The meteoric rise of Billie Eilish

At just 22 years old, Billie Eilish has accomplished something that very few artists can boast of having done. She is part of the prestigious Spotify billionaires club with 12 of her songs having crossed the billion-play mark. Among them: Bad Guy, When The Party’s Over And Everything I Wanted.

She has won nine career Grammy Awards as well as two Academy Awards for No Time To Die, the theme song from the James Bond film of the same name, and for What Was I Made For?, the excerpt from the original soundtrack of the film BarbieShe is currently the only female artist with over 100 million monthly streams on Spotify.

It all started in 2018 with Ocean Eyeswhich found itself on the Billboard Hot 100 charts upon its release. Billie Eilish’s uninhibited demeanor, boyish style and unique voice made her stand out.

She achieved what everyone tries to do but very few manage to accomplish: she managed to be different.explains Louis Bellavance, vice-president of content and artistic direction at BleuFeu.

His musical approach, his personality, his “package” […] : There was something new about it.

Billie Eilish is first and foremost a duo. Her big brother Finneas O’Connell has been by her side since the very beginning. The first album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was conceived in the basement of their parents’ home in Los Angeles, as seen in the documentary The World’s A Little BlurryThese parents from a cultural background always encouraged Billie and her brother to pursue their dream. Our family was just a great song! she says in this documentary.

Authenticity

Since she was 17, she has produced three albums, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, Happier Than Ever And Hit Me Hard And Soft, released last May. According to a representative from Universal Music Canada, it has received 77 billion online streams, which corresponds to 99 million albums sold worldwide. For Canada, it’s 2.5 billion streams, which corresponds to 2.8 million albums.

I think there’s something about the authenticity of this girl that makes people get on board.continues Louis Bellavance, who saw her in concert at the very beginning when she was the opening act for Florence and the Machine, in Nashville, in 2019.

Open in full screen mode

There were probably 2,000 or 3,000 people who bought tickets just to see Billie Eilish and these people were screaming every single lyric to every single song.

For Anne-Sophie Gravel, cultural columnist and postdoctoral researcher at theUQAMthe singer’s vulnerable side, which she dares to show in her songs, can play a role in her popularity. Eilish, who revealed some time ago that she suffers from Gilles de La Tourette syndrome, deals with mental health in her songs.

She doesn’t hesitate to talk about depression in her songs, in her interviews. She doesn’t claim to be perfect at all. On the contrary, she accepts her imperfection, she makes it a strength. I think that’s what will reach a lot of young people who may seem challenged by this.

Open in full screen mode

Being herself and not playing the hypersexualization card has paid off for her, believes Louis Bellavance. In her case, the greatest value is self-acceptance. She refuses to play the sexy card. She has always campaigned for that. She says she has issues with her body, but she sends the message to millions of people that they have to accept themselves.

Progressive values

Billie Eilish also embodies progressive values. Anti-waste, eco-responsibility and the fight against homophobia are values ​​that she promotes.

She is very keen on not wasting and [elle se préoccupe] of the climate crisis. She is sensitive to mental health, she will put forward a lot that it is important to be kind to oneself, that it is important to be kind to the mental health of others.

Open in full screen mode

Eilish also promotes feminist values, advocating freedom of self-expression, autonomy and independence, believes Ms. Gingras. She decried the male gaze when publishing the magazine Vogue, of which She made the cover wearing a satin negligee in 2021. She has all the right values, she ticks all the right boxes to inspire a whole generation on the right topics.mentions Louis Bellavance.

Same audience as Taylor Swift?

In Spotify data, Billie Eilish surpassed Taylor Swift in monthly streams in September, a feat considering Swift’s global popularity. Can we think they attract the same audience? Louis Bellavance doesn’t think so.

They don’t have the same personality. Swift has something more candy, more awkward, I find. Billie Eilish, it’s as if she tries to stay in the shadows, never flamboyant. She’s the opposite of the girl who doesn’t want to disturb but who is the most listened to artist in the world.

Some of the songs from his latest album, Hit Me Hard And Soft, have become anthems queers during the summer. With these songs, she will perhaps reach a section of this audience, more than Taylor Swift.maintains Ms. Gingras.

His audience is probably a little more queer than Taylor Swift’s […]. Since his “coming out”, Last year, she took on a lot of that in her songs.

Political positioning

The young singer is also not shy about taking a political stance. With her brother Finneas, she supported Joe Biden during the 2020 campaign. Together, they renewed their support for the Democratic Party in a video posted on social media where they said they supported Kamala Harris. The Harris camp uses When The Party’s Over in an ad denouncing the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.

Open in full screen mode

This involves risks for an artist, thinks Anne-Marie Gingras. In her autobiographical documentary Miss Americanajust before her first politically engaged speech, Taylor Swift speaks of her fear that the same thing will happen to her as happened to the Dixie Chicks, whose career suffered from backlash following a stance critical of former President Bush.

That said, in recent years, it seems that the fact that singers like Billie Eilish or Taylor Swift reveal their political opinions pleases the communities of fans and helps cement these openly feminist icons’ progressive ethos.

Great artists have always done it, Springsteen, Dylan, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, etc.

Yes, it’s tricky. When Trump tweets “I hate Taylor Swift,” he should think about it too. He too has tens of millions of supporters who are big Taylor Swift fans and who could possibly prove that there are limits to being rude.he continues.

These are very courageous positions. When done well, I think it can have an impact.notes the v.-p. from BleuFeu.

Billie Eilish will launch her world tour in Quebec City on Sunday, September 29 at a sold-out Videotron Centre.