Few enough understand what it’s like to be a young artist climbing to new levels of global fame in this day and age with social media users watching and openly judging your every move. NO ONE knows what it’s like to go through that as fast as Billie Eilish.
With a huge Grammy sweep already under her belt, and billions of views and streams, the 18-year-old has epitomized the term “meteoric rise.” Unfortunately that rocket flight upward comes with a lot of turbulence…
The pop star recently opened up about managing the unpleasant side of stardom and how indulging her online haters truly “ruined” her life.
Related: Justin Bieber Breaks Down Crying Over Wanting To Protect Billie Eilish From Haters
The Bad Guy singer dove into the topic alongside her brother Finneas O’Connell during a new interview with BBC Breakfast, candidly admitting why she recently had to stop reading all of her Instagram comments:
“It was ruining my life.”
She continued, reflecting on the hurtful messages that come her way:
“It’s weird. Like, the cooler the things you get to do are, the more people hate you. It’s crazy.”
The Bad Guy singer further explained why she thinks people engage in such mean behavior online:
“I don’t know, dude. It’s crazy. Cancel culture is insane. I mean, that’s not what has been happening. It’s just been, like, just the internet is a bunch of trolls, you know? And it’s, like, the problem is a lot of it is really funny. I think that’s the issue — that’s why nobody really stops because it’s funny.”
We’ll dare to counter and say there truly isn’t anything funny about putting someone else down for laughs or clout. Not about the bullying she’s describing anyway. Fair criticism is one thing, but what she seems to be getting at is another issue completely!
Finneas chimed in to add fans lack “accountability” when they attack artists from behind digital screens:
“I think even if it’s your own face and your profile picture and it’s your own name, it’s still — everybody is much braver behind a cell phone screen than they would be if they walked down the street, you know? It’s kind of crazy, even when you interact with people.”
Being so young, Billie actually had some experience on the other side of trolling. Thankfully she has since learned better and hopes her followers do the same:
“I’ve experienced that back in, you know, growing up, I’d say things that I thought people would laugh at and then later I realized, like, that wasn’t cool to say.”
Yasss, gurl. Such maturity and self-awareness well beyond her years! It sounds like she learned a lot from personal experience, and perhaps, watching her peers like Justin Bieber make similar mistakes, so now she’s all the wiser!
Finneas directed his next point to fans out there who dish out those harsh comments without care:
“You feel like your voice is very quiet — even though on platforms like Twitter and Instagram it can reach them directly. So I think you might see someone who’s like a famous celebrity and you might think, ‘Sticks and stones — nothing I can say is going to actually be, you know, potent to them.’ But it all is. It’s all very equal online.”
Billie agreed with her sibling, noting all of the negativity has truly ruined her interactive experience with followers:
“I still try to like, you know, like fan posts or whatever and especially, like, you know, if I see fans anywhere, like, I just want to talk to them and, like, you know, be around them because they’re people. Like, they’re me…They’re like other me’s. So, they’re like friends of mine. But yeah, the internet is ruining my life. So, I turned if off.”
WATCH the full candid conversation go down (below):
Reactions, Perezcious readers? Weigh in on this conversation in the comment section (below)…
[Image via WENN/Instar]
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