Billie Eilish Talks About Making Her New Album in Quarantine

In an extended appearance on the 'Late Show with Stephen Colbert,' Billie Eilish teased that she made a new album during her time in COVID-19 quarantine.

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In an extended appearance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Billie Eilish—who’s the subject of a documentary dropping this Friday on Apple TV+—said she made a new album during her time in COVID-19 quarantine.

The 19-year-old “Bad Guy” singer said her year was “the same as it felt for everybody else,” but the plus side is that she appreciated the time off. “The year sucked, and if I could go back and change it, I would, but at the same time, I’ve gotten more time off than I’ve ever, ever, ever, ever had,” she explained.

Since the release of her 2017 EP Don’t Smile at Me, Eilish has been keeping herself very busy. She extensively toured both the EP and her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, and was ready for a recharge. “Of course I think that goes for everyone,” she added. “But that was true for me after two weeks of it. Two weeks already at the beginning of quarantine was the most time I had off in, like, four years.”

All that time off meant she was able to find a lot of opportunities to work on music. In fact, the follow-up to her debut album will be influenced by the conditions COVID-19 forced on the world, even if it isn’t about coronavirus itself. “I just don’t think I would have made the same album, or even the album at all, if it weren’t for COVID,” she said. “That doesn’t mean it’s, like, about COVID at all. It’s just that when things are different in your life, you’re different. It’s just how it is. I have to thank COVID for that—and that’s about it.” Unfortunately, she didn’t indicate when fans might hear new music.

Elsewhere in the interview, she touched upon her aspirations. “I wanted to be the artist that I would be a fan of,” she said. “The idea that somebody could meet me and have a bad experience makes me wanna jump of a cliff, like, seriously. I want everyone that I come in contact with to feel completely just the highest high that they could possibly feel.” 

Of her new documentary The World’s a Little Blurry, Eilish warned fans it’s “a sliver” of her life, not the full picture. The doc debuts on Apple TV+ on Feb. 26. Watch the full interview with Colbert above.

Also on Wednesday, Billie released merch for the documentary, with the items ranging from socks to sweatpants and hoodies. “You might notice the prices are a little higher, but that’s because this is a big step in making my clothing more sustainable,” she explained in an Instagram post. “My hope is that by investing in more high quality items they will last for a much longer time, and we can all buy and consume less.” You can check out the full range here.

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