Billie Eilish on Why She Still Calls Her Childhood Home “My Sanctuary”
OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
At just 23, Billie Eilish has shattered records—and expectations—becoming a global pop phenomenon with an estimated $53 million net worth, nine Grammys, two Oscars, and legions of devoted fans. Yet despite sold-out arenas and red-carpet glamour, she remains fiercely attached to the modest Highland Park bungalow where she grew up. In candid interviews, Eilish has lifted the curtain on her living arrangements, revealing how a two-bedroom, one-bath childhood home still grounds her.
A Humble Highland Park Beginning
Born December 18, 2001, to actor-musician parents Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell, Eilish spent her earliest years in a 1,208-square-foot bungalow built in 1912. Purchased for $240,000 in 2001, the tiny home required both parents to sleep on a living-room futon so that Billie and her brother Finneas each had a private bedroom. Inside, three pianos and a makeshift recording studio—housed in Finneas’s room—became the birthplace of the siblings’ breakout hit, “Ocean Eyes.”
“It’s Exactly the Same as 2003”
In a 2022 V Magazine interview, Eilish confirmed she still lives—at least part-time—in that very home. “My relationship with my home has not changed, just like with my parents and my brother,” she said. “It’s a bit jarring for some people… They come over to see us and it’s exactly the same. It’s as if you walked in here and it’s 2003.” Her remarks underscore a deliberate choice to preserve normalcy: “There’s no sign that a famous person exists within 200 feet of this area,” she quipped.
The “Secret House” Next Door
Still, Eilish’s 2021 song “NDA” dropped a tantalizing lyric: “I bought a secret house when I was seventeen, haven’t had a party since I got the keys.” Fans soon connected the dots to a reported 2019 purchase: a $2.3 million ranch-style home—complete with stables and a goat pen—just ten minutes from Highland Park. In a June 2021 Rolling Stone profile, Eilish admitted she’s “secretive about what’s really going on,” but she hasn’t denied owning the ranch.
Why Family Comes First
Even if she does retreat to her private ranch, Eilish insists her true home remains her parents’ bungalow. “I just love my parents, so I want to be around them,” she told Rolling Stone, adding that she still sleeps in her childhood bedroom. That attachment runs deep: Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell homeschooled Billie and Finneas, taught songwriting classes in their living room, and supported every creative pursuit—even when acting gigs paid little.
Finneas, who now divides his time between Los Feliz and Malibu, made clear in a 2020 tweet that their parents “knew no one in the record industry.” Instead, he credited them with nurturing a home studio and creative atmosphere that launched both siblings’ careers—proof that Eilish’s roots in a humble Highland Park bungalow are as central to her story as any chart-topping single.
A Sanctuary in the Spotlight
In an era when celebrity often means isolation behind mansion gates, Billie Eilish’s living situation offers a refreshing counterpoint. By remaining tethered to the home where she learned to sing, record, and dream, she underscores a simple truth: no amount of fame can replace the comfort of home and the love of family. For Eilish, that two-bedroom Highland Park bungalow isn’t just where she grew up—it’s her sanctuary, her studio, and, unmistakably, where she belongs.
