Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter. She is currently signed to Interscope Records.
Career
She released her first EP, don't smile at me, in 2017. 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.
In February 2020, Eilish released her single "No Time to Die", the official James Bond theme for the movie of the same name. 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.
Eilish's musical style has been compared to New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde and American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey.
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
Eilish possesses 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
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019) Happier Than Ever (2021)
Awards
Grammy Awards
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. She has won five awards from six nominations.
Personal life
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. Her mother is actress Maggie Baird.