Abuse can “happen to anyone” and “you have no control over it,” Billie Eilish said as she described singing about an experience she had as a child.
Speaking before his main show in Glastonbury this week, the American star also said it may take a while to realize that a relationship “wasn’t what you thought it was.”
Eilish, 20, said singing about an episode in his own life had made him feel “really vulnerable”.
She told The Sunday Times, “Here are all these secrets about me and here are all these insecurities I have and here are all the things I keep to myself.”
The lyrics to her song Getting Older include the phrase “it wasn’t my decision to be abused.”
He adds in a later verse: “For anyone who asks, I promise I’ll be fine. I’ve had some trauma, I’ve done things I didn’t want to; I was too scared to tell you, but now I think it’s time … “
He said it happened when he was younger, but gave no further details.
Another song from her album Happier Than Ever, called Your Power, is about abusers who take advantage of underage girls.
She sings, “She said you were a hero; you played the role; but you ruined her in a year.”
Eilish told the newspaper: “There is a verse in Your Power that deals with my experience and is as specific as I will have.
“The rest is about so many other things I’ve witnessed, from all these different points of view.”
He said the abuse “changes you” and “makes you feel this responsibility, remorse and shame.”
Image: Billie Eilish at the Grammy Awards in April
Eilish continued: “You feel guilty. You feel it’s your fault and it’s your fault and you started it and this and that.
“And you are, but wait, but I didn’t, because I was just a kid.
“We blame ourselves and usually people who mistreat you also blame you when there’s nothing to do. Especially when you’re young and your brain isn’t developed and you don’t know what’s right or wrong.”
Reflecting on how an abuser can get into someone’s life, Eilish said that when you discover that an encounter wasn’t what you thought it was, “it drives you crazy”.
He added: “The worst thing is that it can happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter how vigilant your parents are.
“It doesn’t matter how smart you are, it doesn’t matter what your judgment is, it can happen to you and you have no control over it.
“It’s crazy. And a lot of times people who have this bad intention seem to be really lovely on the outside, they can be lovely with your family, they can make a really good impression on your friends. And they take advantage of that.”
Eilish heads the Glastonbury Pyramid Stage on Friday.