Some people grow up with music. It sits at the very core of their being and is something they have been doing since they were young, much like riding a bike.
Billie Eilish, full name Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell, is one of those people. The first time she got involved with music was in the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus when she was only 8 years old.
In addition to singing, Eilish is a fairly skilled contemporary dancer, from what I've seen in her dance performance video of “Ocean Eyes.”
“Ocean Eyes,” which is Eilish’s most popular song on Spotify, sits at just under 40 million plays, and was the breakthrough that gave the 16-year-old artist the attention she deserved. Additionally, her song “Bored” was featured on the Netflix original TV show, “13 Reasons Why,” bringing in a fan base as well.
Eilish grew up in a house filled with musicians and actors. Her older brother, Finneas O’Connell from The Slightlys, helps produce and co-write most of her music, according to allmusic.
Her debut album, “dont smile at me,” was released in August 2017, when Eilish was only 15.
Not only does the album consist of nine songs that are beautifully done production-wise, but the lyrics are something to listen closely to as well.
“Why so sad, bunny, you can’t have mine?” Eilish sings in "COPYCAT."
She told Genius that she decided to use the word "bunny" as a substitute for a more vulgar word, because she felt using that was more original than swearing, and she knew her audience was young. “Bunny” was chosen to symbolize something small and cute, meaningless in the comparison to the polar bear she sees herself as.
Her lyrics tend to be layered with different meanings, but sometimes, they’re just as straightforward as they sound.
“My friends aren’t far/In the back of my car/Lay their bodies,” she sings on “bellyache,” a song she says is from the point of view of a serial killer, according to Billboard.
Eilish’s voice is hauntingly beautiful, especially for a 16-year-old. Her songs are filled with layered, silky vocals and beats that have you gearing up to sing along, even if you have to look up the words on Google. The sounds in Eilish’s songs are lovely and full, and it reminds me of the way Sample Gates looks when they plant all the flowers after the winter has rolled out.
It’s a combination of Melanie Martinez and Lorde. The sound is extremely Melanie Martinez-esque in “my boy,” and her lyrics are deep with meaning much like Lorde’s are. Eilish is like a love child of the two artists, except she puts a spin on things and makes the sound all her own, especially with songs like “watch” and “hostage.”
Eilish cannot only be compared to legends like Lorde, but she can also say that she worked with some, too. “&burn” is the final song on the album, featuring Vince Staples. It’s a remake of the song “watch,” though the tone and speed are very different. Staples comes in about halfway through, and as always, he kills it. Though Eilish’s lyrics are the same from “watch,” the delivery is different, and with Staples featured, it sounds like an entirely different song.
Eilish is an incredible artist at age 16, and I can’t wait to see what she does in the years to come. You can listen to her album “dont smile at me” on Spotify.
