FEATURE:
Listen Before I Go
Making Sure Billie Eilish Is Allowed to Breathe in 2020
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THE title of this feature…
might confuse some people but, over the past few weeks, few artists have been as busy as Billie Eilish. Maybe this feeds into a wider narrative regarding young Pop artists, but there is going to be a lot of attention trained the way of Eilish. She has been commissioned to write the next James Bond theme, No Time to Die, and has cleaned up at the Grammys. This BBC article explains more:
“Pop star Billie Eilish swept the board at the 2020 Grammys, winning five awards, including best new artist and song of the year.
The 18-year-old also won album of the year for her debut, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go, which was recorded in her childhood home in LA.
She replaces Taylor Swift as the youngest person ever to win the award.
"I joke around a lot at these things, but I genuinely want to say I'm so grateful," said the singer.
Eilish triumphed in all of the Grammys "big four" marquee categories - song of the year, record of the year, album of the year and best new artist.
She is the first person to achieve the feat since Christopher Cross in 1981.
Eilish appeared to be overwhelmed by the extent of her domination of the awards. Accepting the album of the year prize, she turned to fellow nominee Ariana Grande and said: "Can I just say that I think Ariana deserves this?" (Grande waved off the comments, ceding the prize back to the winner).
Earlier, on the red carpet, the singer said she felt like an impostor.
"I feel like I'm not supposed to be here," she joked. "I feel like they accidentally let in a fan."
But the teenager has re-written the rules of pop over the last 12 months, creating ominous, unsettling songs that disrupt typical song structures and lure listeners down dark sonic avenues”.
It has been a really successful time for Eilish and her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, got a lot of love from critics. She is still eighteen, and so much acclaim and focus has arrived at her feet. This will only expand and increase as we head through this year. I can imagine Eilish is favourite to headline a few festivals. She will not be headlining Glastonbury – but one suspects she will be booked -, but there are so many other festivals to announce their line-ups. In terms of gigs, she is heading over here to the U.K. later in the summer and there will be that demands from venues around the world. Not only will people want to see Eilish play, but there will be expectations from her record label. Eilish’s debut was released through Darkroom and Interscope, so I hope there is not going to be that pressure for her to release an album so soon. I know Eilish is an independent and strong artist, but there is only so much one can do when it comes to saying ‘no’.
I worry about big artists like her and Taylor Swift and what impact success has. Eilish was overwhelmed to receive those Grammys, and that memory will stay with her for a lifetime. It is wonderful seeing a young artist given such kudos so early on, and I hope this triumph means Eilish will be given the freedom to move and create in her own way. There is that concern that she will be subject to a lot of recording and touring demand all at once and, inevitably, this will create a problem. Artists have come out before and discussed their mental-health problems and stresses. Billie Eilish has a cool head on her shoulders but, even so, a lot of people will be bidding for her time. Who knows what she can achieve in 2020 and how far her music will spread. She is a brilliant talent for sure, and I hope she gets the chance to relax; to find some time to write on her own terms and manage to detach away from the bustle and demand of the industry. One album in, and this is just the future for the American artist. It is obvious – if it wasn’t before – that Billie Eilish has a…
LONG future ahead.