Billie Eilish Teases New Album Made in Quarantine on ‘Colbert’

Billie Eilish teased her new album in an interview with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show Tuesday, February 23rd.

The singer said the Covid-19 quarantine marked the first extended period of time off she’d had in four years, and she took that opportunity to make an album. “I don’t think I would’ve made the same album, or even the album at all, if it weren’t for Covid,” she said. “That doesn’t mean it’s about Covid at all, it’s just that, when things are different in your life, you’re different. That’s just how it is. So, I have to thank Covid for that, and that’s about it.”

Later in the interview, Colbert asked if Eilish unleashed her voice and really belted on the new project, and the singer laughed and replied, “There’s a couple of moments on this album where I pull some tricks out. It’s really just about what I feel like sounds good.”

Eilish also spoke about her upcoming documentary, The World’s a Little Blurry, and the strange experience of living with cameras on her almost constantly for about three years. Eilish said, overall, the experience was fun and the filmmakers were respectful when she needed some time away from the cameras. When Colbert asked Eilish if being observed constantly in that way changed her at all, and if she is really herself in the doc, the musician replied, “I think I am. I think it’s important to know, though, as an audience member of a doc… it’s not everything. You’re seeing a sliver of my life at that time.”

Eilish added, “I think it’s important for people to know, it’s not all that was going on — there’s a ton that isn’t in there — but it’s pretty much me.” And it’s kind of a huge bummer because I was super annoying then. It’s rough, it’s hard for me to watch!”

Elsewhere in the interview, Eilish spoke about pursuing her own artistic vision without hesitation even as others in the industry tried to nudge her different directions; navigating fan interactions and figuring out how much to give of herself; and the moment in The World’s a Little Blurry when she meets one of her idols — Justin Bieber.

“I can’t even begin to think about me at 12 hearing what my life is now,” Eilish said with a laugh. “I can’t even fathom it. I wish that some spirit could’ve come down and said, ‘Billie, guess what’s about to happen to you in a few years.’”