Confirming her ability to suppress tics during interviews before “letting them all out” as soon as the cameras stop, Billie Eilish has opened up about having Tourette’s syndrome, a neurological condition that causes involuntary movements and sounds.
During the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast, the 24-year old musician spoke about managing the symptom:
“I have vocal ticks, but luckily for me — and for everyone else — they’re mostly just quiet noises, and I can keep them pretty quiet.” “I go through phases of words becoming tics, but you know, there’s a thing called suppressing, if you ever heard of it. And you know when I’m in an interview, I’m doing everything in my power to suppress all of my tics, constantly.” “As soon as I leave the room, I have to let them all out.”
Talking about what it’s like experiencing tics in public, especially when they become more frequent, the multi-Grammy award winner said:
“If I start having like, a tick attack, like a lot of tics in a row, people are like, ‘Are you okay?’” “This is very much normal, like, you know, and also, like, ‘Well, I didn’t notice.’ It’s like if you didn’t see me tick today, you’re not looking at my knees which are ticking constantly under the table — and my elbows. I’m clenching my arms the entire time.” “I’m doing this for the entire time and it’s because I’m currently on camera and I’m having a conversation and I’m trying not to be distracting.”
Having had media training for interviews as a teenager, the superstar singer/songwriter admitted it was difficult not to overshare, adding:
“I did PR training when I was 14 and I sobbed through it. I hated it so much. It was literally like the scariest s*** of all time.” “I only did one session and it was under an hour, and I sobbed and I left, and I did not follow any of the rules after that.”
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Author: Al Dente
Photo: Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA