Championing the Power of Dialogue through Her Lyrics

From her debut song Ocean Eyes to her meteoric rise to fame with Bad Guy, Billie Eilish has quickly become one of the most influential young figures in contemporary music with her candid lyricism, haunting melodies and fearless style. Alongside her brother and close collaborator Finneas, Billie is celebrated for her authentic lyrics, which often draw from personal experiences, covering a wide range of universal themes including her mental health struggles, societal pressures and love, helping to spark meaningful conversations. From sweeping the Grammy’s in 2020 to winning the Academy Award for Best Song for No Time to Die to her most recent Grammy win for Song of the Year, What Was I Made For, Billie Eilish is a champion of dialogue through her music and especially her lyrics.

Destigmatizing Mental Health Struggles

In her song idontwannabeyouanymore, Billie opens up about her depression. Her ability to convey the complex emotions related to her mental health struggle helps listeners navigating similar struggles feel understood and less alone in their own experiences, as well as helping to destigmatize mental health struggles.

In an interview with EARMILK, she shares the following,

“I go through a lot of depression, I have for most of my life, and I know so many people have the same issues as I do and most people don’t have a way of expressing that. They keep it inside them and are hurt by themselves, and I want to have music that people can listen to. If I write a song that you feel like you relate to, and when you hear it you go ‘that’s my song’ – it’s yours! With idontwannabeyouanymore, I just want people to know they can feel that way and not be alone.”

Spotlighting Self-Love

Billie Eilish's song My Future, written during the pandemic, serves as a self-love anthem, instilling hope, optimism and self-reflection in listeners by emphasizing the importance of loving oneself. Through its uptempo beat and introspective lyrics, Billie encourages listeners to embrace the journey of self-discovery and look forward to a brighter future even in the midst of uncertainty.

“I spent years and years relying on having someone—I could never be alone. It’s not something you’d think about being hard. But when you’re in that alone zone, it’s a new feeling. I feel like people—everything is about love. There’s nothing that talks about how being alone is really powerful.”
— Apple Music Interview

Spreading Body Positivity

In her second album, Happily Ever After, Billie includes a thought-provoking song titled, Not My Responsibility, addressing the public discussion on body image, societal expectations and the pressure placed on individuals, particularly women to conform to certain standards of beauty.

Her song encourages listeners to rethink their perceptions of beauty and to recognize that individuals should not be judged or defined by their physical attributes alone but calling for greater acceptance, understanding and respect for individuals of all shapes, sizes and identities.

Sources:

https://genius.com/Billie-eilish-my-future-lyrics

https://genius.com/Billie-eilish-not-my-responsibility-lyrics

https://genius.com/Billie-eilish-idontwannabeyouanymore-lyrics

https://earmilk.com/2017/08/29/earmilk-artist-to-watch-billie-eilish-breaks-out-interview/