ACL Artist Spotlight: Billie Eilish

Don’t Smile at Me… unless you’re going to talk about Billie Eilish. The seventeen-year-old pop sensation is taking the world by storm, and her next stop is Austin City Limits. 

Hailing from sunny California, Eilish began her career with what some would call blind luck. She put down vocals over a track her brother produced for a school project, and then uploaded the track to soundcloud so that her choir teacher could access it. What she didn’t expect was for it to gain the type of traction capable of launching someone’s music career. “Ocean Eyes” changed Billie’s life. Although her musical style has since evolved significantly, the brutally honest lyrics have remained a trademark.

There is a new trend on the rise for young female artists: to reject all trends. Like other women on this year’s ACL lineup, Billie Eilish won’t be placed in a single box too easily. Sure, she takes inspiration from big artists like Tyler the Creator, but you’re unlikely to hear it on the first listen. As a product of the streaming age and the first artist born in the 2000s to have a number one album, there’s no one’s footsteps to follow. Eilish is taking full advantage of that. From rejecting the use of sexuality as a marketing tool to openly embracing all her favorite artists, she is determined to be seen exactly as she is.

Billie Eilish’s rise to fame may be unprecedented, but she’s no one-hit-wonder. She has the talent, drive, and support to fuel her forward. Already, stars like David Ghrol, Katy Perry, and Demi Lovato have thrown their support behind her. Her most recent hit “bad guy” even drew attention from her childhood crush Justin Bieber, leading to a collaboration that trended on multiple social media platforms.

“bad guy (with Justin Bieber)” album art

Eilish has big shoes to fill this October as she takes the stage along some of this generation’s finest. Make sure to keep an eye out for tickets so that you’re there to see it happen.

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