Singing with the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus as a kid, Billie Eilish was introduced to Christianity when growing up.
In addition to performing American jazz pieces and spirituals, the children’s choral youth organization has an office and rehearsal space in Pasadena Presbyterian Church.
From Intense Faith to Questioning Beliefs: Eilish’s Spiritual Journey
Billie Eilish shared on her podcast, me & dad radio, that she was intensely religious as a child, despite her family not being religious and not knowing anyone who was. However, her faith eventually faded, leading her to become almost anti-religious for a period.
Billie Eilish performs at the Radio 1 Big Weekend at Stewart Park on May 25, 2019, in Middlesbrough, England (Credit: WENN)
“I don’t know if any of you know — I don’t think I’ve ever talked about it. When I was little, when I was a little kid, I was super religious for no damn reason,” Eilish said on her podcast.
“My family never was religious. I didn’t know anyone that was religious. And for some reason, as a little girl, I just was incredibly religious.”
“And then at one point, I don’t know what happened. It just completely went away,” she added. “And I don’t know why that happened. I don’t know what made me that way. And then after that period of my life, I’ve loved the idea of other beliefs,” Eilish said. “And I think people with closed minds, people like me from a couple years ago — I think that’s very pathetic to have a closed mind. It’s very lame. I love hearing people’s beliefs.”
“And I love talking about what people believe in and hearing why they believe in it and what makes them believe in it,” she added. “And especially if I don’t agree, because I like to listen and I like to understand. And I think it’s really important to be supportive of all beliefs in the world and all opinions and not shoot people down for what they believe in.”
Maggie Baird and her daughter Billie Eilish attend the Environmental Media Association Awards Gala on October 8, 2022, in Los Angeles, California (Credit: Faye’s Vision / Cover Images)
Supportive Family: The O’Connell’s Approach to Religion
Billie Eilish’s father reflected on her religious phase as “pretty marvelous,” noting the family’s lack of religious practice and discussion at home. He admired her independent development of faith and organized thoughts on religion, emphasizing his support and lack of objection to her beliefs.
Billie Eilish’s Neutral Stance on Religion Today
Billie Eilish, discussing her current stance on religion, appreciates her family’s supportive nature during her journey from being religious to adopting a more “neutral” stance.
She now maintains an open-minded approach towards all beliefs, expressing a fondness for the concept of a God but acknowledging the uncertainty of divine existence, emphasizing the impossibility of knowing for sure.
At the 2024 People’s Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on February 18, 2024, in Santa Monica, California, Billie Eilish wore an oversized striped sweater vest, ankle-length shorts, and platform sneakers (Credit: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Abaca Press / INSTARimages)
Musical Foundations: How Choral Singing Shaped Eilish
In an August 2016 Vogue interview, she credited her choral background with giving her a solid musical foundation.
“[Singing in the chorus is] where I’ve gotten all my singing technique, even though it’s mostly choral stuff. It’s helped me learn the proper way to sing and not ruin my voice completely. But I’ve just always sung, all the time. I sang so much that my family had to shush me. Then I started writing when I was about 11.”
Addressing Rumors: Eilish’s Clarification on Her Beliefs
However, Billie Eilish is not known to be religious. According to The Guardian, she has even been accused of being a devil worshipper.
The music video for “All the Good Girls Go to Hell” (stylized in all lowercase) depicts Eilish as a fallen angel ejected from Heaven and landing on Earth.
Jokingly confirming that she has sold her soul to Satan to become the first artist born in the 21st century to top the Billboard 200, Eilish wrote on Facebook in December 2016, “why does anyone ever trust me lol im satan.”
Billie Eilish’s Grammy Triumph: Youngest to Win Top Four Categories in 2020
Following her mainstream success in 2019, the following year, at just 18, Eilish made Grammy history by becoming the youngest artist to win all four major Grammy categories in a single night.
The American singer-songwriter won Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Bad Guy, Best New Artist, and Album of the Year for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Billie became the first female artist and the second person in history to win the top four categories in the same year. Christopher Cross was the first artist to win the big four Grammy Awards in 1981.
Billie Eilish’s historic win: capturing four major awards at the 62nd Grammys, January 26, 2020 (Credit: Adriana M. Barraza / WENN)
In addition, Billie became the youngest recipient of Album of the Year. The record was previously held by Taylor Swift, who won the coveted award for her album Fearless in 2010 when she was 20.
Billie also won Best Pop Vocal Album, taking home five Grammys out of her six nominations.
However, during her acceptance speech for Album of the Year, Billie told the crowd that Ariana Grande should’ve won the award. “Can I just say I think Ariana deserves this. Thank U, Next… I think it deserves more than anything in the world. I love you so much.”
A Look to Remember: Eilish’s Grammy Outfit
Billie arrived at the ceremony wearing her signature oversized style. She opted for head-to-toe Gucci, which included a black crystal-embellished co-ord decked out with a crystal monogram.
Billie Eilish in dazzling Gucci: a neon green and black ensemble at the Grammys (Credit: Adriana M. Barraza / WENN)
Paid $25 million for the right to a documentary about her life, Billie wore a neon green diamante-detailed turtleneck sweater underneath her pajama-style outfit.
Billie’s beauty look was hardly visible through her face mask and sunnies. Makeup artist Robert Rumsey highlighted her features with brushed-up brows, mascara, shimmery eyeshadow, matte bronzer, and a swipe of rosy lip gloss.
Mystery in style: Billie Eilish behind a crystal-embellished Gucci mask and sunglasses (Credit: Adriana M. Barraza / WENN)
Hairstylist Mara Roszak styled her coordinating green and black tresses in layers, falling loosely on her shoulders.
Billie Eilish has her nails painted in Gucci monogram (Credit: Adriana M. Barraza / WENN)
Her nails were painted green with a Gucci monogram to match her ensemble. It reportedly took manicurist Emi Kudo four hours to achieve this look!
Billie Eilish completes her Gucci look with Gucci chunky sneakers (Credit: Adriana M. Barraza / WENN)
Stylist Samantha Burkhart completed Billie’s Gucci ensemble with gold logo hoop earrings and a pair of Gucci ‘Flashtrek’ sneakers.
Blacl Gucci ‘Flashtrek’ Sneakers, $1,590
The Winning Sibling Duo: Billie and Finneas
Billie was joined by her brother, Finneas Baird O’Connell, on the red carpet. Like his sister, he also wore Gucci.
The 22-year-old songwriter/musician looked handsome in a black floral-embroidered coat, a white shirt underneath, a bow tie, black trousers, and leather shoes.
A winning duo: Finneas O’Connell and Billie Eilish celebrate their Grammy victories, 2020 (Credit: Adriana M. Barraza / WENN)
Aside from earning awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year with his sister, Finneas also took home Best Engineered Album and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical.
Finneas and Billie performed “When the Party’s Over” at the ceremony.