Sophie (Chanko) Dare

After the Grammy's on Sunday, no one is in the dark anymore about who Billie Eilish is, an 18-year-old pop music phenom who has just made history. Billie became the youngest and first woman to sweep the Big Four of the Grammy's: best new artist, plus album, record, & song of the year.

How, you may ask, did a girl from California skyrocket to Grammy status at such an early age?

*Billie* and her brother, Finneas O'Connor, were homeschooled throughout their entire childhood, and given the time & resources by their equally creative parents to foster their musical creativity. Finneas has been Billie's co-writer and producer ever since she began putting out songs at age 14. Her debut 2015 single, Ocean Eyes, gained popularity on SoundCloud, and the rest is history.

Billie released an EP in 2017, don't smile at me, and then her full length album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? in March of 2019. The popularity of her LP shot her onto the Billboard charts, and onto Coachella and Lollapalooza stages in front of thousands of people.

Billie's brand of melancholy pop didn't only catch the ears of music listeners all over the globe- it also has noticeably affected new releases within her world of musical artists, which I think is an incredible thing to experience, as a listener myself. Getting to watch popular music become influenced by the newest big thing right before my eyes (or ears) is so fascinating. Here are the main examples I've heard:

To start things off, here's some examples of Billie's work that has gotten her music stuck in everyone's heads: understated, quiet verses accompanied by intense, driving, deep bass lines, and quick delivery of lyrics.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2Fxmhks0bxGSBdJ92vM42m?si=0rDwYe9AR-uF4ZmEGcPHyA

https://open.spotify.com/track/4SSnFejRGlZikf02HLewEF?si=MNeM277QSN-_Wa3gfT2nqA

Then, one of my favorite artists, 5SOS, released their single, Teeth, in August 2019... which opens with a lone, dark bass riff that holds up the quiet, understated verses. 5SOS is venturing farther into their industrial pop-rock sound, but the style of verses and the intense bass riff sound like they could be straight out of Billie's playbook.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1JRK7srBWUtAW7dPabKBwJ?si=Zev301xFQo-RX9_cayWe2w

Next, we have another favorite artist of mine, Charlie Puth, who released this single, Mother, a month later, in September of 2019. This track is even more in the vein of Billie's sound, with higher, breathy vocals throughout, and... you guessed it! a pronounced bass riff and snaps that solely accompany the verses.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6rVNnvyNeibts1uOqdSNIw?si=JLQk8ahXTOCWMxSqqLGw5A

Long story short, Billie Eilish is proof that in this day and age, anyone, no matter how young or wherever they are, can create music in their house on a laptop, post it online, and change the world with it.

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