Recently, Billie Eilish revealed that she feels “protectiveness over” Olivia Rodrigo, the singer of “What Was I Made For?” who was born 14 months after her.
In an interview published Tuesday by the Los Angeles Times, Eilish said that Rodrigo was the inspiration for her song “Goldwing.”
She told the publication,
“I think everybody’s experiences are so individual, nobody has had anybody else’s life, you know? But I do feel a protectiveness over Olivia. I have a song called ‘Goldwing’ from my last album that’s kind of about her.”
She added,
“It’s not only about her. I was just thinking about her when I was writing it. She was coming up, and she was younger than me, and nobody had ever been younger than me.”
The poignant verse “Goldwing,” which appeared in 2021’s Happier Than Ever, is as follows:
“They’re gonna tell you what you want to hear/Then they’re gonna disappear/Gonna claim you like a souvenir/Just to sell you in a year.”
Eilish told the LA Times that she relate to Rodrigo, who became an overnight sensation while still a teenager.
“Olivia was getting big, and she was just, like, this little dainty child, I felt so nervous. I was worried about her. She came up in that acting world, and people are so weird. I don’t know — I just felt very protective over her. And I feel that way to everyone.”
The alt-pop icon clarified that she could identify to more than just the Guts star, mentioning 16-year-old Barbie star Ariana Greenblatt. She said, “I feel that way to everyone.” “I just see myself in all these young girls.”
At the age of 13, Billie Eilish recorded “Ocean Eyes,” a song penned by her brother Finneas O’Connell. Eilish reflected on the time before her music earned international prominence in a cover story for Vogue earlier this year, which focused on her climate activism. “I look back at who I was, when fewer eyes were on me,” she said. “I grieve that. I strive to be that kid again.”
She said,
“I look back at who I was, when fewer eyes were on me. I grieve that. I strive to be that kid again.”
