Timeline of Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo friendship timeline explored

Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo - who are just 14 months apart in age - have a lot in common, especially in their musical careers. Both of them had their first viral hit when they were still teenagers, broke several records by bagging multiple Grammys on their first attendance, and had multiple songs on the Billboard charts simultaneously.

While Eilish entered the music industry in 2016 with Ocean Eyes at 14, Rodrigo debuted her career as a singer with Drivers License at 19 in 2021. Just like Billie's WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, Rodrigo's Sour was also a huge commercial success. Over the years, the pop stars have also grown close and supportive of each other. We'll explore their friendship timeline below.

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Olivia Rodrigo said her dream collaboration would be with Billie Eilish in 2021

Olivia Rodrigo publicly mentioned Billie Eilish for the first time in April 2021. Rodrigo, who was Elle's cover star for the May issue, played Song Association with the publication.

Amidst the game, when the Good 4 U singer was asked who would her dream collaboration be with, she mentioned Eilish, saying:

"I think it would be really cool to collaborate with Billie Eilish. I think everything she does is just so spectacular. I love her first EP, I fell so deeply in love with that project. I love 'My Boy', like I think that song is so genius and clever and fun."

While it is unconfirmed whether or not Eilish listened to Rodrigo's interview, the Lovely singer did reciprocate the appreciation in an Instagram post uploaded on August 1, 2021. Billie's post, captioned " This is where the real love is," featured a carousel of Eilish hugging her friends, one of whom was Olivia Rodrigo.

In an Elle interview in September 2021, Eilish confessed how happy she was to see girl rock returning to the musical forefront, adding that she was a fan of contemporaries like Olivia Rodrigo and Willow Smith.

Dismissing all rumors of rivalry against stars who would seemingly be her competitors, Billie said:

"It's sad because girls are trained to be competitive with each other."

Three months later, in an interview with Howard Stern in December, Billie Eilish spoke on the subject of giving and receiving advice from other artists. She recalls how many celebrities—including Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift—had told her they were there for her if she needed any advice.

The Grammy winner admitted how she felt the same way about younger artists now that she was on the other side. Next, mentioning Rodrigo, Eilish said she fought the urge to shove her "in a glass box to protect her from everything."

The following year, Rodrigo was asked what she thought of Billie Eilish's "glass box" comment from the Howard Stern interview, to which she responded, saying:

"I just think she's incredible. It's so cool to be able to look up to someone like her. I just really admire how confident she is and how she just marches to the beat of her own drum."

In addition to talking about each other so supportively in interviews, the two pop girls have also been witnesses to each other's live performances. In May 2022, Eilish attended a concert from Rodrigo's Sour tour in L.A.

The following month, the deja vu singer was seen enjoying Eilish's headlining performance at the Glastonbury Festival. Rodrigo uploaded an Instagram story with a heart around Billie on stage from the audience.

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Billie Eilish admitted that she wrote Goldwing thinking about Olivia Rodrigo in 2023

Eiish with Rodrigo at the “Artists Inspired by Music: Interscope Reimagined” Art Exhibit (Image via Getty/Emma McIntyre)

In an interview with L.A. Times in November 2023, when Billie Eilish was asked if she felt a kinship towards Olivia Rodrigo, the singer-songwriter responded:

"I think everybody's experiences are so individual. Nobody has anybody else's life, you know? But I do feel a protectiveness over Olivia."

Further in the interview, Eilish also revealed the connection between Rodrigo and one of the songs from her second album - Happier Than Ever:

"I have a song called 'Goldwing' from my last album that's kind of about her. I've never said that to anyone. It's not only about her. I was just thinking about her when I was writing it. She was coming up, and she was younger than me, and nobody had ever been younger than me."

Both singers recently released their new studio albums—Rodrigo's Guts and Eilish's Hit Me Hard and Soft. While Rodrigo's album-accompanying tour has already begun, Billie is preparing for hers, which kicks off in September.