Billie Eilish famously dyed her hair blonde in 2021 during her Happier Than Ever era – a significant departure from her trademark vibrantly dyed hair.
But the young musician, now 22, revealed that she was actually going through an identity crisis at the time.
In an interview with Rolling Stone published on Wednesday, April 24, Eilish reflected about her hair transformation, which set the internet ablaze after she debuted her new look in an Instagram post.
“And then I dyed my hair blond and I immediately was like, ‘Oh, I have no idea who I am,” she recalled.
In addition to changing her hair, Eilish also revamped her grungy, covered-up style into a softer, more feminine look. A few months later, she made a stunning appearance at the Met Gala in her icy blonde hair and a peach tulle Oscar de la Renta corset ball gown.
Speaking to Keke Palmer on the red carpet, Eilish expressed, “It was time for this, and I feel like I’ve grown so much in the last few years.”
She added, “I’ve always wanted to do this. I was just scared and didn’t feel comfortable in my skin and I feel like I finally did.”
However, despite the softer, jazzier vibe of her sophomore album Happier Than Ever, the new look ultimately felt like too much of a departure from Eilish’s true self.
Eilish’s brother Finneas O’Connel, said of the record, “In a weird way, that was a little like being in a tornado cellar, reading a cute little story. It was a coping mechanism of an album.”