After dropping a highly-anticipated collaboration with Rosalía back in January, teenage idol Billie Eilish returned to the spotlight in February with the AppleTV documentary, “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.”
Much of the film is filmed vlog-style by Eilish’s brother Finneas, her parents or Eilish herself. These clips, intertwined with short interviews and concert footage, provide a complete picture into Eilish’s personal life, the process behind her music and how she’s handled her swift rise to stardom.
Below are five takeaways from “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.”
Fame has taken a toll on her mental health
While the 19-year-old star enjoys her life now, her sudden rise to fame hasn’t been without challenges. Around the time “Ocean Eyes” propelled her to stardom, her mental health was at its worst.
Looking back on old diary entries, Eilish revealed she struggled with self-harm and suicidal ideation. Although her mental health has gotten better, there are moments where Eilish is critical of herself, worrying about her onstage performances and online persona.
“I don’t want anyone who knows who I am and is any sort of fan, or knows a fan, to see me in any sort of awkward situation,” she said. “It’s embarrassing, and I have to keep smiling, and if I don’t, then they hate me and they think I’m horrible.”
Billie’s private life is just that— private
One of the film’s biggest reveals was that Eilish had a boyfriend for nearly two years. She dated Brandon “Q” Adams, a 24-year-old rapper who goes by 7:AMP. While touring back in 2019, however, she ended the relationship.
“I just wasn’t happy,” Eilish remarked. “I don’t think you should be in a relationship super excited about certain things the other person couldn’t care less about… there was just a lack of effort.”
Her family members are her biggest supporters
Both of Eilish’s parents accompanied her as she toured the world. According to Eilish, they’ve been supportive of her music since childhood.
“My mom taught me how to write songs, my dad taught me how to play the piano and the ukulele. I would do talent shows when I was little and my dad would play piano for me or my mom would play guitar. My brother would sing harmony. It was always like that. Our family was just one big f—ing song. And I still make music in my brother’s bedroom.”
She is heavily involved in the creative process
Eilish enjoys creative freedom, and the film revealed that she prefers to direct her music videos. Viewers got a glimpse of Eilish’s notebook, where she sketches concepts for each video.
“In the future, I’m gonna do stuff with wings. And I also wanna do something where I drink black liquid and then my eyes turn black, and I start bleeding black out of my eyes.”
These drawings turned into the videos for “All the Good Girls Go to Hell” and “When the Party’s Over.”
She is just like the average teenager
Sure, the average teen hasn’t won seven Grammy Awards or earned millions of dollars, but Eilish’s film reminds us that despite those achievements, she’s still young.
She does everyday things from getting her license to driving alone for the first time. We see her starstruck when meeting Justin Bieber and crying in his arms. We watch her argue with her parents in one clip and laugh with them in another.
This documentary was a welcome reminder that despite her celebrity status, Eilish is also a daughter, a sister, a friend and a human being.
Watch “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” on AppleTV.
Featured image from @BillieEilish on Instagram.