So, Who is The Next Billie Eilish? We Have The Answer
Finneas O’ Connell just sat down for an interview to talk about all things music. From breaking the boundaries of Pop music, to pointing out their(him and Billie‘s) biggest musical influences – Finneas covered just about every topic.
Oh and the meat of this interview also revolved around the one question Finneas gets asked all the time: “Which artist do you think will be the next Billie Eilish?”
The Grammy award-winning producer started off by highlighting the fact that both Lorde and Lana Del Rey have been huge musical influences for them. Which is not surprising considering that both Lana and Lorde have almost molded an entirely new genre, something that’s a lot more dark, sombre and melancholic. Even their stylistic choices are a huge step away from the norm – much like Billie’s. In fact, the siblings spend a lot of time simply discussing their next track before settling on it.
Finneas then went on to tackle the question of the hour, who could be the next Billie?
“Well, the only version of that question that I can get behind is who is the next person that will do exactly what they want and be deemed pop music? That verbiage I would understand, but to me it does a disservice to two things. It does a huge disservice to Billie, in that you could be a next Billie,” he explained.
While the siblings have managed to expand the boundaries of pop music by creating something entirely different, Finneas clarified that the process of creating new music is not cyclical. One artist does not take off from where the other left off.
“It’s not like you pass the torch and then you just retire. I also was like, ‘Isn’t she a little new- .. for there to be a next of any?’ Do you know what I mean? Imagine if somebody was like, ‘Who’s the next Timothée Chalamet?’ It’s like, he’s currently Timothée Chalamet,” Finneas stated.
He makes a valid point there. Billie has achieved a lot in such a short span of time, and at such a young age and while we can admire her for bringing something new to the table, it does not necessarily make her the poster child for this new-world pop genre.
“I feel that was the thing that we strive for in the beginning was to not conform to any preconceived notions of what we should be doing,” Finneas added. And this is possibly the biggest takeaway from the interview: while one can draw inspiration from other artists, ultimately it’s all about following your instincts and creating whatever you want to, without the constant fear of being judged for your choices.
