Billie Eilish

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Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish (2019)
Born
Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell

(2001-12-18) December 18, 2001 (age 22)
Los Angeles, California, USA
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actress
Years active2015-present
Height166 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Parents
RelativesFinneas O'Connell (brother)
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentsVocals
Labels
Websitebillieeilish.com

Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell[1][2] (/ˈaɪˌlɪʃ/ AHY-lish; born December 18, 2001)[3] is an American singer-songwriter. She is currently signed to Interscope Records.

Career[change | change source]

On November 18, 2015, Eilish released the song "Ocean Eyes". The track was written, mixed and produced by her brother Finneas. She released her first EP, don't smile at me, in 2017.[4]

Her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, was released on March 29, 2019. It features the songs "Bury a Friend", "You Should See Me in a Crown", "When the Party's Over", "Wish You Were Gay", and her first number-one hit, "Bad Guy". The album reached number one in the UK, making her the youngest woman to top the UK Albums Chart.[5]

In February 2020, Eilish released her single "No Time to Die", the official James Bond theme for the movie of the same name. Seventeen years old at the time of recording, Eilish is the youngest artist to have recorded a James Bond theme in the history of the franchise.[6][7] For this, she won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2022.

Her second studio album, Happier Than Ever, was released July 30, 2021.[8]

On July 13, 2023, she released the song "What Was I Made For?" for the soundtrack of the movie Barbie. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 96th Academy Awards, making her the youngest person to win two Academy Awards.[9]

Music style[change | change source]

Eilish's musical style has been compared to New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde and American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey.[10]

Her songs are considered dark. She suffered with depression and suicidal thoughts at age 11 and expresses her depression through her music. She has been accused of romanticizing death and mental illness.

Artistry[change | change source]

Eilish has a three octave soubrette soprano vocal range. She has a soft, light, and airy voice that has become synonymous with an entire style of singing. As Eilish has risen to incredible career heights, she has likewise inspired many aspiring musicians and singers to mimic her artistry. She is well-known for her sensitive and emotive deliveries on songs like “When The Party’s Over,” she has also committed to colorful character deliveries like on her signature hit “Bad Guy.” While she has come under criticism for her “whispery” vocals, Eilish demonstrates considerable control of her instrument.

When Eilish sings low notes below G3 at a soft volume, she’ll drop her breath support to phonate, but when singing at a louder or medium volume, she can carry a fuller tone down to E3. This shows that while Eilish has the capability to sing with “better” technique, she may purposefully opt not to in order to further her emotional deliveries.

This raises the point that as Eilish often sings at very soft volumes, it has led some to take digs at her vocals for being simply “whispers”, with a converse preference for louder vocalists. Eilish proves, however, that singing softly can be every bit as valuable as singing loudly, as she demonstrates not only exceptional phrasing and musicianship in these passages but also great technical control to articulate words and phrases with the sound rarely cutting out. Even when exceptionally soft, she can relax her body enough to allow her natural, wispy vibrato to shine through.

Discography[change | change source]

Albums[change | change source]

Extended plays[change | change source]

  • Don't Smile at Me (2017)

Awards[change | change source]

Grammy Awards[change | change source]

Eilish became the youngest artist to win all four of the major categories (the “Big Four” – Album, Record, and Song of the Year, and Best New Artist) at the Grammy Awards in 2020.[11] She has won five awards from six nominations.[12]

Year Award Ceremony Work Category Result
2020 62nd Annual Grammy Awards Herself Best New Artist Won
“Bad Guy” Song of the Year Won
Record of the Year Won
Best Pop Solo Performance Nominated
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Album of the Year Won
Best Pop Vocal Album Won

Personal life[change | change source]

Eilish has an older brother, Finneas, who works with her on her musical projects. She was part of the Los Angeles Children's Chorus and was home-schooled with her brother.[2] Her mother is actress Maggie Baird.

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ Savage, Mark (2017-07-15). "Is Billie Eilish pop's best new hope?". Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Who's Billie Eilish?". The FADER. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  3. ↑ "UPI Almanac for Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018". UPI. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  4. ↑ "Billie Eilish". SoundCloud. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  5. ↑ McIntyre, Hugh. "Billie Eilish Makes History As The Youngest Female Solo Artist To Score A No. 1 U.K. Album". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  6. ↑ Goodman, Jessica (February 6, 2020). "Oscars 2020: Billie Eilish to have "special performance" at the Academy Awards". KNXV-TV. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  7. ↑ Snapes, Laura (January 14, 2020). "James Bond: Billie Eilish to provide No Time to Die theme". The Guardian. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  8. ↑ Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish, retrieved 2021-08-08
  9. ↑ "Billie Eilish becomes youngest person to win 2 Oscars". ABC News. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  10. ↑ Bassil, Ryan; Staff, Noisey UK (2019-04-04). "Billie Eilish and the Rise of Moody Pop". Noisey. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  11. ↑ Grein, Paul (November 20, 2019). "Grammy Awards: All the Artists Who've Been Nominated in the Big 4 Categories in the Same Year". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  12. ↑ Kornhaber, Spencer (2020-01-27). "How Pop's Biggest Weirdo Swept the Grammys". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
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