Eilishisms

However, Billie seems to stand out apart from the rest of her present-day contemporaries for a few reasons. First, she carries a natural depth within her songs — character — that is rare for massive pop artists. There is no gathering of the top writers in the industry, solely penning phrases to go viral. Her songs come from her. Second, Billie’s personality isn’t typical of a popstar either; it’s almost as if she hasn’t fully realized the mainstream success that she’s become. In her head, she’s still a normal girl living in her small suburban home in Highland Park even if it’s becoming cloudier every day — something all tiresome celebrities wish they could feel. Last, and most importantly, Billie has created a cultural force through her defining feature: the voice. It’s what originally got our attention, and catalyzed her moonshot into the charts. But what started as a young girl with a mystifying voice, became this monstrous songwriter, and complex artist that nobody could’ve predicted. Let’s take a deeper look.

“She can’t sing,” he said. Stunned, I smiled before he expanded: “Her voice isn’t trained. It’s breathy and hides her actual tone. Where are the Linda Ronstadts or Whitney Houstons nowadays?”

I think he makes a strong point, not that I agree; but it’s an essential distinction between the old and the new. Sure, Billie’s voice isn’t the “end all be all” of vocal mastery. In terms of power, it’s not even in the same neighborhood as Whitney’s, and it sure isn’t the typical “great” voice from a classically trained musician’s perspective. But that is exactly what has made Billie so special. People resonate with the character in her voice — the perfect zag to an over polluted industry of Melodyne and AutoTune. The answer is simple, and may daunt many: Billie is this generation’s version of Linda Ronstadt and Whitney Houston.

Billie’s voice feels like a slowly moving orb, filled with ocean waves, as it is carefully escorted across the room or into the microphone. She’s barely singing yet it feels as if she’s in complete control. Her breath is easily the most defining feature of her voice, and it is completely necessary to achieve her famous tone. It’s astonishing to witness how instantly Billie’s voice takes over a room.

Billie’s journey to stardom was quick, yet simultaneously not as smooth as we may think. We often forget the details when it comes to public figures, but it’s those details that have spawned Billie’s best songs. Billie’s voice may have gotten our attention, but it’s her songs that made her into a star.

Billie’s songs dive deep within themes of growing up, the woman’s identity, and depression. They are from the perspective of a population that rarely gets the spotlight–especially in the front pages of the media–and Billie masterfully speaks for her crowd. As her voice croons these crafted, dark and potent lyrics, it’s no surprise that she has raised an entire generation of girls who feel the same. She has a wave of true fandom that Sheeran and Lipa seem to be lacking. These girls love her, and it’s because, they too, sense the same feeling–something’s different with Billie.

Naturally, her sound has spawned a ton of copycats, and in this case, it’s getting out of hand. Almost every young female singer sings like Billie now: Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae, Nessa Barrett, Lauren Spencer-Smith, GAYLE, and so many others. These new female singers plaster the charts with Eilish-like inflections painting the microphone in constant splotches of breath and darkness. It’s getting to the point where I almost feel like girls are growing up singing differently now; we’ve reached monopoly territory within pop singing. Music always follows the ear, and Billie owns the landscape. We might need the government to implement some regulations soon…

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