The Aurora song that made Billie Eilish want to make music
When Billie Eilish first broke onto the music scene and began capturing people’s attention, she was only a teenager. On her first singles, like ‘Ocean Eyes’ and ‘Bellyache,’ she was nothing but a young girl with a dream and a sonic vision that seemed so fresh and unique that it made her an overnight sensation. Since then, it’s been all systems go on her race to the top, but Eilish herself traces that path back to one song.
The singer has never been shy about the artists that have influenced her. Her process of working allowed for a near-constant sharing of inspirations as it’s just her and her brother Finneas creating these tracks in their home. It’s a system that never seems to end as the two siblings are constantly writing and recording, playing around with new sounds and techniques and sharing the music that they’re into.
She’s spoken about the impact of Lana Del Rey, telling the singer herself, “You really paved the way for everyone. People have been trying to look and sound like you since you first started.” She also references Green Day, James Blake, The 1975 and Marina and the Diamonds are influences. But right back at the start, there was one artist that moved her to first make music.
“For the question of ‘what’s the song that got you into wanting to make music, it’s a very clear answer, which is a song called ‘Runaway’ by Aurora,” she told the BBC. She remembers the moment she first heard the track clearly as she recalled, “I used to just watch music videos all day no matter what.” She said, “I’d just look up music videos and find random ones I didn’t know anything about. I saw the thumbnail for one called ‘Runaway’ by Aurora, but I didn’t know anything about it. I just clicked on it, and i remember I was 12 sitting there like, ‘wow, this is so cool’.”
In particular, there was one unique sound in the track that gave Eilish a vivid hit of motivation. “There was this little sound in the second verse that was like a… I don’t even know how to describe it,” she said, “I just remember that moment being like, ‘I have to do this. I need to do that. That’s the coolest thing ever.’
It’s easy to hear Aurora influence, especially on Eilish’s early work. The Norwegian artist’s work is a coming together of atmospheric folk sounds with fresh electronic detailing, mixed together to form something totally unique. But each track is richly cinematic with a clear emotional energy. The same can be said for Eilish’s early work, which, even when it felt more intimate or small-scale in its production, it was clearly striving to create a clear vibe that would draw listeners in. She was clearly successful in the endeavour because, from that initial push to create provided by this track, she’s now one of the biggest artists in the world.
