The price of fame causes a teenager to develop an old soul inside just one year.
The very concept of modern celebrity is a strange one.
Thanks to YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and the ever-changing platforms that prop up the music industry, it is possible for someone to develop a huge global following and still be a complete unknown to many people.
16-year-old Billie Eilish is a legitimate superstar, but if you're not plugged into the pop world, you may be forgiven for never having heard of her.
Whether you're a die-hard fan or her name prompts the shrug emoji, you really should take 10 minutes out of your day and watch her recent interview with Vanity Fair.
The idea is simple; sit down with Eilish exactly one year apart and ask her the same questions as when she was 15 and on the verge of becoming a major figure in the music world.
The results, however, are quite remarkable and more than a little bit heartbreaking.
Now that she has sold out shows across the globe, amassed millions of fans and followers and generally been run ragged from one event to another, the 16-year-old Eilish cuts a highly reflective figure.
Some insights into the price and pressures of fame - especially at such a formative age for anyone - includes the line "Don't post about your feelings, ever" which is pretty sobering commentary.
"We're all sad as hell. All these artists, we're sad as shit, dude," Eilish notes when asked how she feels about the music industry.
"Everybody I know that's an artist, we are sad motherfuckers. That's the way it is."
The difference between the answers from 2017 and 2018 are genuinely compelling and Eilish comes across like a strong, sensitive soul throughout, one who we hope avoids burnout as her career continues to flourish.
Check out the interview, featuring a fairly unnecessarily manipulative piano score, below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm0MGnuRnH0
Clip via Vanity Fair
