The singers that inspire Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish’s distinctive vocals have earned her a spot as one of this generation’s greats. After her breakout when she was only 15, the singer skyrocketed to dizzying heights by her early 20s thanks to her angsty lyrics and whispering vocals. Her inspirations, however, are broad.
When she was only a teenager, Eilish’s bedroom-produced tracks quickly caught the world’s attention. Written and recorded with her brother Finneas, early tracks like ‘Ocean Eyes’ and ‘Bellyache’ quickly made the duo ones to watch.
By the time her debut album was released in 2019, Eilish was one of the biggest stars in the world. Vocalising the angst of gen Z through her dark, gothic sounds and emotive performances, her unique vocals will no doubt write her into the history books.
But her tastes are wide-ranging when it comes to the artists that inspire her singing. Talking on her Apple Radio series, Me & Dad Radio, Eilish shared her favourite musicians. From indie leaders to pure pop stars, it seems the singer’s musical patterns are eclectic.
Some of the artists selected by Eilish are unexpected. The 1975 stand out, as Eilish says, “I’ve seen them multiple times in concert. I love Matty Healy.” Similarly, she points out the rapper and producer Tyler The Creator, claiming he has inspired “part of everything about me”. The impact of both these artists is felt in Eilish’s wordy lyricism, often straying more into spoken word than classic pop delivery.
Another artist Eilish says impacted her is James Blake, deeming him a “god”. Blake empowers her to strip things back to basics, recalling one particular tour: “He did a tour where he just only played piano and nothing else, and sang. And it was amazing. It was really breathtaking,” she said. “If any other artists had done that, I would have been bored out of my mind, and because it was James Blake, it was so perfect.”
One of the most important influences on her vocal style came to her by complete accident. Accidentally stumbling across a song while watching a makeup tutorial, Eilish suddenly discovered Marina and the Diamonds. “I was like, ‘This is such a weird song. Her voice sounds so interesting,’” she said of the event.”
Eilish added: “And I looked it up and it was, of course, then I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is my favorite artist ever.’ And she was my favorite artist for years and years and years, and all her albums I just … I know every lyric to this entire album and to like her next three albums or whatever — all of her albums from then — I know all of them.”
Influencing Eilish’s own emotive performances, often dipping into different voices and using vocal effects to play with different characters, she credits Nicki Minaj and Lana Del Rey as major inspirations. Both regularly playing characters in their music, their shapeshifting inspired Eilish and her brother to play with fictional elements.
Billie Eilish’s favourite singers:
- Matty Healy
- Tyler The Creator
- James Blake
- Marina and the Diamonds
- Nicki Minaj
- Lana Del Rey
