EILISH, BILLIE - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT

Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell (born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter. She is known for her distinctive musical sound and vocal style and has become a prominent figure in 2020s popular culture. Her production style frequently incorporates harmony lines and layered vocals, extending the technique of double tracking. Eilish gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single, "Ocean Eyes", which was written and produced by her brother, Finneas O'Connell. In 2017, she released her debut EP, "Don't Smile at Me", which achieved commercial success in several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. Her debut studio album, "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" (2019), debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart and was among the year's best-selling albums. Its single "Bad Guy" became the first song by an artist born in the 21st century to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and receive Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Eilish's second studio album, "Happier Than Ever" (2021), became her second album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 and produced three US top-ten singles: "My Future", "Therefore I Am", and "Your Power". She won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for co-writing "No Time to Die" from the James Bond film "No Time to Die" (2021) and again for "What Was I Made For?" from the fantasy film "Barbie" (2023). Her third studio album, "Hit Me Hard and Soft" (2024), received critical acclaim and included the Billboard Global 200 number-one single "Birds of a Feather", which became the most-streamed solo song by a female artist on Spotify. Eilish's accolades include two Academy Awards, ten Grammy Awards, nine American Music Awards, 20 Guinness World Records, eight MTV Video Music Awards, four Brit Awards and two Golden Globes. She became the second artist and the only woman in Grammy history to win all four general field categories, Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist, at a single ceremony. She also became the youngest winner of Album of the Year and Record of the Year. Eilish was the first person born in the 21st century to win both a Grammy Award and an Academy Award and is the youngest person to win two Academy Awards. Her public activism has included campaigns and statements concerning climate change awareness, women's reproductive rights and gender equality. Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell was born in Los Angeles, California, on December 18, 2001. She is the daughter of actress and teacher Maggie Baird and actor Patrick O'Connell, both of whom are also musicians and have worked on Eilish's tours. She is of Irish and Scottish descent. Her middle name, Eilish, was chosen by her parents after they watched a documentary about Irish conjoined twins Katie and Eilish Holton. It was originally intended to be her first name, while Pirate was intended to be her middle name. Her grandfather, William Baird, died while her mother was pregnant, and her parents subsequently named her after him. Eilish has said that she disliked her first name while growing up and would have preferred a name such as Violet, although she later came to identify strongly with the name Billie. She grew up in Los Angeles's Highland Park neighbourhood. Naturally blonde, she began dyeing her hair at the age of nine, initially using a blue Manic Panic shade, and has generally preferred black hair. Eilish and her older brother, Finneas, were homeschooled by their mother. Their parents chose homeschooling in part to spend more time with their children and allow them greater freedom to pursue their interests. Baird taught both siblings the fundamentals of songwriting. Eilish has cited her brother and mother as influences on her interest in music. Their parents encouraged them to explore a range of interests, including art, dancing and acting. Eilish began playing the ukulele at the age of six. She performed at talent shows and joined the Los Angeles Children's Chorus at the age of eight. At 11, she wrote her first song for her mother's songwriting class. The song concerned a zombie apocalypse and was inspired by the television series "The Walking Dead", from which Eilish used lines from scripts and episode titles. She participated in some acting auditions but disliked the process. She did, however, record background dialogue for crowd scenes and worked on the films "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", "Ramona and Beezus" and the "X-Men" series. She also took dance classes until 2016, when a growth plate injury ended her participation in dance and led her to focus on recording music. In 2015, at the age of 13, Eilish began working on songs with her brother Finneas, who had already been writing and producing music for several years and had his own band. Among the first songs they recorded together were "She's Broken", written by Finneas, and "Fingers Crossed", written by Eilish. The siblings uploaded the recordings to SoundCloud. On November 18, 2015, Eilish released "Ocean Eyes". The song was written, mixed and produced by Finneas, who had originally written it for his band the Slightlys before deciding that it suited Eilish's vocals. He gave the song to Eilish after her dance teacher, Fred Diaz, asked the siblings to write a song for choreography. They uploaded it to SoundCloud so that Diaz could access it. The recording attracted several hundred thousand plays within two weeks, leading Finneas's manager, Danny Rukasin, to discuss Eilish's potential as an artist. In January 2016, Finneas and Rukasin arranged a deal through which Apple Music signed Eilish to A&R company Platoon, which specialised in developing emerging artists before major-label contracts. Eilish subsequently hired a publicist who connected her with the fashion brand Chanel and a stylist, contributing to the development of her public image. On March 24, 2016, a music video for "Ocean Eyes", directed by Megan Thompson, premiered on Eilish's official YouTube channel. The song and Eilish received promotion from various media outlets, radio stations and music industry figures. On June 23, 2016, Eilish and Finneas released "Six Feet Under" on SoundCloud as her second single. A homemade music video, directed by Eilish and edited by Maggie Baird, was released on June 30. In August 2016, Justin Lubliner signed Eilish to Darkroom and Interscope Records. He developed her initial release strategy with an emphasis on establishing a distinct persona and aesthetic rather than relying on a single major hit. Darkroom and Interscope Records re-released "Six Feet Under" and "Ocean Eyes" as digital and streaming singles in November 2016. A dance performance video for "Ocean Eyes" was released on November 22. In January 2017, Eilish released an EP containing four remixes of "Ocean Eyes" by Astronomyy, Blackbear, Goldhouse and Cautious Clay, followed by an EP of remixes of "Six Feet Under" by Blu J, Gazzo, Jerry Folk and Aire Atlantica. She subsequently released "Bellyache", followed by a music video directed by Miles and AJ. "Bored" was released as part of the soundtrack to the Netflix series "13 Reasons Why". Eilish also performed at the South by Southwest music festival in March 2017. She released "Watch" in June, followed by "Copycat" in July, and announced her debut EP, "Don't Smile at Me". She subsequently released "Idontwannabeyouanymore" and "My Boy". "Don't Smile at Me" was released on August 11, 2017, and reached number 14 on the US Billboard 200. Eilish supported the EP with the "Don't Smile at Me Tour" in October 2017. She released "Bitches Broken Hearts" through SoundCloud in November. Eilish's music was promoted by Spotify, including through its "Today's Top Hits" playlist. Critics described her early sound as melancholic pop influenced by artists including Lana Del Rey and incorporating elements of hip-hop production. In September 2017, Apple Music named Eilish its Up Next artist. The promotion included a short documentary, a live session EP and an interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1. The live EP, "Up Next Session: Billie Eilish", was released that month. In December, Eilish released "&Burn", a collaboration with American rapper Vince Staples and a remix of "Watch", which appeared on the expanded edition of "Don't Smile at Me". In February 2018, Eilish embarked on the "Where's My Mind Tour", which concluded in April. "Bitches Broken Hearts" was re-released worldwide in March. For Record Store Day 2018, Eilish released "Party Favor" on pink 7-inch vinyl, accompanied by a cover of Drake's "Hotline Bling" as the B-side. She collaborated with American singer Khalid on "Lovely", released in April and included on the soundtrack of the second season of "13 Reasons Why". She released "You Should See Me in a Crown" in July and performed at the Mo Pop Festival that month. Eilish released "When the Party's Over" in October 2018 and subsequently embarked on the "1 by 1 Tour", which concluded in March 2019. In October 2018, she signed a talent contract with Next Management for fashion and beauty endorsements. She was included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in November and released "Come Out and Play", which had been written for a holiday-themed Apple advertisement. In January 2019, "Don't Smile at Me" surpassed one billion streams on Spotify. That month, Eilish released "Bury a Friend", the third single from her debut studio album, "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?", as well as "When I Was Older", a song inspired by the 2018 film "Roma" that appeared on the compilation album "Music Inspired by the Film Roma". In February, she participated in the YouTube documentary miniseries "A Snippet Into Billie's Mind". "Wish You Were Gay", the fourth single from the album, was released in March. "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" was released on March 29, 2019. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart, making Eilish the first artist born in the 2000s to have a number-one album in the United States and the youngest female artist to have a number-one album in the United Kingdom. Following its release, Eilish set a record for the most simultaneously charting songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 by a female artist, with 14. "Bad Guy" was released as the album's fifth single and subsequently became her first US number-one single. A remix featuring Justin Bieber was released in July 2019. In August, "Bad Guy" reached number one in the United States, ending Lil Nas X's 19-week run at the top of the chart with "Old Town Road". Eilish became the first artist born in the 2000s and the youngest artist since Lorde to have a US number-one single. Eilish began the "When We All Fall Asleep Tour" at the Coachella Festival in April 2019, concluding the tour in Mexico City in November. In August, she participated in Apple's "Music Lab: Remix Billie Eilish", in which fans could deconstruct "You Should See Me in a Crown" and create remixes using Apple devices and GarageBand. In September, she announced the "Where Do We Go? World Tour". The tour began in Miami in March 2020 but was cancelled after three shows because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2019, Third Man Records announced plans to release an acoustic live album documenting Eilish's performance at the label's Blue Room. That month, she released "Everything I Wanted". She received six Grammy Award nominations for the 2020 ceremony, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Bad Guy", Album of the Year and Best New Artist. At 17, she became the youngest artist to receive nominations in all four general field categories. Billboard named her its Woman of the Year for 2019. In January 2020, Eilish was announced as the performer of the title song for the James Bond film "No Time to Die", which she wrote and produced with Finneas. She became the youngest artist to write and perform a James Bond theme. The song became the second Bond theme to top the UK singles chart and the first performed by a female artist to do so. At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, Eilish won the four main Grammy categories: Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year, becoming the youngest person to achieve the feat at a single ceremony. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Eilish and Finneas performed for the "Living Room Concert for America" and "Together at Home" concert series, with proceeds and publicity supporting efforts related to the pandemic. "Ilomilo" was released to Italian contemporary hit radio in April 2020 as the final single from "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?". In July, Eilish released "My Future", accompanied by an animated video. She became the youngest person to appear on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list, with reported earnings of $53 million. In September, she released a collection of branded ukuleles in collaboration with Fender. In October 2020, Eilish staged the virtual concert "Where Do We Go? The Livestream" in Los Angeles. The performance used extended reality technology and featured Finneas and drummer Andrew Marshall. Ticket proceeds supported touring crew members affected by cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic. That month, Eilish said she was working on new material. She won three Billboard Music Awards in October, including Top Female Artist and Top Billboard 200 Album for "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?". She released "Therefore I Am" in November and performed "Therefore I Am" and "My Future" at the Jingle Ball in December. In January 2021, Eilish released "Lo Vas a Olvidar", a collaboration with Rosalía for the HBO series "Euphoria". On February 26, the documentary film "Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry", directed by R. J. Cutler, was released on Apple TV+ and in selected cinemas. The film documents Eilish's personal life and career during her rise to prominence. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, she won Best Song Written for Visual Media for "No Time to Die" and Record of the Year for "Everything I Wanted". In 2021, she also published "By Billie Eilish", a book of photographs selected by her. In April 2021, Eilish announced her second studio album, "Happier Than Ever", which was released on July 30. It was preceded by the singles "My Future", "Therefore I Am", "Your Power", "Lost Cause" and "NDA" and was accompanied by the title track. The album was issued in multiple formats, including collectible vinyl and cassette editions. In December, Eilish announced a limited-edition vinyl edition made from recycled vinyl scraps, available through selected Gucci stores and accompanied by Gucci-branded nail stickers designed by Alessandro Michele. To promote "Happier Than Ever", Eilish worked with Disney+ on the concert film "Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles", released in September 2021. She began the "Happier Than Ever, The World Tour" in February 2022, concluding it in April 2023. In December 2022, she performed three concerts titled "Happier Than Ever, The Hometown Encore" at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. In June 2021, Eilish faced criticism after videos circulated in which she appeared to mouth an anti-Asian slur while lip-syncing to Tyler, the Creator's song "Fish". Matthew Tyler Vorce, who was reported to be her boyfriend at the time, also received criticism over alleged social media posts containing offensive language and slurs. Eilish faced further criticism over accusations of queerbaiting following the use of the caption "I love girls" in promotion for the music video for "Lost Cause". Eilish apologised for her use of the slur, stating that she had been 13 or 14 at the time and had not understood its derogatory meaning. She also addressed a separate video that had been interpreted as mocking an Asian accent, explaining that she had been using an invented voice. In a later interview, she discussed changes in her views since adolescence and the permanence of material posted online. Eilish began developing material for her third studio album with Finneas in December 2021. In 2022, she won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "No Time to Die", becoming the first person born in the 21st century to win an Academy Award. She also became the youngest headliner of the Glastonbury and Coachella festivals. For the Pixar film "Turning Red", she and Finneas wrote three songs, "Nobody Like U", "U Know What's Up" and "1 True Love", performed by the fictional boy band 4*Town. In June 2022, Eilish performed the then-unreleased song "TV" during a concert in Manchester. The song references the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the US Supreme Court decision that had established a constitutional right to abortion in the United States. In July, she released the two-track EP "Guitar Songs", consisting of "TV" and "The 30th". Eilish said she wanted to release the songs without waiting for her third studio album because she considered their subject matter particularly current. She also expressed a preference for releasing music with less traditional promotion, similar to the approach she had taken earlier in her career. Eilish worked with Apple Music to release a film documenting one of her "Happier Than Ever" concerts at the O2 Arena in London. She described the film as an opportunity for people who had been unable to obtain tickets to experience the tour. The "Happier Than Ever, The Hometown Encore" concerts were held at the Kia Forum in December 2022. In 2023, Eilish made her acting debut in the Amazon Prime Video satirical thriller series "Swarm". She played Eva, the leader of a cult inspired by NXIVM. Her performance received positive reviews. Eilish and Finneas wrote "What Was I Made For?" for the soundtrack of the 2023 film "Barbie". Eilish said that unfinished scenes from the film inspired the song. In 2024, the song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and two Grammy Awards, for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media. It became the tenth song to win both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Eilish became the youngest person to win two Academy Awards. On April 8, 2024, Eilish announced her third studio album, "Hit Me Hard and Soft", which was released on May 17. In April, she was announced as the featured artist for the video game "Fortnite Festival", with an unlockable outfit based on her appearance. While in London to promote the album, she appeared on the web series "Chicken Shop Date" with Amelia Dimoldenberg and as a guest host for the children's television channel CBeebies' bedtime story programme. In August, Eilish appeared on a remix of Charli XCX's "Guess", from the deluxe edition of the album "Brat". The accompanying video included scenes of Eilish and Charli XCX surrounded by piles of women's underwear, which was subsequently donated to the charity I Support the Girls. On August 11, Eilish performed "Birds of a Feather" during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Long Beach, California, as part of the handover to Los Angeles, the host city of the 2028 Summer Olympics. She subsequently embarked on the "Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour", which comprised 106 concerts across North America, Oceania, Europe and Asia between September 2024 and November 2025. In March 2026, it was reported that Eilish was in advanced negotiations to make her feature film acting debut as Esther Greenwood in a Sarah Polley-directed adaptation of Sylvia Plath's novel "The Bell Jar". Eilish's concert film "Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)", which she co-directed and produced with James Cameron, was theatrically released on May 8, 2026. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Eilish Studio albums When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019) Happier Than Ever (2021) Hit Me Hard and Soft (2024) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.