Billie Eilish facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Billie Eilish
Eilish in 2022
Born	Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell (2001-12-18) December 18, 2001 (age 23) Los Angeles, California, US
Occupation	Singer-songwriter musician
Years active	2015–present
Works	Discography songs recorded
Parent(s)	Maggie Baird (mother)
Relatives	Finneas O'Connell (brother) Brian Baird (uncle)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Pop alternative pop electropop
Instruments	Vocals ukulele guitar piano
Labels	Darkroom Interscope
Signature

Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell (born December 18, 2001) is an American singer and songwriter. She became famous in 2015 with her first song, "Ocean Eyes." Her brother, Finneas O'Connell, wrote and produced this song. In 2017, she released her first collection of songs, called an EP, Don't Smile at Me. This EP became very popular in many countries.

Billie Eilish's first full album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019), reached number one in the US and UK. It was one of the best-selling albums that year. Her song "Bad Guy" was the first by an artist born in the 2000s to reach number one in the US. It also sold millions of copies. In 2020, Eilish sang the theme song "No Time to Die" for the James Bond movie No Time to Die. This song topped the UK charts and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2022. Other popular songs like "Everything I Wanted" and "Happier Than Ever" also reached the top ten.

Her second album, Happier Than Ever (2021), was number one in many countries. She wrote and performed "What Was I Made For?" for the movie Barbie (2023). This song became her second number-one hit in the UK and won her another Academy Award. Her third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft (2024), was highly praised. It included popular songs like "Lunch" and "Birds of a Feather."

Billie Eilish has won many awards. These include two Academy Awards, nine Grammy Awards, and many Guinness World Records. She is the second artist in Grammy history to win all four major awards in one year. These awards are for Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. She is also the first person born in the 2000s to win an Academy Award. She is the youngest person to win two Academy Awards. Time magazine has featured her on their important lists.

Early Life and Music Start

Eilish with her mother, Maggie Baird, in November 2018

Billie Eilish was born in Los Angeles, California, on December 18, 2001. Her parents, Maggie Baird and Patrick O'Connell, are both actors and musicians. They also help with Billie's music tours. Billie has Irish and Scottish family roots. Her middle name, Eilish, was almost her first name. Her parents named her Billie after her grandfather, William Baird, who passed away before she was born. She grew up in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles.

Billie and her older brother, Finneas, were taught at home by their mother. Their parents wanted them to have the freedom to follow their interests. Maggie Baird taught Billie and Finneas how to write songs. Billie said her brother and mother encouraged her to get into music. They were allowed to explore art, dancing, and acting.

Billie started playing the ukulele when she was six. She performed in talent shows. At age eight, she joined the Los Angeles Children's Chorus. She wrote her first "real" song at age 11 for her mother's songwriting class. This song was about a zombie apocalypse. It was inspired by the TV show The Walking Dead. Billie tried acting auditions but did not like them. She enjoyed recording background voices for movies like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the X-Men series. Billie also took dance classes. In 2016, an injury stopped her dance career. After that, she focused on making music.

Music Career

Early Success: Don't Smile at Me

In 2015, when Billie was 13, she started making songs with her brother Finneas. Finneas had already been writing and producing music for years. Their first songs together were "She's Broken" and "Fingers Crossed." Billie said, "We recorded them and put them out on SoundCloud, just for fun."

On November 18, 2015, Billie released "Ocean Eyes." Finneas wrote and produced this song. He had planned it for his own band. But he thought it would sound better with Billie's voice. Their dance teacher asked them to write a song for a dance. So, Finneas gave "Ocean Eyes" to Billie. They uploaded the song to SoundCloud. It quickly got hundreds of thousands of listens. Finneas's manager saw Billie's potential.

In 2016, Billie signed a deal with Platoon, a company that helps new artists. She also got a publicist and a stylist. These people helped shape her public image. A music video for "Ocean Eyes" came out in March 2016. Radio stations and music experts praised Billie and her song.

On June 23, 2016, Billie and Finneas released "Six Feet Under." Billie and her mother, Maggie Baird, made a homemade music video for it. Later in 2016, Billie signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records. These labels re-released "Six Feet Under" and "Ocean Eyes."

Eilish performing in August 2017

In 2017, Billie released remixes of "Ocean Eyes" and "Six Feet Under." She then released "Bellyache" on February 24, 2017. A video for "Bellyache" came out in March. She also released "Bored" for the TV show 13 Reasons Why. In July 2017, Billie released "Copycat." She also announced her first EP, Don't Smile at Me. She released more songs like "Idontwannabeyouanymore" and "My Boy." Don't Smile at Me was released on August 11, 2017. It slowly became a hit, reaching number 14 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Billie went on the Don't Smile at Me Tour to support her EP.

Spotify helped promote Billie by featuring her on popular playlists. This helped her music reach many listeners. In September 2017, Apple Music named Billie their "Up Next" artist. This led to a short film about her and a live music session. In December 2017, Billie released "&Burn," a song with rapper Vince Staples. This song was a remix of "Watch" and was added to an expanded version of Don't Smile at Me.

Breakthrough: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

In February 2018, Billie started her second concert tour, the Where's My Mind Tour. She also released "Lovely" with singer Khalid. This song was also on the 13 Reasons Why soundtrack. In July 2018, she released "You Should See Me in a Crown."

Eilish at Pukkelpop Festival in 2019

In October 2018, Billie signed a contract for fashion and beauty ads. She was also named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. In November 2018, she released "Come Out and Play. This song was for an Apple commercial. In early 2019, Don't Smile at Me reached 1 billion streams on Spotify. This made her the youngest artist to achieve this. In January, she released "Bury a Friend" from her first album. She also released "When I Was Older," inspired by the movie Roma.

Her first album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, was released on March 29, 2019. Spotify created a special campaign for the album. This included unique videos and stories for fans. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart in the US and the UK Albums Chart. This made Billie the first artist born in the 2000s to have a number-one album in the US. She also broke a record for having 14 songs on the Hot 100 chart at the same time. The song "Bad Guy" was released with the album. A remix with Justin Bieber came out in July 2019. In August, "Bad Guy" reached number one in the US.

Eilish in 2020 with her brother and collaborator Finneas O'Connell

Billie started her When We All Fall Asleep Tour in April 2019. The tour ended in November 2019. In August 2019, she worked with Apple Music for "Music Lab: Remix Billie Eilish." Fans could learn to remix her song "You Should See Me In A Crown." In September 2019, she announced her Where Do We Go? World Tour. This tour started in March 2020 but ended early because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In November 2019, she released her song "Everything I Wanted." She was nominated for six Grammy Awards. At 17, she was the youngest artist to be nominated in all four main Grammy categories. Billboard magazine named her Woman of the Year in 2019.

Eilish at the ALTer EGO concert in January 2020

In January 2020, Billie was chosen to sing the theme song for the James Bond film No Time to Die. She became the youngest artist to write and perform a Bond theme song. It was her first number-one song in the UK. At the 62nd Grammy Awards, she won all four main Grammy categories. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Billie and Finneas performed online concerts to raise money for fighting the disease. In July 2020, Billie released "My Future," a new song with an animated video. In 2020, she was the youngest person on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list. She also released a collection of ukuleles with Fender.

In October 2020, Billie held an online concert called Where Do We Go? The Livestream. Money from merchandise sales helped event crew members affected by the pandemic. She also won three Billboard Music Awards. She announced a new song, "Therefore I Am," which was released in November 2020.

Happier Than Ever and Guitar Songs

In January 2021, Billie released "Lo Vas a Olvidar" with Rosalía. This song was part of the Euphoria TV show soundtrack. A documentary film about Billie, Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, was released in February 2021. Critics and fans liked its look into her life. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, Billie won two awards. She won for her Bond theme song and for "Everything I Wanted."

In April 2021, Billie announced her second album, Happier Than Ever, would be released on July 30. The album was available in different formats, including colored vinyl. Five songs were released before the album: "My Future," "Therefore I Am," "Your Power," "Lost Cause," and "NDA." The album's title track, "Happier Than Ever," was also released. In December 2021, Billie released an eco-friendly vinyl version of Happier Than Ever. To promote the album, Billie worked with Disney+ on a concert film. She also started the Happier Than Ever, The World Tour in February 2022, which ended in April 2023.

Eilish during the Happier Than Ever, The World Tour (2022)

In December 2021, Billie started thinking about songs for her third album with Finneas. In July 2022, she said she hoped to start writing the album in 2023. In 2022, Billie won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "No Time to Die." This made her the first person born in the 2000s to win an Academy Award. That same year, she became the youngest main performer at the Glastonbury and Coachella music festivals. She and Finneas also wrote three songs for the Pixar movie Turning Red.

In June 2022, Billie performed a new song called "TV" during her tour. This song talks about important social issues. The next month, on July 21, she released a two-song EP called Guitar Songs. It included "TV" and "The 30th." Billie said she wanted to share these songs quickly because their messages were very important to her. She also wanted to release music more simply, like she did when she first started.

Billie worked with Apple Music to show a film of one of her Happier Than Ever concerts. This film was from her show at The O2 Arena in London. She wanted fans who missed the tour to experience her live performance. Three special concerts, called Happier Than Ever, The Hometown Encore, were held in December 2022.

In 2023, Billie acted in the TV series Swarm. She played Eva, a cult leader, and received good reviews for her acting. Billie wrote the song "What Was I Made For?" for the movie Barbie (2023). She was inspired after seeing early scenes of the movie. In 2024, the song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and two Grammy Awards. Billie became the youngest person ever to win two Academy Awards.

Recent Music: Hit Me Hard and Soft

On April 8, 2024, Billie announced her third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft. It was released on May 17, 2024. She also announced a tour to support the album, called Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour. This tour will have concerts in North America, Oceania, and Europe. In April, Billie was featured in the Fortnite game Fortnite Festival. She had an unlockable outfit in the game.

In August 2024, Billie was featured on a remix of Charli XCX's song "Guess." She also performed "Birds of a Feather" at the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. This was part of the handover to Los Angeles, which will host the Games in 2028.

Music Style and Songwriting

Billie Eilish has a high singing voice. Critics have called her vocals "dreamy" and "whispery." Her voice can be deep and slurring, but she can also make it thin and reedy. Her music is mostly pop, but it also includes dark pop, electropop, and indie pop. Some music experts say her music often talks about feelings of sadness.

Eilish performing for MTV in 2019

Billie and her brother, Finneas, write songs together. Finneas writes and produces her music. He also performs with her in live shows. Billie and Finneas like to create stories and characters in their songs. Some songs are based on their own experiences. They try to write lyrics that are interesting and sound like a conversation. Finneas tries to write songs that Billie will enjoy singing and connect with. When they write together, he helps her tell her stories.

Billie wanted to direct her own music videos since she was 14. In 2019, she directed her first video for her song "Xanny."

Musical Influences

Billie Eilish grew up listening to many artists. These include the Beatles, Justin Bieber, Green Day, and Lana Del Rey. She said that hearing Aurora's song "Runaway" inspired her to pursue music. Hip hop is her favorite music style and her biggest inspiration.

She has mentioned Matty Healy as an early inspiration. She also looks up to Tyler, the Creator, Childish Gambino, and Avril Lavigne for music and style. Other artists who influenced her include Adele, Amy Winehouse, Lorde, and Taylor Swift. She has also shown appreciation for Paramore. Billie has said that Rihanna inspired her fashion choices. She also credits Damon Albarn for changing how she sees art and music.

Achievements and Awards

Eilish performing in November 2019 at Corona Capital

Billie Eilish has won many awards. These include nine Grammy Awards, nine American Music Awards, and two Academy Awards. She also holds nineteen Guinness World Records.

She has been on important lists, like Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. Billboard ranked her among the top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century. She is the youngest person and the first female artist to win all four main Grammy categories in one year. In 2022, Billie won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "No Time to Die." This made her the first person born in the 2000s to win an Academy Award. With her second win in 2024 for "What Was I Made For?" from Barbie, she became the youngest person ever to win two Academy Awards.

Products and Endorsements

In April 2019, Billie Eilish released clothes with artist Takashi Murakami. These were inspired by her "You Should See Me in a Crown" music video. She also worked with Adobe Creative Cloud for ads and an art contest.

Billie appeared in Calvin Klein's #MyCalvins ad campaign in May 2019. She also joined a campaign for mental health awareness. In July 2019, she was part of MCM Worldwide's fashion campaign. She also worked with the clothing brand Freak City on a clothing line.

In August 2019, Billie partnered with Apple. This allowed customers to experiment with her song "You Should See Me in a Crown" in Apple Stores.

In November 2021, she launched "Eilish," her own perfume brand. It is vegan and cruelty-free. In October 2024, Billie worked with Converse for special sneakers. Fans could customize Chuck Taylor shoes with lyrics from her songs.

Advocacy and Causes

Billie Eilish often speaks out about important issues. She is very vocal about environmental causes, like climate change awareness. She signed a letter asking world leaders to act against poverty caused by climate change. She also encouraged young people to use technology for environmental action. Billie hosted a climate seminar in London called Overheated. This event discussed topics like sustainable fashion and youth activism.

Her 2019 song "All the Good Girls Go to Hell" and its video focus on climate change. They criticize ignoring rising sea levels. She also supports animal rights and veganism. She has criticized the dairy, mink fur, and wool industries. In 2023, Billie stated she does not travel by private jet.

Billie has spoken many times about women's rights. In 2020, she wrote and produced a short film called Not My Responsibility. This film was a response to people criticizing her body and the unfair expectations placed on women's looks. She supports body positivity for women. Her 2021 song "Your Power" criticizes the unfair treatment of young women. During the 2022 Glastonbury festival, she performed "Your Power" to speak out about important decisions affecting women's rights. She said, "Today is a really, really dark day for women in the U.S." She also mentioned this issue in her 2022 song "TV."

In March 2020, Billie encouraged fans to register to vote for the US presidential election. In August 2020, she performed at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. She announced her support for Joe Biden.

In 2023, Billie helped start and fund a project to reduce carbon emissions in music. As part of this, she used solar-powered stage lights.

At the 2024 Academy Awards, Billie wore a pin calling for peace in the Gaza war. In September 2024, she and Finneas supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election.

Personal Life

Billie Eilish lived with her parents in Los Angeles until 2019. She then moved out. She shared that she was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome when she was 11. She also has synesthesia and has experienced periods of sadness. Billie has also shared that she experienced abuse as a child. She was raised vegetarian and later became vegan.

Billie has dated rapper Brandon Adams and singer Jesse Rutherford. In 2024, she stated she prefers to keep her personal relationships private.

On a podcast in 2020, Billie said she was very religious as a child, even though her family was not. She said this feeling later went away. She now feels "neutral" about religion. She is open to different beliefs. She said, "I'm not going to say I know. I don't. Nobody knows."

Discography

• When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019)
• Happier Than Ever (2021)
• Hit Me Hard and Soft (2024)

Tours

Headlining Tours

• Don't Smile at Me Tour (2017)
• Where's My Mind Tour (2018)
• 1 by 1 Tour (2018–2019)
• When We All Fall Asleep Tour (2019)
• Where Do We Go? World Tour (2020)
• Happier Than Ever, The World Tour (2022–2023)
• Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (2024–2025)

Opening Act

• Florence and the Machine – High as Hope Tour (2018)

Film and Television

See also

In Spanish: Billie Eilish para niños

• List of artists who reached number one in the United States
• List of American Grammy Award winners and nominees
• List of most-followed Instagram accounts
• List of most-streamed artists on Spotify