Though plenty of people probably envy Bille Eilish’s life as a pop star, she isn’t one to proclaim the joys of her own role. In a new cover story with Rolling Stone in the wake of her sophomore album, Happier Than Ever, which is slated to release in July, the young singer-songwriter admits that making her debut full-length was a fairly miserable process for her.
“I hated every second of it,” she told Rolling Stone. “I hated writing. I hated recording. I literally hated it. I would’ve done anything else. I remember thinking there’s no way I’m making another album after this. Absolutely not.” Although, after the world-stopping success of that first record, When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?, the process of making her second album was totally different. “No one has a say anymore,” she explained. “It’s literally me and Finneas and no one else.” Which might be why the tone of the album is completely different, with a whole new look for Billie that’s raised a lot of eyebrows, and seems to represent a new era for the young pop star. So maybe the first album was the hardest one, and it gets easier from here?
For more brutal honesty from Billie, check out the full cover story here.