Shadowing Practice: Billie Eilish: Same Interview, One Year Apart | Vanity Fair - Learn English Speaking with Video

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221 sentences

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My name is Billie Eilish.

Billie Eilish.

I think it's October 18th, 2017.

It's October 18th, 2018.

I'm 15.

I'm 16.

I have 257 ,000.

I have 6 .3 million followers.

1 .13 million.

9 .6 million when you look up Billie Eilish.

It's a picture of me and Charlie XCX.

Isn't it the one I have on me smiling?

Of course it is.

The one picture that I have smiling.

The most followed person that follows me is Chloe Grace Moretz, who's the best.

She has 13 million followers.

Katy Perry, maybe.

She is 72 million.

I'd say probably Khalid, which is weird because he's like, just a homie of mine.

And like, I don't think of him as anything else.

SZA.

I have Millie Bobby Brown.

Sabrina Claudio.

Bad Baby.

Lauren Haregi.

Noah Cyrus.

Suede Lee.

Rich the Kid.

Lil Xan.

Lil Yachty.

Kaya Gerber.

Trippie Redd.

Miguel?

Are you kidding me?

These are just people that I've texted.

It was at the Crocodile in Seattle, and it was like 500, I think.

That's what I said?

Whoa.

That's so cute.

Um, who?

That was, ugh.

The best one I've had was Music Midtown in Atlanta.

40 ,000 people.

Such a dream.

Oh my God, such a dream.

Every time I go anywhere.

Hands down.

I might be safe if I go to Trader Joe's.

But everywhere else is kind of, I get recognized.

Which is actually really cool, but you know, It's a lot.

Kind of a lot, actually.

But like, not a ton.

It's kind of like maybe like once a week.

Um...

I'm kind of jealous of Billie a year ago.

Because I kind of, I don't know.

I'm really not about to fucking pity myself for people recognizing who I am, because it's like I'm really grateful for it.

But, I don't know.

I would like to go...

to, I don't know, anywhere and not be always recognized.

Whoa.

Ugh.

Don't be so sad.

It's such a waste of time.

Ugh.

I didn't live up to that then, and I still haven't lived up to that.

So, it's good advice though.

It is a waste of time, dude.

Ugh, it's ruined so many things that could have been amazing because I was sad.

Dumb. But, whatever.

Don't post everything you think.

Don't.

Just don't.

If you're watching this right now, anybody, if anybody is watching this, Don't post your feelings.

Don't do it to yourself.

Um...

Whoa.

Tyler, the creator.

No, I would love to meet him.

Oh, I have not met him.

Oh, my God, I would explode if I met him.

I met him.

I met him, and it was great.

For me, he hits a part of me that nobody gets.

being Apple's up next artist.

I was such a baby.

I did Ellen last week, Jimmy Fallon, Lollapalooza, so many festivals.

Went to Tokyo.

I met Takashi Murakami.

I went to his studio.

Dave Grohl's daughter did a cover of my song.

He played guitar for her at a talent show, I think, or something.

There's been a lot of shit that's happened in the last year.

My family, I'm always talking to my family, always.

Every second of my life.

Fruitvale Station.

No. You know what?

No, I can't afford a real chain.

100

They are real.

101

Now they are real.

102

But it's all silver.

103

Oh yeah, my chains were gifts.

104

I did not buy anything that I'm wearing. At all.

105

None of it.

106

I bought this, though.

107

Nah.

108

Yes!

109

Yeah.

110

Uh, yep.

111

Yeah.

112

It's the kind of pressure that's like, it hits me and then I don't care.

113

Everybody dropped dead right now, and I didn't.

114

I would be left with what I had created for myself.

115

And what the hell would the point be

116

if I was just creating something that somebody else wanted me to create that I had no say in, and then that person died,

117

and everybody else died, and nobody mattered except me.

118

I'm stuck with this shit I didn't want in the first place.

119

That's trash.

120

No, I'm handling the pressure horribly, but I just keep it to myself.

121

All the time.

122

Except my wall.

123

I write everything I feel on my wall, so if you go in my room and you look at my wall, Just, yeah.

124

No, I don't like dating at all.

125

I don't like the idea of, oh, this is my one person, and I only share time with this person.

126

No, no. No. No, thank you.

127

No, I don't have a boyfriend.

128

I could not have a boyfriend.

129

That would just be mean to him.

130

I don't know.

131

I almost had one for like a little, but it wasn't really exclusive, so I don't know what you'd call that.

132

I hate things that are exclusive.

133

Never.

134

Letting myself be mistreated for a long, long, long, long time.

135

I had no idea what the fuck was coming.

136

Not really.

137

Yeah, I was really mistreated, and then I just realized I was better than that, and since then, I just,

138

I feel like I've just grown to know my worth, I think.

139

It's taken a minute and I don't think I'm there yet, but I'm getting there.

140

Aw, Billy was so hurt then.

141

I was so hurt then, man.

142

Shit.

143

I want to learn that it's all worth it because it's tiring as heck.

144

And it is worth it and I have to remember that

145

because being with fans and doing shows is way more important than being tired.

146

Is it worth it?

147

Yes.

148

The shows make it worth it.

149

The shows and the supporters.

150

That is something you have to remember when it doesn't feel worth it.

151

Because a lot of it doesn't feel worth it, but then you get to the points that do make it worth it and it's like,

152

then it all sort of makes sense and it kind of clicks in your head.

153

No matter what you do, you can never, ever, ever please anyone ever.

154

Ever, ever.

155

Facts.

156

Still true.

157

Never not true.

158

Any picture that is taken of you, if a picture is taken of you, somebody has it and somebody will use it against you.

159

I wasn't allowed to, but I ran away from security, and I ran into a huge crowd.

160

I, like, slammed open a door into all of them through a glass window and hugged them all.

161

I almost caused a stampede by sneaking through a crowd at Lollapalooza.

162

I almost died, and everyone else almost died.

163

Crazy shit.

164

Whoa.

165

Lil Wayne.

166

Oh, to perform with Lil Wayne?

167

That's a great answer.

168

Wow, 15 year old me was ballin'.

169

I really wanna go to Japan again.

170

I went to Japan a while ago and it was the most amazing time, so.

171

I feel like

172

Brazil might be crazy.

173

Literally my first fan account was like, or like second fan account was like, Billie Eilish Brazil.

174

Brockhampton.

175

Tiara Wack is sick.

176

I like bright green a lot.

177

I like black.

178

It's been pretty dark lately, so I've just wanted to be dark with it.

179

The world, I mean.

180

I don't, and then one word, fucking know.

181

Judge me, please.

182

That's what I said?

183

Shit.

184

I still feel that way.

185

Totally still feel that way.

186

But this year, I guess I just don't fucking know.

187

I don't know what the fuck is going on.

188

I feel this and that.

189

I feel like everything needs to have a certain, this is in this category and this is in this.

190

Like, it's like, I want to be everything.

191

Like, shut up.

192

Don't tell me what I can't be.

193

The hell?

194

The music industry, man.

195

We're all sad as hell.

196

All these artists, we're sad as shit, dude.

197

Everybody I know that's an artist, We are sad motherfuckers.

198

That's the way it is.

199

My what?

200

What does that even mean?

201

What does that mean?

202

Everyone is gonna die and no one is gonna remember you, so...

203

Fuck it.

204

What this bitch said.

205

That's my philosophy.

206

Having the approach that no one's had, trying to write something no one's written.

207

I don't know if that's the best approach, because you might just fail and then want to die.

208

Like, I have to write something no one's ever heard.

209

See, that's why I'm still bad at it, because that's what I was trying to do.

210

Fuck!

211

You better know how to drive, because I've been putting enough drivers in, because that stuff stinks.

212

I hate that stuff.

213

I do know how to drive, Shorty.

214

Whoa, that is crazy.

215

This is my mom.

216

She is sick as a booty and she has laryngitis as heck.

217

I still love you.

218

Ah, poo poo.

219

Ah, la la la la.

220

Okay.

221

Ha.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Billie Eilish: Same Interview, One Year Apart”. This video has 221 sentences and 1456 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:54. The speaker talks at a steady 134 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
whoa	/woʊ/	Stop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down.
heck	/hɛk/	Hell.
follower noun	/ˈfɒləʊə(ɹ)/	One who follows, comes after another.
guitar noun	/ɡɪˈtɑɹ/	A stringed musical instrument, of European origin, usually with a fretted fingerboard and six strings, played with the fingers or a plectrum (guitar pick).
trash noun	/tɹæʃ/	Useless physical things to be discarded; rubbish; refuse.
lately adverb	/ˈleɪt.li/	Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since.
grateful adjective	/ˈɡɹeɪtf(ə)l/	Of a person or their actions, feelings, etc.: expressing gratitude or appreciation; appreciative, thankful.
ruin noun	/ˈɹuː.ɪn/	The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle.
jealous adjective	/ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/	Suspecting rivalry in love; troubled by worries that one might have been replaced in someone's affections; suspicious of a lover's or spouse's fidelity.
creator noun	/kɹiːˈeɪ̯təː/	Something or someone which creates or makes something.
hug verb	/hʌɡ/	To cling closely together.
supporter noun	/səˈpɔɹ.tɚ/	A person who supports, promotes, advocates or champions a cause, movement, or political party; an adherent.
slam verb	/ˈslæm/	To shut with sudden force so as to produce a shock and noise.
tire verb	/ˈtaɪ̯ɚ/	To become sleepy or weary.
sneak verb	/sniːk/	To creep or go stealthily; to come or go while trying to avoid detection, as a person who does not wish to be seen.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
hands down adverb		without much effort; easily
look up verb	/ˌlʊk ˈʌp/	To have better prospects.
run away from verb		To avoid or shirk a problem or consequences; to rush to back away from or disclaim responsibility for something.
shut up	/ʃʌt ʌp/	Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)…

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

Isn't it the one I have on me smiling?
Are you kidding me?
These are just people that I've texted.
That's what I said?
Because I kind of, I don't know.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've texted · I've had · haven't lived
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	be always recognized · would be left · be mistreated

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 58 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like whoa, heck, follower.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Billie Eilish: Same Interview, One Year Apart | Vanity Fair - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?