I didn’t realize that Billie Eilish’s 2017 single “bellyache” was about murder until the third listen. All I could hear was an ethereal voice comparable to Halsey or Lorde.
Once I realized the meaning behind the music, however, I found myself even more intrigued. In between the breathy, danceable music, there’s a darkness that makes Eilish stand out as an artist who doesn’t appear to be afraid of her image.
Originally discovered by Interscope Records in 2017, the 17-year old pop singer has since taken over the music industry.
Her first studio album, “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” was released on March 29, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this past week. She is also the first artist born in the 2000s to have a number one album.
The album opens on a short recording of Eilish removing her Invisalign guard before announcing the album and erupting into uproarious laughter.
As a teenager with a dark-pop sound, this introduction helps to bring her down to earth before her listener brings her into the experience of the album.
Over the past several months, Eilish has released four singles to accompany this album: “you should see me in a crown,” “when the party’s over,” “bury a friend,” and most recently, “wish you were gay.”
Complete with a dreamy melody and deeply personal lyrics, each of these singles represent different aspects of the album. “you should see me in a crown,” is a soft power ballad.
There’s a sadness etched into the lyrics of “when the party’s over” that’s pretty hard to miss. In “bury a friend,” Eilish fights with the monster under her bed.
And a spin on the classic unrequited love song, “wish you were gay,” is vulnerable without trying to be. These songs are pillars of the album, connecting its fragmented parts and consolidating them into one dynamic record.
The first full-length song on the album, “bad guy,” is the song that launched a million Instagram captions.
Set against an energetic, club-like beat, Eilish boasts that she’s “that bad type / make your mama mad type / make your girlfriend sad tight / might seduce your dad type,” and establishes a tone for the album. While she may be the newest pop princess, there’s no bubblegum, no sugarcoating; there’s just a girl with a nice voice and some stuff to work out.
Because of that, her music is genuine without sacrificing relatability.
Along with the album release, Eilish has started her first world tour, most of which is already sold out. She will be playing both Coachella weekends, Saturday, April 13, 2019 and April 20, 2019 and will be at The Met Philadelphia on June 15, 2019.
Eilish has had immense success over the last few years, and her audience will only grow more as she develops her talent and releases more music.
“WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” is an exceptional debut release from someone who has already been a huge voice in pop music for the last three years.