Saying that Billie Eilish is shattering conventional preconceptions would not be a stretch. The media is questioning the 17-year-old singer-songwriter’s status as a “It Girl” and “Pop Star” due to her love of enormous attire and unrestrained use of the middle finger, even in the midst of her critical acclaim as a singer/songwriter.   

With the release of her first single in 2016, Eilish has gained a lot of popularity with her tracks and her Do not Smile At Me EP, which highlights her R&B-pop sound and calming vocals.

In 2018, the EP amassed over a billion plays, and her One By One tour was completely sold out in less than a minute. She is only just getting started; according to Zane Lowe of Apple Music Beats 1, 2019 will be hers “for the taking.” And there is no denying that Eilish still has a lot more to share with the world—her much anticipated debut studio album is scheduled to drop later this year.

The Los Angeles native opens up to NME in a recent interview, sharing her thoughts on age and gender, the double standards women encounter in the music business, and how people may feel entitled to comment on her life and appearance simply because of her gender.

“Nobody would care if I were a boy and dressed in such loose clothing. Some individuals are saying, “For once, dress like a girl!” If you dressed tight, you would look much nicer and have a far more successful career! No, it wouldn’t. It really wouldn’t,” she remarked.

She presently has 11 million Instagram followers and nearly a million Twitter followers, but she avoids social media because of hateful remarks. “F**k that garbage. She uttered, “I just do not want to see all the terrible things people say.” Despite the negative feedback, she continues to use her position to inspire young people and bring about change.

“People do not realise the power of a young mind that is discovering everything for the first time,” the speaker stated. “It is really stupid that we are being disregarded. We are fully informed.”

Eilish collaborated with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in the autumn to encourage those who qualified to vote to register for the midterm elections in November. “Bro, teenagers know more about the country that we’re living in right now than anybody,” she replied.

The singer also dispels the myth that she was raised in an affluent household. Eilish was raised in Highland Park, a historically underprivileged neighbourhood in Northeast Los Angeles that has recently seen gentrification-related changes.

“It was not at all like that when I was growing up in Highland Park, but it has become popular now,” she remarked. “It was pretty shady; there were gunshots and stuff. People simply do not understand how I was raised, and that is incorrect.”

As fans eagerly await the release of her album, Eilish has been busy securing festival appearances. She revealed late last year that she will be performing in Stockholm’s Lollapalooza in June, and she recently announced her Coachella appearance in April. Also, in February, Eilish will travel Europe.