Billie Eilish is making a conscious retreat from public life. In an interview with Vogue for its November 2024 issue, the Grammy Award-winning star revealed her growing need to keep private the details of one’s personal love and sex life. The singer, who has just about grown up in the public eye, sadly admitted that she had been very open with her personal life, which was something she now wishes the exact opposite about-people knowing less.
“I wish no one knew anything about my sexuality or who I’m dating-ever,” she said matter-of-factly, indicating what appears to be a new way that she will interact with not only her fans but also the media.
Eilish typically calls herself out when it comes to not speaking about her dating life or her sexuality, henceforth. A big part of this is when she says, “I’m never talking about who I’m dating ever again.”
It comes as part of a whirlwind year in which Eilish accidentally came out-this summer, during an interview with Variety. Speaking to the latter, she mentioned her experiences with womanhood and finding desire towards women: “People thought, ‘Oh, you had secrets you were hiding from your family.’ And that wasn’t it,” she says. When her comments incited heated media speculation-the reason she says she found confusing. “I kind of thought, ‘Wasn’t it obvious?”” she says.
Eilish’s move to step back is in reaction to the unending media attention that has very often overwhelmed her. She reflected on how being open about her life has led to sensational headlines she never intended. “It’s so unnatural,” she shared, admitting how challenging it is for her to have her personal decisions scrutinized publicly while she is still finding her identity.
Even though her heart and soul are into the music, it is something exhausting for Eilish when there is relentless attention being pulled on her private life. “I guess I also underestimate that things I say will be blown up into the biggest news of the whole world,” she underlined, noticing how huge an impact it could have on creatives, especially young artists. She mentioned that in the end, everyone is trying to understand themselves-no matter what kind of image that figure may portray to the public.
All she wants is to ultimately grow and make her way without someone putting a label on her. “I’m just a girl, she’d said, which described the fact that she wants to be left alone to define herself. What she has done is not just out of privacy, it’s a very important move for her mental health.
Eilish has had several notable relationships that have drawn public attention. She’d been linked to The Neighbourhood’s lead vocalist Jesse Rutherford from last October 2022 until May 2023 when they broke it off. Their respective romantic link did stir controversy with their legal ten-year age difference, but even upon separation, Eilish referred to him as her “homie forever.”
Prior to Rutherford, she was involved with a rapper named Brandon “Q” Adams, known as 7:AMP, and she spoke of him in her documentary, referring to how she opted to walk away from the relationship since she wasn’t happy. She also had rumors about her relationship with Matthew Tyler Vorce, although the details of that connection were less public.
The more relatable Eilish is to the listeners with her music, the more she tries to pour her life experiences and emotions into every meaningful lyric. Though dedicated to her art, she also manages to believe in keeping normality as far as possible.
In that Vogue profile, Eilish also discussed the bigger picture. With the presidential election in 2024, she passionately lobbies for women’s rights and asks her following to go out and get involved in the election process. “I would love to feel safe as a woman in my country,” she said, showing a commitment to continuing the use of her platform as a force for improvement.
Eilish and her boyfriend, O’Connell, have joined the chorus to urge Senate candidate Kamala Harris–the current U.S. Vice President–to become the Democratic nominee.
Eilish is learning to live her life in the spotlight while keeping her private life at least somewhat private. We do have to wonder, though: where do we stand on celebrities like Billie Eilish drawing hard and fast lines between their public personas and their personal lives? It’s a conversation worth having, at the very least, as more and more public figures look to balance their fame with what amounts to a basic human need for privacy.