Girl To Know: Billie Eilish
At sixteen years old, Billie Eilish has already collaborated with some of the biggest names in the music industry (Khalid, Vince Staples). With her lullaby voice and pop ballads comparable to Lorde and Allie X, Eilish has established herself as a badass singer-songwriter who is uniquely herself and unafraid to take the initiative to show the world the capability and influence of Generation Z.
Eilish’s introduction to the mainstream music world was purely accidental. Eilish simply uploaded an original song (Ocean Eyes), onto Soundcloud, not expecting much to come from it. Jason Kramer from KCRW somehow found the song and played the track on the radio station, exposing Eilish to the public eye. Eilish soon received acclaim and released another single (Six Feet Under) later in 2016. Eilish began to gain a steady fanbase at this point and her debut EP Don’t Smile At M was released in 2017.
Don’t Smile At Me s somber- slightly threatening even, questioning society’s authenticity and expressing indifference in conformity. The opening track COPYCAT summarizes Eilish’s persona well, “Call me calloused, call me cold / You’re italic, I’m in bold / Call me cocky, watch your tone / You better love me, ‘cause you’re just a clone”.
Eilish writes songs and produces them with her brother, Finneas O’Connell. As a duo, they share their creative minds from making music together in the comfort of their own home to touring across the country.
Eilish recently released a melancholy-toned yet optimistic track featuring Khalid, titled “Lovely”. The song starts with a beautiful piano intro that builds up with Eilish’s velvety vocals, eventually harmonizing with Khalid’s. “Lovely” is a single off Eilish’s yet-to-come album and is set to release sometime later in 2018.
“Oh, I hope some day I'll make it out of here Even if it takes all night or a hundred years Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near Wanna feel alive, outside I can't fight my fear”
(Lovely, Billie Eillish / Khalid)
*Photos via BillieEilish.com
