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From Wondery.
I'm Katherine Allison, and this is Who's Amazing Start, a special mini-episode of Who's Amazing Life.
Just like you, they're still getting their start in life.
Their journey is just beginning.
On this episode, you will be that person everyone knows.
You might be a musician, or an athlete, a scientist, or a painter.
There will be clues, so pay attention.
And this is a mini episode, so it moves fast.
Listen to the end to find out who you are.
So sit back and imagine your amazing life as The Overnight Sensation.
Imagine you're 13 years old, curled up on a cozy couch, sitting opposite your brother in your favorite coffee shop.
You're focused on your homework and your brother well, he's supposed to be doing his homework too, but he has his phone out.
You pull yours out.
That doesn't look like your math assignment.
Your brother rolls his eyes and you smile back.
Some teenagers don't get along with their siblings, but you two are best friends.
Sometimes just for fun, you even make music together.
Like earlier this week, he'd written a song for his band, but then he asked you to sing it instead.
Your brother looks back at his phone, and suddenly, his eyes pop wide open.
Whoa, look at this.
You peer at his phone and see a music streaming app.
It's open on the song you and your brother recorded and posted the other day.
Yeah, it's our song, so what?
I told you my dance teacher would like it for choreography.
It's not just your dance teacher listening.
Look at the play counter.
Your brother points to the screen.
Then you see it.
One thousand plays.
One thousand plays?
How did people even find your song?
You leap off the couch, sending your homework tumbling to the floor.
You and your brother jump up and down, unable to contain your excitement.
One thousand plays.
This is so cool.
People like our music.
People?
I think you mean fans.
Fans?
The word sends a twinge of doubt deep into your belly.
But he's just joking around, right?
The plays on the song continue to tick up.
1001, 1002, 1003.
It doesn't totally seem like a joke.
You've always loved music, but you didn't intend for anyone other than your dance teacher to hear this song.
And now, somehow, people you've never met are listening to it.
It all feels very unexpected.
And you don't always deal well with change.
Your brother shakes your shoulders, bringing your focus back.
Come on, let's go home and tell Mom and Dad.
1,000 plays?
We're famous.
You and your brother scoop up your backpacks and run home to share the news with your parents.
Even though you still have those weird butterflies in your stomach, you're excited to tell them what just happened.
After all, your family is your biggest support system.
You didn't expect your song to make waves, but it looks like that might be happening anyway.
You just hope that, with your family by your side, you can cope with any unexpected changes that lie ahead.
Over the next few months, your song continues to gain thousands of new plays.
Soon, it gets the attention of the music industry and you land a record deal.
When you're 15 years old, you release your first EP, a mini album that you wrote and recorded with your brother from his makeshift home studio in his room.
You go on tour to promote your new music and your family comes with you for support.
Tour life feels like a big whirlwind.
You're constantly traveling, constantly rehearsing and constantly pushing yourself to put on the best performance you can.
After all, you have real fans now.
They don't just listen to your music online.
They also come to your shows and sing all of your songs with you.
Even just walking down the street, you notice there are more and more people who recognize you.
Can you sign my hat?
I'm going to your show tonight.
Are you putting out more music anytime soon?
So much about your life has changed so quickly.
At times, it feels totally overwhelming.
You know your family is there for you, but you don't want to worry them.
So a lot of the time, you try and keep your worries quiet and handle your feelings all by yourself.
Besides, you have to be able to handle it because you and your brother are working on your debut full-length album.
You really want to make this album great, so you spend every second you're not on stage brainstorming lyrics and melodies.
Even when you're feeling a little run down or could use a brain break, you push those feelings aside.
You can deal with your needs later, but for now, people expect a lot from you.
You don't want to let down the label, your fans, or most important of all, your family.
You're 16 years old, sitting cross-legged on your brother's bedroom floor back home after months on tour.
You know you should be feeling over the moon at your rise to stardom, but all you feel right now are two things exhaustion and guilt.
You're living a life that most people only dream of, but you're hardly even enjoying it.
Besides, your brother doesn't seem to be struggling at all.
In fact, right now he's sitting calmly at his desk waiting patiently for you to pull yourself together.
Your album is due in just a few weeks, and you're nowhere close to being finished.
When you were a kid, your brother always wrote the songs.
He was good at it.
He still is.
Now you're writing the album together, but everything you try to write just feels wrong.
The pressure to make good music used to feel like an exciting challenge.
Now it's starting to feel like a weight across your chest.
You open your notebook, which is full of lyric ideas, dark scribbles of monsters and doodles of spider webs.
It's just as crowded and scattered as your mind feels.
You quickly flip through the pages, hoping something, anything inspires you.
But nothing stands out.
You slam the notebook shut in frustration.
Your brother fiddles with his guitar uneasily.
He knows this is hard for you.
It's gonna be okay.
Look, we have to finish this album.
Let's just keep writing.
You feel the panic start to surge.
Your thoughts are racing and you can't quite catch your breath.
You stand up and storm into your kitchen.
I hate writing songs, especially with you because you're so good at it.
If I make a song that's great, all people will want is another great song.
And if I make a song that's bad, no one will like me anymore.
It's too much.
Your mom walks into the kitchen concerned by your outburst.
What are you saying?
For your next album, you don't want to write any songs?
That's it.
You've had it.
I'm not gonna make another album.
You slump down into your chair, frustrated and defiant.
Your brother sits down in the chair on one side of you, your mom on the other.
No one has to say anything, they just hold space for you to feel what you're feeling.
When you feel ready, you look up at your mom and your brother, feeling ashamed at your outburst.
But it did feel good to say your feelings out loud to the people you trust the most.
Sorry.
Thanks for hearing me.
Okay, let's go make a hit album.
You trudge down the hall to your brother's studio.
It's time to get back to work.
To your great relief, you and your brother do finish the album shortly before your 17th birthday.
The songs are dark and brooding, but they feel true to you and your state of mind while you were writing them.
Even though you've been struggling to cope with all the change and pressure, you're really proud of what you've made.
When the album drops, it debuts at number one on the Billboard charts and you set tour dates on the calendar for the next eight months.
On tour, you're surprised to discover that you're having fun.
You love exploring new cities with your family and playing music with your brother at every show, and the fans you meet along the way make a lot of the hustle and bustle of tour life worth it.
It's pretty cool.
Okay, so you do have bumps and bruises from performing on stage and you have some aches and pains that won't seem to go away.
But you try to ignore all that.
Deep down, those issues aren't nearly as bad as what's really eating at you.
The pressure to be your absolute best all the time, even in a crazy chaotic, ever-changing environment.
But you keep all of that to yourself.
No one has to know that you're struggling if you don't let them see it.
You are 17 years old, waiting backstage at a concert venue in Milan, Italy.
You're listening as thousands of people file into their seats, all here to see you.
You breathe in deeply, trying to savor this brief moment of quiet before the show begins.
You know what the audience expects from you.
The craziest, most high energy, most awesome performance they've ever seen.
Your brother taps you on the shoulder.
Okay, here we go.
Best show yet, right?
Best show yet.
Let's do this.
Your brother runs out on stage to applause.
Then the lights come up and your brother begins to play the iconic bass line for your most popular song.
You charge on stage and the audience roars.
This is gonna be great.
You jump up and down just like you always do on stage, pumping your arms in the air.
You can feel the crowd getting excited with you.
From your vantage point on stage, even with bright stage lights beaming down on you, you can see everyone.
Thousands of smiling faces.
Some people are dancing to the beat.
Other people in the front row are jumping up and down with you.
This is awesome!
You jump even higher, bringing your knees up to your chest.
But as you land, you land hard, and you feel yourself tumble to the ground.
Looking out at the audience, people's faces have turned from joy to shock.
You're confused, but as you try to stand up, you suddenly understand.
Something isn't right with your ankle.
No, something is wrong with your ankle.
And it hurts.
You manage to get off stage.
This isn't the first time you've hurt yourself while jumping around on stage.
So, even though your mind is spinning, you're not surprised to see your mom waiting for you backstage with a supportive boot.
She slides it over your foot.
I'll tell your brother to wind down the show.
No!
I'll sit on stage.
No big deal.
See, I'm fine.
You limp back out in front of the crowd and sit on the edge of the stage.
You try to put on a brave face, but it's no use.
You turn to look behind you at your brother, fighting back the tears.
You feel the audience watching your every move, and you know you have to say something.
You feel the panic rise in your chest.
You prepared for this tour, rehearsed day and night, but this is a situation you never could have expected.
What are you supposed to do now?
You look back at the crowd and hold the mic up.
I just want to give you a good show.
I can't do this.
I'm sorry.
You stagger off stage, followed closely by your brother.
You're in so much pain and your mind is swirling with thoughts of embarrassment, fear and disappointment.
Like you're letting everyone down.
With tears streaming down your face, you look at your brother and take a deep breath.
You think back to how this whole journey began.
It all started with you and your brother making music together.
Back then, the music and your family were enough.
Maybe they can be enough today, too.
You feel the panic start to recede, and your brother flashes you a smile.
Ready to get back out there?
Someone carries you back on stage and helps you sit down on a stool.
Sure, the audience may not get the show you intended, but that's okay.
In fact, the audience cheers even louder than before.
As you adjust your microphone, you realize it's normal to worry about letting people down, especially when life changes so quickly you can barely keep up.
But you need to have faith that the people in your life will still support you, no matter what.
Your brother starts to play, and you begin to sing.
After your scary stage injury, you decide to make a big change both for your body and your mind.
In addition to starting physical therapy to rebuild your strength, you start meeting with a therapist who teaches you how to take care of your mental health.
Whenever things start to feel out of control, you remind yourself to lean on your whole support system.
Your doctors, your parents, and your awesome brother.
Not long after you wrap up your tour, the album gets nominated for six Grammy Awards.
You and your brother Phineas take home five of them, including Best New Artist, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.
You follow that up with more incredible original music, including a song that lands you and your brother an Academy Award.
With more music on the way.
You continue to prioritize your mental health and make sure to speak to your fans, young and old, about the importance of taking care of their physical and emotional well-being.
You are Billie Eilish.
If you like, Whose Amazing Life.
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From Wondery, this is Who's Amazing Start.
I'm your host, Katherine Allison.
This episode contains reenactments and dramatized details.
We use many sources in our research.
A few that were particularly helpful for this episode were Vanity Fair, Vogue, and the documentary Billie Eilish, The World's a Little Blurry.
This episode was written by Megan Begala.
Sound design by Lucas Siegel.
Audio assistance by Sergio Enriquez.
Our producers are Jennifer Klein and Olivia Richard.
Our coordinating producer is Desi Blaylock and Matt Gant is our managing producer.
Tanja Thigpen is our senior managing producer.
Ginny Bloom and Megan Begala are our senior producers.
Executive producers are Jenny Lauer-Beckman, Stephanie Jens, and Marsha Louis for Wondery.
