Billie Eilish on being inspired

Billie Eilish understands how inspiration works. She reminds us that we discover our own voice by experimenting with what we think sounds good. We don’t begin from the ground, but from the shoulders of those we admire. We don’t aim to copy, but we most definitely allow ourselves to be imprinted by the work that inspires us.

Here’s how she puts it. Billie Eilish (lightly edited) from her interview with Stephen Colbert. (The original is here.)

“I started recording when I was 13 and — you gotta take time to get to know yourself. At first, I was singing the way that I knew how to sing and the way that I felt like it sounded good. And with inspiration from my favorite singers and songs and artists, and I think over time, I learned who I was and how I actually wanted to sound and what was genuine. That’s why I think it's really important that people are more forgiving of inspiration because I think that we live in a world where everyone wants to have everything be perfectly original and no one’s ever done it ever in their lives. And absolutely, you don’t want to copy anyone — but you have to let yourself be inspired. And … when I hear a song or I see an artist do something or … some younger artist comes out and they have a song that sounds like mine or their voice sounds like mine, people are like, “[in protest],” and I’m just kind of like, “Dude. Let them — it’s okay. Let them figure it out. They’re inspired and inspiration is going to turn into more inspiration is going to turn into more inspiration. And you gotta let yourself do that.”

So go. Learn who you are by starting with what you love. Be inspired.