What Billie Eilish’s Highland Park Neighborhood Tells Us About 21st-Century California

The “Ocean Eyes” Singer Lives in a Wary Place Where You Must Fight to Keep a Home, and Your Soul

If Billie Eilish lives in the neighborhood, does that make her one of us?

If you follow the music charts, it might seem preposterous to think of Eilish as the California girl next door. After all, the 18-year-old is the first international pop star born in the 21st century, with the best-selling album of the past year, 50 million social media followers, and six nominations at this month’s Grammys, including nods for song, record, and album of the year. And her other-worldly voice, which can sound by turns angelic or menacing, …