For most of us, the pandemic has been a blandemic. A blurry half year of eating too much, watching too much TV, and not having a healthy grasp of the current day or date.
That’s not been the case for Billie Eilish.
The health crisis has wiped the slate clean for touring artists, though the past half-year has been a creative purple patch for Eilish and her brother and collaborator Finneas.
“We have made the best of it. We’ve really done what we should have done,” Eilish told Jimmy Fallon during their guest appearance Monday on The Tonight Show.
The downtime has been a good time to make tunes. “We’ve made a lot of music,” admits the “Bad Guy” singer. “I don’t think we would have made it otherwise, if we hadn’t got this time. So as much as it’s been terrible to have this going on in the world, I think it has birthed some things. We have been really lucky with it.”
Just how many songs will see the light of day is anyone’s guess. Though Finneas suggests they’ve been prolific. “We’re writing a lot,” he says. “It’s really fun.”
The California siblings are coming off a stellar run. Earlier this year, Eilish made history at the 2020 Grammys when she became the first woman to sweep the Big Four awards in the same night — album, record and song of the year plus best new artist. She also won for best pop vocal album for her No. 1 debut LP When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Eilish took a stroll down memory lane and what was “one of the best nights ever for me. It was pretty peak.” The singer admits she was “overwhelmed” by the Grammys experience. “Just being nominated is so amazing and rare. We were already happy (just being there).”
On the night, Billie and her bro scooped up 11 gilded gramophones. The next day, Alicia Keys called to offer some wise words: “Don’t be embarrassed for being dope,” Billie recounts, glowing with pride.
Eilish also became the youngest-ever person to record a theme song for a James Bond movie. The song, “No Time to Die,” was set to feature in the film of the same name, which has been pushed back for a spring 2021 release.
“It was a crazy, surreal experience,” she recounts. “It was a complete fantasy” to cut a Bond theme, and working with Hans Zimmer (and an orchestra) was the stuff of dreams. “He’s a doll. He’s such a joy,” enthuses Eilish.
While Bond fans will have to wait for the next instalment in the franchise, the song’s music video is finally coming Nov. 20 release date.