Billie Eilish Steps Out Of The Darkness And Into The Director's Chair

A cursory YouTube search of Billie Eilish’s name won’t quickly reveal the music video for the pop star’s second standalone single, “Six Feet Under.” The followup to Eilish’s dreamy Soundcloud debut, “Ocean Eyes,” as well as the singer-songwriter’s first release through Interscope Records, the 2016 clip may be the forgotten gem among Eilish’s 20 visuals to date (though, at 26 million views, its reach is nothing to balk at). She began writing music at 11, but before that, “since I was, like, nine years old, I was making music videos to songs that I just liked, ‘cause I just wanted it so bad,” she tells MTV News.By 14, directing her own visuals was already a major dream, the beginning attempts at which can be seen in “Six Feet Under,” but Eilish found that her passion and experience weren't valued early on, particularly as a young woman in the industry. I don’t think people like us being the boss.” As her sound evolved from ethereal, fairy pop to incorporate a convergence of influences — she’s often cited rap’s resident weirdo Tyler, the Creator as a perennial inspiration — while her earliest visuals reflected the teenage state of an identity in flux.Eilish has synesthesia, a neurological condition that makes her uniquely able to visualize music as vibrant hues, and her earlier videos appear to nod to that experience: “Bellyache” finds the singer exploring a canyon rendered in high-contrast technicolor, while she dons an all-yellow sweatsuit.