Hot off the release of her third studio album, Hit Me Hard And Soft, Billie Eilish paid a visit to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Her latest is some of her most raw work to date, with some of her most vulnerable songwriting and lyricism. Eilish’s artistry has inspired a new generation of musicians.
But as an artist, one will inevitably face comparisons, and Eilish is well aware of that. However, during the interview portion of The Late Show, she said that she doesn’t mind when people think newer artists are replicating her sound or style.
“You’ve got to make time to get to know yourself,” said Eilish. “I think at first, I was seeing the way I knew how to sing in the way I felt like it sounded good, with inspiration from my favorite singers, songs, and artists. I think over time, I learned who I was and how I actually wanted to sound and what was genuine.”
She continued, saying, “That’s why I think it’s really important that people are more forgiving of inspiration, because I think we live in a world where everyone wants to have everything be perfectly original and no one has ever done it ever in their lives. You don’t want to copy anyone but you have to let yourself be inspired…When I hear a song or see some younger artist come out with a song that sounds like mine or their voice sounds like mine, and people are like [mocking voice], I’m like, ‘Dude, it’s okay, let them figure it out.”
And even now that Eilish is more established as an artist, she still holds her inspirations close. Elsewhere in the interview, she shared she would like to record an album featuring covers of standards.
You can see a clip from the interview above and Billie’s performance of “Lunch” below.
Hit Me Hard And Soft is out now via Darkroom/Interscope. Find more information here.