Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
If I’m gunna be honest, I didn’t really want to write a blog post about Billie Eilish. Actually, it’s not that I didn’t want to do it, more that I don’t know how to. I’m speaking from a personal opinion here, but for me, I’ve never come across an artist like Billie Eilish before. That’s not just down to her singing, but how people interpret her, how she creates her music, her originality, authenticity and her impact/success worldwide.
I think it’s also worth mentioning this other chap who I’ve popped in the title. This is Billie’s brother who records and produces all of the music that Billie makes and always has done since she started creating music. Taking nothing away from Billie, her brother Finneas really makes up a good 50% of what you see of her. I wouldn’t go as far to say she would be nothing without him, because she clearly has talent that would’ve been scooped up. But I feel that the connection they have as siblings adds something special when it comes to them as creatives. They can be vulnerable with each other, they’re coming from the same place and heading in the same direction and there’s a deep mutual respect and understanding; a familiarity allowing them to be unapologetically themselves. And to be honest, for me, that summarises the attitude and songs that Billie and Finneas create; unapologetically them.
So, for those who are not quite up to date with Billie and Finneas, let me fill you in with some need to know facts.
· Billie Eilish is a 17-year-old American singer-songwriter
· Finneas O’Connell is a 21-year-old American singer-songwriter, as well as producer and actor. You may have seen him on Glee if you were into that
· They were home schooled together by their parents and there was a lot of focus on the arts
· They have been touring for a while now and their Mum joins them – really close knit family by the sounds of things
· Billie released her debut album ‘WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?’ on the 29th March 2019
There’s so much that I could talk about when it comes to Billie and Finneas. About Billie’s fashion, her style of writing, her relationship with her Finneas, Finneas’ music and creations, their lyrics, their ages, their childhood… the list literally goes on.
If I had to hone in on just one ‘thing’ – I think what captured my attention most, and I’ll focus on her debut album for this, is the range of stories, moods, feelings, thoughts, worries and situations there are in this ONE album. Not only this, but each song is *done* to perfection and the journey of the album works so well. The production, the lyrics, the silences, the instruments used – you just know this is an album that has been well looked after and nurtured for a long time before its release. When this album first came out, I listened to the tracks here and there, but then I set aside some time just to sit down and listen to the whole album, no stopping. When I came to end of goodbye, it felt like I had just finished a novel, or reading someone’s diary from their last 3 years? It covers such vulnerable areas and the songs have really emotional and honest lyrics.
I love it for all the songs that make me get up and dance like a werido as well as the songs that feel like they were written for me and I know I will always cry to them. Everything from the ‘duh’ in bad guy to the bass that kicks in 2:33 in bury a friend to just the whole concept of wish you were gay to the heart stopping feeling and pain I get when I hear Billie’s hums at the beginning of when the party’s over.
I love Billie’s honesty. I love the emotion she puts into her songs when she sings. I love hers and Finneas’ lyrics. I love Finneas’ desire to show the world how great his little sister is. I love their complex simplicity about creating music (yes it’s a stupid phrase but I know what I mean). I actually would go as far to say I feel privileged to be alive at a time when artists like this are making music.
If you haven’t listened to Billie already, I strongly recommend you do. There will be at least one song on the album you like - I’ll make you a bet.
Thanks for the read team - huge appreciation as always for those of you who are interested in what I have to say/feel you wanna support me. I’ll be back on Sunday for My Top Notes #3 so chat to you then! xx
Some of the stuff I’ve touched upon in this blog can be found in this interview here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyTiK6XjBi0
Something to make a point of: Zane Lowe seriously knows what he’s talking about. I personally also think, he’s not cocky, he has no hidden agenda, he cares and has a genuine interest in Billie and Finneas. I feel like they understand that too. They feel comfortable to talk honestly about topics that have been overlooked in other interviews. i.e. the future of Billie and Finneas making music/touring together with their Mum, their process of writing songs, their upbringing and influences. Although the interview is centred around Billie and Finneas’ music, in this interview I feel like I got to know them as individuals, with their own opinions and own struggles as opposed to just their music. Well worth a watch if you wanna find out more.
Something that I actually wrote down after watching the interview was something Finneas said. Along the lines of…
‘Nowadays, we are communicating more and more but we’re getting worse and worse at it. This is because we are supplying less empathy but supplying more bragging. No one has any etiquette on social media – we show off the one best thing of our day but hide the other stuff that wasn’t so great.’
I know I’m guilty of this. A nice little food for thought really x
