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Billie Eilish kicked off her HIT ME HARD AND SOFT tour in September, and her brother FINNEAS didn't come with her for the first time ever. The singer opened up about the adjustment during an interview with CBS Sunday Morning.
“I’ve never done a show without my brother in my life. I mean, I’ve barely performed and sung without my brother, like never," she confessed. "I don’t have my parents on the road. I mean, they’re coming out to visit, and that’s been amazing. But I don’t have the same kind of structure that I had before.”
When asked if she had to prepare herself to embark on tour alone, Eilish didn't hesitate in her answer. “Yes, we talked about that happening like two years ago and it’s been a known thing within our family for two years," she explained. "We were like, ‘Oh no, it’ll be great,’ and it’s what’s right, and whatever. And then, two weeks until I was gonna leave came, and we were both getting a little sad and just bittersweet, and emotional."
“And then the couple days before I left, I was kind of a mess. Just a little choked up every time I’d talk about it or think about it," Eilish continued. "Finneas was so sweet about it, and he was like, ‘You know, this is the way it is right now but like, if you ever need me, I will get on a plane as soon as you want,’ which is really sweet.”
The "Birds of a Feather" singer also revealed the precautions she took in order to combat the loneliness she tends to feel on the road. Things like hiring “best friends as my openers, hiring a couple of my best friends as my backup singers, hiring more band members, bringing another one of my best friends to work on tour. Make sure we’re going to the park, make sure we’re playing games, make sure we’re getting food, going out.”
“Tour has been such a depressive experience in my life in the past and I’ve said this before, but I had like, a realization where I was like, ‘Oh, this isn’t just, like a temporary thing that I have to suffer through.’ I can make this enjoyable. It should be enjoyable," Eilish said. "I love doing the shows so much that I shouldn’t have to just be miserable up until the show. It should be like the whole day is, you know, obviously it’s like travel, and it’s tiring and it’s gruesome, but it’s fun.”
Although he's not on tour this time around, FINNEAS has joined his sister when his schedule permits, including her three-night stand at New York City's Madison Square Garden.