#51 Dear Billie Eilish...
What are we made for?
FAO: Billie Eilish
Interscope Records
2220 Colorado Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Dear Billie,
Hope you’re doing alright!
I just wanted to drop you a message to say how much I appreciate so much of your music. Birds of a Feather lives rent-free in my head at the moment, and while I’m not a huge fan of every lyric in all your songs, What Was I Made For? is such a standout track. It really resonates with this generation—especially with the young people I work with. So many of them are trying to figure out their purpose and place in the world, and your honest way of capturing that journey really hits home.
And that music video for the song—it’s whatever the musical equivalent of chef’s kiss is… No wonder it’s been viewed 194 Million times!
The visuals hit way deeper than you’d expect for a film about a doll.
In the video you wear a 1950s-style yellow dress, complete with Barbie-style blonde bangs and a ponytail. You’re sitting at a classroom desk, popping open a vintage trunk covered in retro Barbie stickers. Inside are all these mini versions of your iconic outfits—tiny Gucci tracksuits, Chanel Oscars outfits, and even the yellow tracksuit—all ready to be set up on a mini rack.
Then comes a haunting verse:
“Takin’ a drive, I was an ideal
Looked so alive, turns out I’m not real
Just something you paid for
What was I made for?”
On the table, there are little Burberry shoes, tiny bedazzled trainers, and a green beanie. Suddenly, the ground starts shaking, the wind howls, and the rain pours down while you’re frantically trying to set up your wardrobe amidst the chaos. You’re struggling to stay in control and keep the show rolling.
Then you sing:
“Think I forgot how to be happy
Something I’m not, but something I can be
Something I wait for
Something I’m made for
Something I’m made for.”
When the rain finally stops, you give up and shove all the soaked outfits back into the trunk. You disappear off-screen, leaving the table and chairs empty. And that’s when it hits us—this isn’t just your average pop video. It feels like a profound message about how, when everything is falling apart, we hold on to who we really are and long for our purpose.
Just wow!
Billie, you’re not the only one asking, “What was I made for?”
People have been asking that for centuries. Over 2,400 years ago, Aristotle claimed that “Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life.” But is that really it? Are we simply meant to chase happiness? The trouble is, feelings go up and down like a rollercoaster. What happens on a bad day? Or when what makes us happy hurts someone else? Is there more to purpose than just feeling good?
Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
Your purpose—the reason you’re here—gives direction to your choices and meaning to your life. So, how did you find yours?
One thing that’s helped me find my sense of purpose is my faith in God. It’s been an compass when life feels, well… meaningless. I know you’ve mentioned in interviews that you don’t really believe in God right now, but I remember reading that you had a different view when you were younger:
“I don’t know if any of you know… I don’t think I’ve ever talked about it. When I was a little kid, I was super religious for no reason. My family never was religious. I didn’t know anyone that was religious. And for some reason, as a little girl, I just was incredibly religious. And then at one point, I don’t know what happened. It just completely went away.”1
But maybe it could come back one day? You wouldn’t be alone—there are thousands of young people who’ve found a deep sense of meaning in Jesus after trying everything else first.
When What Was I Made For? came out, young Christians around the world started responding in creative ways. Loads of them rewrote the lyrics to express the purpose they’d found in Jesus. Did you see any of them, Billie? You would be proud!
One young creator turned your tune into a worship song:
“Where to begin? I am so relieved
Don’t have to fit in—why didn’t they tell me?
That’s not what I’m made for
It’s you that I’m made for.”
Another YouTuber shared her faith-inspired version:
“Once I let go, all of my fears drowned
Jesus my hope—I’m so secure now
In all that I’m made for
I love what I’m made for.”
It sounds like they found something greater than religion right?
I’ve been reflecting on how we find purpose a lot myself—it’s such a big question, isn’t it? In a world that feels like it’s constantly shifting and shaking, the good news is this: we can know who we are and why we’re here.
This is what I want teens everywhere to know:
You weren’t created to find your worth in social media likes.
You weren’t designed to hustle for success, outdo others, or follow the crowd.
You weren’t meant to chase fame or endlessly entertain yourself.
You were made for more!
This message has become so important for me to share that I wrote a new book for teenagers to help them discover who they are made to be. It’s called:
What You Are Made For: Your Guide to Finding Purpose
Last year, I released Like or Follow: What Every Teenager Needs to Decide About Jesus, and it sold well over 10,000 copies and counting—making a real difference for those seeking faith for themselves. What You Are Made For doesn’t just help young people find God; it inspires them to discover their God-given purpose.
So Billie - or anyone else reading this - would you mind sharing What You are Made For with anyone you think might benefit? It’s available for pre-order now and launches at the start of March. You can find it via 10ofThose, Amazon, or anywhere books are sold. Just click the button below.
Apart from young people themselves, Here’s who else might want to buy it:
Parents – Christian parents who want to help their teen figure out who they are, why they’re here, and live out their God-given purpose with confidence.
Youth Groups – Youth workers who need a resource that connects with young people and helps them explore their purpose in a way that’s real and relevant.
Church Leaders – Churches passionate about seeing the next generation step into their purpose and make a difference for Jesus.
If you or Ed Sheeran or anyone knows any church groups that would love loads of copies of the book, then the 10ofThose website has cracking bulk deals so you can grab 10, 20, or even 5000 copies for the crowds at your next concert!
Anyway, I hope you like the book when you get chance to read it, and thanks again for sharing your music with the world.
Take care,
Dave
P.S.: I’ve always thought it was cool that you were homeschooled. We homeschooled our kids too, so I’ve always felt like you’re part of the crew!
P.P.S.: If you ever fancy giving me free tickets to your next tour, just let me know—I’ll move the diary around!
P.P.P.S.: I love that your middle name is Pirate (true story).
https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/i-don-t-not-believe-pop-star-billie-eilish-says-she-d-like-there-to-be-a-god-was-super-religious-as-a-child
This is absolutely amazing write up , im part of the collective crew with leah and I home school all my 4 autistic children . My daughter is such a big Billie Ellish fan and can play all her music on guitar and keyboard . I've read this all out to her and she said its amazing we have just pre ordered your book 📖 😀
Great write up! As someone who enjoys listening to Billie Eilish and who is also a Christian, I hope she sees this.