Billie Eilish is learning to be "proud" of her musical success.
The 18-year-old singer remained humble at the Grammy Awards earlier this year when she became the youngest artist and the second artist ever to win in all four main Grammy categories – Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year – in the same year, as she believed other nominees should have won the gongs instead of her.
But now, Billie has said she’s learning to be proud of her own success, after Alicia Keys warned her not to be "embarrassed for being dope".
She explained: "I’m proud of myself sometimes. Actually, yesterday I got a call that reminded me to do just that. Alicia Keys called me and she’s like, ‘I just want to say don’t be embarrassed for being dope. I was and I’m telling you: enjoy it.’ Which was cute. So I went over to my brother’s house and we celebrated quietly."
And looking back on her experience at the Grammys, the ‘Bad Guy’ hitmaker also spoke in defence of Tyler, The Creator, who won the gong for Best Rap Album but later hit out at his inclusion in the category when he makes "genre-bending" content.
Billie agreed with his comments, and believes she would also be put in the rap category if she wasn’t white.
Speaking to GQ magazine, she said: "It was such a cool thing Tyler said. I agree with him about that term. Don’t judge an artist off the way someone looks or the way someone dresses. Wasn’t Lizzo in the Best R&B category that night? I mean, she’s more pop than I am.
"Look, if I wasn’t white I would probably be in ‘rap’. Why? They just judge from what you look like and what they know. I think that is weird. The world wants to put you into a box; I’ve had it my whole career. Just because I am a white teenage female I am pop. Where am I pop? What part of my music sounds like pop?"