Selena Gomez knows what Billie Eilish is going through. In a new interview with Beat 1 ‘s Zane Lowe on Apple Music, the singer dished out praise for the 18-year-old artist, as well as several other musicians that she admires.
In particular, Gomez offered praise for Eilish’s song “Everything I Wanted,” saying that the song showcased wisdom beyond Eilish’s years. She also said that the song made her cry.
“First I’ll say, just the understanding she… she already knows of what this industry can be and become. And when I heard that song I just sobbed because I’ve been doing this for so long and it’s like — damn, that’s so true,” Gomez said.
Gomez continued by offering praise for Eilish as an artist and saying that she deserves every piece of recognition that she’s gotten thus far. The singer also reflected on her own experiences as an artist.
“There’s so many moments where I was just like, ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter who you are.’ There are moments in my life that are like, ‘Is this it?’” Gomez said.
Previously, Eilish has discussed making the song with The New York Times and said that at the time she wrote it, she was dealing with depression and suicidal ideation. In speaking with the Times , Eilish said that she and her producer and brother Finneas got into an argument over the song.
“Finneas said, ‘I don’t want to write a song about you killing yourself and how that’s everything you wanted,’” Eilish said.
Finneas initially thought that if he helped Eilish create the song, he would be reinforcing her “bleak” thoughts. He argued that his sister should get through her depression first before she started writing songs about it. The two agreed to revisit the song a year later when Eilish was able to convince her family that she was using it to work through her feelings and ideas in a healthy way. The song was also edited to include some more hopeful lyrics about her brother.
As Gomez suggested, Eilish has also spoken about the expectations placed on her by the music industry, even though she’s still fairly new to it. In an interview with Parade , she discussed her views around her own body and explained why she usually wears baggy clothes for her public appearances. Eilish said that she does it for her own comfort, not because she’s making any larger statement, and also acknowledged that if she were to suddenly dress differently, she would be attacked online for it.
