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For Billie Eilish, 2020 has already been a phenomenal year career-wise. Just last night, the singer gave a tribute to the Beatles at the Oscars by performing their hit song “Yesterday.” Furthermore, the 18-year-old took home not one but five Grammy Awards a few weeks back, including the coveted album of the year award. But, Eilish’s road to superstardom has been steadily progressing for many years now. Eilish and her older brother, Finneas, had a unique upbringing where they were allowed to focus on their creative interests.

Billie Eilish attends the Oscar after party with her brother
Billie Eilish | David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

The 18-year-old has been candid about the fact that she didn’t have the typical childhood experience. In fact, Eilish was homeschooled by her parents, so she never had any experiences with traditional schooling. As both Eilish and Finneas have won Grammy Awards and achieved critical acclaim, it’s clear that their parents’ decision to homeschool them was the right one. But what was the reason behind this decision? And does Eilish regret being homeschooled?

Why were Billie Eilish and her brother homeschooled

In a recent interview with Vogue, the magazine revealed that Eilish and her brother were homeschooled for a myriad of reasons. After reading an article about the band, Hanson, their father was moved by the idea that the children were given the time and freedom to explore their true creative passions. Additionally, the tragedy at Columbine occurred shortly after Finneas was born, which inspired fear for Eilish’s parents. Furthermore, Eilish suffers from Tourette’s syndrome as well as an auditory processing disorder. These factors all contributed to the decision to keep Eilish and her brother at home for school.

Does the Ocean Eyes singer regret being homeschooled

But does Eilish regret the decision that her parents made for her and her brother? Though the 18-year-old admits she was curious about the social aspects of school, she was never invested in the academic parts. Furthermore, Eilish feels that a large part of her success is due to being homeschooled. Had she done traditional schooling, she wouldn’t have been able to give her time, energy, and focus to her passion for music and her budding career.

“I’m so glad I didn’t go to school, because if I had, I would never have the life I have now. The only times I ever wished I could go were so I could fuck around. At times I just wanted to have, like, a locker, and have a school dance that was at my own school, and get to not listen to the teacher and laugh in class. Those were the only things that were interesting to me. And once I realized that, I was like, Oh, I actually don’t want to do the school part of school at all,” the “Ocean Eyes” singer declared.

Despite being homeschooled, Eilish’s parents made sure that she and her brother were socialized in other ways. Eilish participated in everything from chorus, to gymnastics, to horseback riding. In those activities, she was able to further develop her social skills and explore her creative passions. While homeschooling certainly isn’t for everyone, it clearly worked out for Eilish and her brother.