Lana Del Reyushered in a new type of alternative pop stardom with her 2012 debut albumBorn to Die— andBillie Eilishwas paying attention.
In a recent episode of theAt Your Servicepodcast, the 21-year-old singer-songwriter spoke toDua Lipaabout five albums that formed her music taste and listedBorn to Diefirst, explaining that she feels the album “changed music.”
Unlike many other musicians in the pop space, Del Rey, 38, has been long known to publicly speak her mind — no matter the topic — and she’s influenced many other musicians to do the same. Elsewhere in theAt Your Serviceinterview, Eilish reflected on feeling unabashed as a teenager and missing that quality about herself.
“Gosh, honestly I have to say, when I think back to those first moments of that, I really have to be so appreciative of my 16-year-old, 15-year-old, 17-year-old self, ‘cause I just couldn’t have given less of a f— about anything," she told Lipa.
Eilish continued, “Part of me is like, ‘Damn, was I disrespectful as s— for years?’ And then I’m like, ‘No, I’m really glad I was like that,’ because it made me so fearless, and nothing was a big deal to me, but also everything was exciting at the same time.”
Billie Eilish in May 2023.Cindy Ord/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Cindy Ord/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
“I would just say that nerves never held me back, and I miss that version of me,” she added. “When my debut album [When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?] came out in 2019, I guess, that period of me was just — oh my God, I just didn’t give a s—. And thank God, ‘cause I wouldn’t have done all the stuff that I did. I was fearless.”
She also opened up about her musical process has changed since achieving massive success with songs like “Bad Guy,” “Therefore I Am” and “Happier Than Ever.”
“Honestly, everything is different about it. I’ve been trying to compare recently, just because I’m getting used to doing it in a different way. And trying to be like, ‘It’s OK to do that. I’m OK. I’m still able to do that, I’m capable still,’” explained the Grammy winner.
Finneas and Billie Eilish.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
It’s been over two years since Eilish’s sophomore albumHappier Than Everwas released, and she opened up to Lipa about creating her next project with brother Finneas O’Connell.
“We’ve been working now, making whatever we’ve been making, for the last half a year, I guess, and throughout I’ve just been like, ‘Dude, I don’t know what I’m doing. I, like, don’t know what I’m doing,’ and I feel like more recently I’ve gotten a little bit more like, ‘Oh, OK. It’s just changed, and I’m just figuring that out and trying to reel that in,'” said Eilish.
She also admitted that she’s unsure when the new music will come out. “We’ll see, man. I don’t even know. I feel like Finneas and I are just — hate to say it — but only starting to hit our stride for this next album,” she said. “But I’m feeling good about it. I’m not worried, really.”
Billie Eilish in August 2023.Joseph Okpako/WireImage
Joseph Okpako/WireImage
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Eilish added, “I think there was a bit of time a couple months ago where I was like, ‘Oh God. What am I doing?’ And now I feel pretty comfortable and confident and excited.”
Her fans shouldn’t worry, however — a new album is coming at some point: “When there’s music, there’s music, and I don’t know when the hell that’ll be, but it’ll happen eventually. It’s there, it just has to happen.”
source: people.com
