Billie Eilish Thought Her Career Was Over Before ‘Barbie’ Track

Author Laila Abuelhawa

November 17th 2:16 PM

Billie Eilish was seriously worried about her music career before her Barbie hit, “What Was I Made For.” Eilish, 21, told The Hollywood Reporter about her creative struggles before she penned the film’s track with her brother Finneas. In a songwriter roundtable on Thursday (November 16), Eilish was joined by Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, Jon Batiste, Cynthia Erivo, and Julia Michaels.

Eilish said, “I honestly was concerned that it was over for me. We’d been trying, and it wasn’t doing what it usually would do in me. I was honestly like, ‘Damn, maybe I hit my peak, and I don’t know how to write anymore?’” Getting the call from director Greta Gerwig in January is what changed everything for Eilish. She went so far as to say the director “saved” her and Finneas from the despairing slump. “It brought us out of it, and immediately we were inspired and wrote so much more after that.”

RELATED: Billie Eilish Slams ‘Women Hating’ Critics Calling Her A ‘Sellout’

As we previously reported, “What Was I Made For?” has been streamed over 600 million times since its release four months ago. While appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last month, Eilish said getting a “prompt” beforehand helped her in the writing process. Shocked about how well the numbers for “What Was I Made For?” has done, Eilish told the host, “It’s pretty nuts. That’s a lot of listens.” Eilish has two studio albums under her belt: 2019’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and 2021’s Happier Than Ever. Now, the dynamic sister-brother duo is making progress on her third album. She revealed they have been “filming the whole creation of the next album we’re working on.” In September, Eilish revealed, “There is lots of music coming. There is a whole album of music coming. We’re in the final stages of making it, so that doesn’t mean it’s about to come out, but it is getting there, and it’s very exciting.” She has yet to announce a possible release date or album name.

Billie Eilish's 10 Best Music Videos

• 10. Lo Vas A Olvidar

  Billie Eilish and Rosalía’s angelic voices meld together in “Lo Vas A Olvidar,” in which Billie sings most of the song in Spanish. The music video is minimal, allowing the artists’ emotions to shine.

• 9. bad guy

  Billie gets colorful in the music video for “bad guy,” emerging from a bright yellow backdrop. It all gets wackier from there, with Billie riding around with her squad in a tiny car, to decapitated heads in plastic bags filled with water, to dancing on a colorful carpet that’s reminiscent of The Big Comfy Couch.

• 8. my future

  Sometimes the best music videos don’t involve real people at all, and that definitely applies to Billie’s “my future,” which shows us an adorable animated Billie in a forest in the pouring rain surrounded by little creatures. As the sun begins to breakthrough, the forest comes alive.

• 7. when the party's over

  This video puts it’s sole focus on a cup of black liquid in an all-white room. Billie is dressed from head-to-toe in white, with the exception of her bright blue hair and mountain of jewelry. Her clothes and face don’t remain pristine after she drinks the glass, though.

• 6. hostage

  Billie takes a shot at interpretive dance in “hostage,” and seriously takes our breath away with the emotion behind her moves. She once again chooses an all-white room as her stage, which allows us as viewers to focus more on the story.

• 5. NDA

  One of her newer songs from Happier Than Ever, Billie chooses a lone road as the backdrop. As the song progresses, so does the scenery behind her, with cars zooming past the star as she falls down to her knees in agony.

• 4. Your Power

  The power of this song deserved an equally powerful music video, and Billie did just that when she was completely wrapped by a python.

• 3. bury a friend

  When Billie emerged on the scene, she came out with really dark ideas that few pop stars have done. Billie plays on our fears, as she lays under a bed with blackened eyes, to being injected with multiple syringes in her back. Perhaps the most disturbing images of the video is when we see Billie’s feet being dragged down a flickering hallway, only to reveal later that she’s full-blown Exorcist levitating.

• 2. Happier Than Ever

  If we’ve learned anything from Billie Eilish’s music videos, is that she like to incorporate visual storytelling with her music. In “Happier Than Ever,” the warm house Billie starts in becomes a dark, flooded mess.

• 1. all the good girls go to hell

  In continuation from her “bury a friend” music video, the syringes that were injected into Billie’s back gave her wings. But what’s a fallen angel to do once she’s landed?

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Author Laila Abuelhawa

Category:

• Music
• Music News
• Sunny 102.7

Tags:

Barbie,Billie Eilish