Billie Eilish 'Lost All of' Her Friends When She 'Got Famous' at Age 14: 'It Was Really Hard'
Billie Eilish was just a young teenage girl when her life forever changed.
During the Monday, June 10, episode of BBC's "Miss Me?" podcast, the 22-year-old opened up about the sudden switch she faced in her life after the singer's hit song "Ocean Eyes" launched her into the spotlight at age 14.
"Well, I lost all of my friends when I got famous," Eilish explained to co-hosts Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver. "I suddenly was famous and I couldn’t relate to anybody. It was tough. It was really hard."
The "What Was I Made For?" vocalist said only her very best friend Zoe remained by her side amid her new lifestyle.
"And then it was my 20th birthday and I remember looking around the room and it was only people that I employ. And all 15 years or more older than me," Eilish admitted.
The award-winning artist said she later had an epiphany after one of her staffers abruptly quit, in turn ending the friendly bond they once had.
"It was the worst thing that happened to me. And that made me realize like, ‘Oh wait, this is a job.’ If they left me, they would never see me again," she recalled.
Due to the emotional trauma caused by her abnormal teenage years, Eilish said she's now "very freaked out by loss and I have a lot of abandonment problems."
Things have recently been looking up for the "Bad Guy" singer, however, as she has since reunited with old pals who slipped away in her initial moments of fame while also making new friends along the way.
"Exactly a year ago, I reconnected with a bunch of old friends and now, I have so many friends," Eilish shared. "I have a crew now. I could literally cry about it. It’s been the greatest thing that’s happened to me."
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Back in April, Eilish had a moment of true happiness, as she attended a Coachella party with friends and became overjoyed with the improved status of her platonic relationships.
"I was like, 'Guys, I have friends and I just love you guys so much, and it’s been so long since I’ve had friends.' I cried… and it’s literally because I actually have friendship now again," she expressed.
While chatting with Allen, Eilish confessed it was thanks to the podcast co-host's 2006 song "Smile" that encouraged her to reevaluate the people in her life and work hard to reestablish connections with old friends and put in effort to make new ones.
In the song, Allen sings: "But with a little help from my friends / I found the light in the tunnel at the end."
"I used to want to cry hearing that line because I didn’t feel that way, because I didn’t have friends," the "Happier Than Ever" hitmaker shared.
"And I remember thinking I want to feel that way. And I want to listen to this song that I relate to in every way and hear that line about friends and be like, 'My friends got my through it,'" she concluded.