Her Own Style
Billie Eilish’s green hair and long nails make her stand out. “I like to be in control of how I look,” she says.

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Young & Famous

Meet two musicians who have created their own paths to stardom 

October 2020
by Tod Olson

Rich Fury/Getty Images for The Recording Academy 

Billie Eilish

How she’s changing what it means to be a pop star

 imageSPACE/MEGA/Newscom 

    Most pop stars can point to a single moment when their career starts to happen. For Billie Eilish, that moment came when she was just 13.

    Her older brother, Finneas, had written a song called “Ocean Eyes.” He recorded her singing it and posted it online. All Eilish wanted was to share the song with her dance teacher. 

    But by the next morning, the song had gone viral. In a few days, people all over the world had heard it. Record companies were calling. And she was on her way to becoming a massive star.

    Most pop stars know the moment their career first started. Billie Eilish was just 13 when that moment happened for her.

    Eilish has an older brother named Finneas. He wrote a song called “Ocean Eyes.” He recorded her singing it. Then he posted it online. Eilish just wanted to share the song with her dance teacher. 

    But the song went viral. Soon, people all over the world had heard it. Record companies called her. She was on her way to becoming a big star.

    Most pop stars can identify the exact moment when their career began to take off. For Billie Eilish, that moment came when she was just 13.

    Her older brother, Finneas, recorded her singing a song he had written called “Ocean Eyes.” He posted it online. Eilish simply wanted to share the song with her dance teacher. 

    However, by the next morning, the song had gone viral. In just a few days, people all over the world had heard it. Record companies began calling, and Eilish was on her way to becoming a massive star.

Free to Play

    It might seem like Eilish got famous overnight. But she had been preparing to be a musician for years. 

    Her parents wanted their kids to be creative. So Eilish and her brother were homeschooled. The rules of the house left plenty of time for art. If they were playing music, there was no bedtime. 

    Eilish used that freedom to focus on what she loved. She wrote her first song at age 4. At 7, she performed a Beatles tune in a talent show. The next year, she joined the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus. Later, she started writing music with Finneas.

    It might seem like Eilish became famous overnight. But she had been working on her music for years. 

    Her parents wanted their kids to be creative. So they homeschooled Eilish and Finneas. The kids were allowed to stay up late to play music.

    At age 4, Eilish wrote her first song. At 7, she was in a talent show. The next year, she joined the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus. Later, she wrote music with Finneas.

    Although it might seem like Eilish became famous overnight, she had actually been preparing for a career in music for years. 

    Her parents wanted their kids to be creative, so Eilish and her brother were homeschooled. The rules of the house left plenty of time for art. If the kids were playing music, they had no bedtime. 

    Eilish took advantage of that freedom to focus on what she loved. She wrote her first song at age 4, and she performed a Beatles tune in a talent show when she was 7. The following year, she joined the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus. Later, she started composing music with Finneas.

In Control

    After “Ocean Eyes” became a hit, Eilish signed with a record company. But she didn’t become a star right away. She just kept making music. By the time she was 16, her songs had been played more than 1 billion times on Spotify. Finally, in August 2019, she got her first No. 1 hit.

    That was fine with Eilish, who’s now 18. She’s always wanted to do things her own way. Even as a big star, she stays true to herself—and her fans respect her for it. She wears baggy clothes because they’re comfortable. She dyes her hair blue, silver, or green. She still records her songs at home with her brother. 

    Eilish also isn’t afraid to talk about important issues. She has warned people to take the coronavirus seriously. She has spoken out against racism. And she’s talked about her own struggles with depression.

    But this young pop star didn’t set out to be a role model—or a rebel. She just wants to make music. And luckily, millions of people want to listen. 

    “Ocean Eyes” became a hit. Eilish signed with a record company. She didn’t become a star right away. But she kept making music. People listened to her songs on Spotify. By the time she was 16, her songs had been played more than 1 billion times. In August 2019, she got her first No. 1 hit.

    Now Eilish is 18. She’s a big star. But she stays true to herself. Her fans respect her for it. She wears baggy clothes because they’re comfortable. She dyes her hair blue, silver, or green. She records her songs at home with her brother. 

    Eilish also speaks freely about important issues. She says people should take the coronavirus seriously. She speaks out against racism. She talks about her struggles with depression.

    But being a role model, or a rebel, wasn’t her plan. Eilish just wants to make music. And millions of people want to listen. •

    Eilish signed with a record company after “Ocean Eyes” became a hit, but she didn’t become a star right away. However, she kept making music—and by the time she was 16, her songs had been played on Spotify more than 1 billion times. In August 2019, she finally got her first No. 1 hit.

    That path to stardom was fine with Eilish, who’s now 18. She’s always wanted to do things her own way. Even now, as a big star, she remains true to herself—and her fans respect her for it. She wears baggy clothes because they’re comfortable, and she dyes her hair blue, silver, or green. In addition, she still records her songs at home with her brother.

    Eilish also doesn’t shy away from talking about important issues. She has warned people to take the coronavirus seriously, spoken out against racism, and talked about her own struggles with depression.

    But this young pop star didn’t set out to become a role model—or a rebel. Eilish just wants to make music. And luckily, millions of fans want to listen. •

Lil Nas X

How he made his wildest dreams come true

Jason Moore/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Stock Photo; Robby Klein/Contour by Getty Images for The Recording Academy

The Hip Hop Cowboy
Lil Nas X has always loved many types of music. It shows in his songs—and his fashion.

    In the fall of 2018, 19-year-old Montero Hill was bored. He was sleeping on his sister’s floor in Atlanta. He had almost no money and very little experience as a musician. But he decided to write a song—and designed it to go viral. 

    Country music is popular, so he chose a cowboy theme. He bought a catchy hip-hop beat online for $30. He wrote a simple melody. Then he made 100 short videos to go with the song. In December, he posted them again and again on social media.

    By March 2019, Hill was in New York City signing a record deal. His song—“Old Town Road”—went to No. 1 on the charts. It stayed there for 19 weeks, longer than any other song in history. And Hill became known by a different name: Lil Nas X.

    In the fall of 2018, Montero Hill was bored. He was 19. He was staying with his sister in Atlanta. He was nearly broke. He was not an experienced musician. But he decided to write a song. He designed it to go viral. 

    Country music is popular. So Hill chose a cowboy theme. He bought a catchy hip-hop beat online. It cost $30. He wrote a melody to go with it. He made 100 short videos for the song. In December, he posted them on social media. He posted them over and over.

    By March 2019, Hill was signing a record deal. His song “Old Town Road” went to No.1 on the charts. It stayed there for 19 weeks. That’s longer than any other song has in history. Hill began using a new name: Lil Nas X.

    In the fall of 2018, Montero Hill was bored. The 19-year-old was sleeping on his sister’s floor in Atlanta. He had almost no money and very little experience as a musician. Even so, he decided to write a song—and smartly designed it to go viral.  

    Country music is popular, so he went with a cowboy theme. He purchased a catchy hip-hop beat online for $30 and wrote a simple melody for it. Then he made 100 short videos to go with the song, posting them on social media again and again beginning in December.

    By March 2019, Hill was signing a record deal in New York City. His song—“Old Town Road”—went to No. 1 on the charts, staying there for 19 weeks, longer than any other song in history. And Hill became known as Lil Nas X.

Growing Up

Jason Moore/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Stock Photo; Robby Klein/Contour by Getty Images for The Recording Academy

    When Lil Nas X was little, he wanted to be an entertainer. But his childhood was full of distractions. 

    His parents split up when he was 6. For three years, he lived in Atlanta. In his neighborhood, gang violence was hard to avoid. He knew plenty of kids who had seen people get killed.

    At 9, he moved to the suburbs to live with his father. He learned to play trumpet and got pretty good. But he gave it up in high school because he was afraid it wasn’t cool. 

    Lil Nas X kept to himself as a teen. But he still wanted to be a star. He spent a lot of time online. He posted jokes and funny pictures on Twitter. He attracted 20,000 followers. When they heard “Old Town Road,” those followers helped make Lil Nas X famous.

    As a kid, Hill wanted to be a performer. But he had many distractions.

    His parents divorced when he was 6. For three years, he lived in Atlanta. Gang violence was a problem where he lived. He knew kids who had seen people get killed.

    At 9, he moved in with his dad. They lived in the suburbs. He learned to play trumpet. But he worried it wasn’t cool. So he stopped playing in high school.

    Lil Nas X kept to himself as a teen. But he wanted to be a star. He spent a lot of time online. He posted jokes and funny pictures on Twitter. Soon he had 20,000 followers. They heard “Old Town Road.” They helped make Lil Nas X famous.

    When Lil Nas X was little, he wanted to be an entertainer, but his childhood was filled with distractions.

    His parents split up when he was 6, and for three years, he lived in Atlanta. Gang violence was hard to avoid in his neighborhood. Plenty of kids he knew had seen people get killed.

    At age 9, he moved in with his father in the suburbs. He learned to play the trumpet and became pretty skillful at it. However, he gave it up in high school out of a fear that it wasn’t cool. 

    Lil Nas X kept to himself as a teen, but he still dreamed of being a celebrity. He went online frequently, posting jokes and funny pictures on Twitter. Eventually, he attracted 20,000 followers—and after hearing “Old Town Road,” those followers helped make Lil Nas X famous.

Coming Out

    So far, Lil Nas X has made the most of his fame. He has his own line of Western clothing. He’s in a Doritos commercial. He even sang a duet with the Sesame Street character Elmo. 

    But in many ways, Lil Nas X is not your typical pop star. Last June, he decided to come out as a gay man. That makes him one of the few openly gay hip-hop artists. He’s also one of the few Black musicians with a country hit. 

    Lil Nas X is living his dream. But his rise to stardom happened so fast that he’s still getting used to it. “On the outside, everybody loves you,” he told Variety magazine. “But on the inside, everything [feels] the same.” 

    Lil Nas X has done a lot with his fame. He sells a line of Western clothing. He’s in a Doritos commercial. And he sang a song with the Sesame Street character Elmo. 

    But he’s not a typical pop star. Last June, he came out as a gay man. Openly gay hip-hop artists are rare. So are Black musicians with country hits. 

    Lil Nas X is living his dream. But he got famous very quickly. He’s still getting used to it. “On the outside, everybody loves you,” he told Variety magazine. “But on the inside, everything [feels] the same.” •

    Since then, Lil Nas X has made the most of his fame. He has his own line of Western clothing, and he appeared in a Doritos commercial. He even sang a duet with Elmo, the Sesame Street character. 

    However, Lil Nas X is not your typical pop star. He came out as a gay man last June, making him one of the few openly gay hip-hop artists. He’s also one of the few Black musicians with a country hit. 

    Though Lil Nas X is living his dream, his rise to stardom happened so quickly that he’s still getting used to it. “On the outside, everybody loves you,” he told Variety magazine. “But on the inside, everything [feels] the same.” •

Core Skills
Vocabulary, Compare and Contrast
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Paired Texts
Topic
Culture
Genre
Nonfiction
Content Type
Article

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