“NDA” is the thirteenth track on Billie Eilish’s 2021 album ‘Happier Than Ever.’ It is also the latest promotional single to be released before the album release and accompanies a music video. In the song, Billie sings about the dark side of fame. Being one of the biggest stars in the music world at a very young age, Billie has gone through her fair share of struggles. Let’s dissect the meaning behind this song.
Billie Eilish is preparing to release her second studio album ‘Happier Than Ever‘ on July 30, 2021. The previous singles released off the album so far include; “my future,” “Therefore I Am,” “Your Power,” and “Lost Cause.” This is Billie’s follow-up album to her record-breaking debut studio album ‘WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?’
‘NDA’ stands for ‘Non-Disclosure Agreement,’ a legal document to keep the information confidential between two or more parties. The main purpose of an NDA is to prevent certain information from leaking to the public. It also has a bad reputation among actors, actresses, singers, and other celebrities as a form of silencing them from speaking out about certain issues they face in the industry.
Watch “NDA” Music Video by Billie Eilish
Buy ‘Happier Than Ever‘ Album on Apple Music & Amazon
“NDA” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
In the first verse of the song, Billie Eilish sings about a personal experience of her that really emphasizes the pitfalls of fame and fortune. She talks about the 2020 incident of a serial stalker who visited her house. This stalker, apparently, came to Billie’s house and kept on ringing the doorbell to gain entrance to the house. When refused, they sat on the porch refusing to leave and Billie had to hire security to control the situation. Even still, this stalker kept about his stalkerish business from across the street and even made life-threatening hand gestures towards the house. This is obviously a very scary situation to be in.
Billie Eilish also reminisces how she shot to fame in the music business with her “ocean eyes” song in 2016. She was only 16-years-old at the time. All the glitz and glamour are fun until you realize that you cannot even walk down the street by yourself ever again.
Had a pretty boy over, but he couldn’t stay
On his way out I made him sign an NDA, mm
Billie’s fame also impacts her relationships. She tells us that she had a pretty boy over for a date. Things did go well. But there is a LOT at stake here. There are so many secrets that she has to protect. Unfortunately enough, if she has the slightest doubt about this boy, it just turns out to be more of a business deal than an intimate relationship. She would rather have him silenced with an NDA than risking her entire future. This is as personal it gets.
In the second verse of the song, Billie Eilish talks about what she has achieved in such a short career in music. In 2019, Billie Eilish made into Forbes magazine’s list of ‘30 Under 30‘ recognizing exceptional characters in different fields. Being inducted into such a coveted list itself is enough evidence for the impact Billie has had in her short career so far.
But is she loving her life? Not so much. As she grows older, Billie realizes what she is sacrificing for all this glitz and glamour. Is it worth it? She is still trying to figure that out herself. But it’s becoming more and more convincing that she might be hating her celebrity life.
Billie Eilish contemplates if NDA-ing that boy she liked was taking it too far. Is she really sacrificing her childhood and freedom for another million dollars in the bank? Is $26 million net worth as opposed to $25 million really going to make any difference in her life? Probably not!
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