front of the world,” she confessed. “The craziest part is discovering things about myself and then suddenly, everyone else knows, and I don’t even have a second to think about how it makes me feel.”

“That’s hard,” replied Del Rey, 38, with Eilish candidly adding, “It’s very frustrating.”

“The one good part I can tell you is that some of the things I heard said about me, I was able to use to my advantage later,” revealed the Norman F—ing Rockwell singer. “Some of that information was useful, but the majority of it was not.”

She continued: “I almost feel like I grew up in front of the world too, because it doesn’t matter when you get famous, you’re going to grow up all over again. It’s a rebirth of sorts.”

“It really is,” Eilish confirmed. 

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As the “Video Games” singer continued, she noted how her evolution felt more like an “execution” before asserting that Eilish has been “quite literally growing up in front of the world.”

“The thing that’s been frustrating and gives me a lot of anxiety is the feeling of needing to explain myself all the time,” shared Eilish. “There’s so many difficult parts about fame, but one of the most frustrating things is that you can’t defend or explain yourself.” 

She continued: “I’m like, ‘Dude, imagine everyone in the world heard a rumor about you and it’s either not true or it’s explained out of context.’ And my want and need to explain myself, I have found to be extremely damaging to my life and my sense of self.”

The young singer explained that if she hits the “point of frustration and ends up explaining [herself], it’s only gotten worse.” 

“That caused me to prematurely state things that I don’t even feel confident or comfortable knowing about myself. And suddenly, I’m saying them publicly, and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, that’s who she is.’ And I’m like, ‘You are making me feel like I am not allowed to grow and change,’ ” she added, before concluding, “It’s so f---ing scary, because everything is written in stone.”