Billie Eilish: A History of Influence

Billie Eilish is an american pop musician known for hit singles like "Bad Guy" and "when the party is over." Releasing her first single "Ocean Eyes" at the whopping age of 14 years old and then releasing her first album at the age of 17, Billie now holds 5 Grammy Awards including "Best New Artist" and "Best Album." Billie was born on December 18th, 2001 to parents Maggie Baird and Patrick O'Connell. Billie grew up in the Highand Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. She grew up learning music from her brother Finneas O'Connell who may also be recognized for his role as Alistair on the hit FOX Television show "Glee.". Known for her rebelious attidtude and eccentric wardrobe, Eilish became the youngest artist to top 1 Billion streams on Spotify.

During Eilish's run of Grammy nominations and Awards, "Bad Guy" was awarded "Record of The Year" at the 2020 Grammy Awards Ceremony

A History of Influence: The Timeline

#1: Finneas O'Connel

At the whopping age of 22 years old, Finneas O'Connel has already found major success in the music industry. After producing and writing his sister Billie Eilish's album "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" This album found major succes at the Grammys and even landed O'Connel with Producer of the Year. In his earlier career, Finneas was seen on the hit Fox television seriesj "Glee." The producer was also part of a rock band called The Slightlys which were seen at the 2015 Warped Tour. O'Connel has been noted working with several other artists including the well known pop icon Selena Gomez, producing her "Lose You to Love Me" single.

"Lose You to Love Me" -Selena Gomez

# 2:Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez is the epitome of "Disney star gone Pop Diva." Most known for her role in the Disney T.V. series "Wizards of Waverly Place," Selena has found significant success in the entertainment and music industries. Gomez began her solo-artist career in 2013 with her album "Stars Dance" which later charted on the Billboard 200. This album contained songs that went on to see even more success on the charts. Gomez has been cited stating that international pop icons such as Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, and Britney Spears. A more definitive example of direct influence from recent years is her 2017 single "Bad Liar," in which she sampled the bass line from the Talking Heads' track "Psycho Killer". SEE HERE: https://www.whosampled.com/sample/500714/Selena-Gomez-Bad-Liar-Talking-Heads-Psycho-Killer/

# 3: The Talking Heads

The Talking Heads are an American rock group that banned together in 1975 and continued together until 1991. The band was known for their pioneering efforts in the New Wave movement. Containing 5 members, their recognizable sound was an eclectic mixture of punk, funk, and world music. The band got the opportunity to work with legendary producer Brian Eno on multiple projects including their third studio album "Fear of Music." This album turned out to be quite succesful and led to a series of hit singles that also did well. Critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that they were one of "the most criticly acclaimed" groups of the 1980.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=gA08bGxmkNk&list=OLAK5uy_lgik5ng6XF3i-0uW4egzHLjZKg5doISjw

#4: Brian Eno

"Non-Musician" Brian Eno is know for his pioneering work in electonic music and changed the way that producers think about their craft.After studying at the Winchester School of Art, Eno began his career when he joined the acclaimed group Roxy Music in the early 70's as a synthesizer musician. He quickly fled this group to start working on his solo projects which included "Another Green World" and "Music for Airports." Eno has worked with a plethora of fellow artists, songwriters, and producers which included the likes of the iconic rock and synth pop artist David Bowie.

"Heros" was the second of 3 albums in Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy" in which he collaberated hevaily with Brian Eno

#5: David Bowie

It is fair to say that David Bowie has been an influence to so many artists and to the music industry itself. Throughout his career Bowie recived and abundance of well-deserved awards including a total of 10 platinum album certifications. Bowie was also known as "Ziggy Stardust," a musical alter ego that accentuated that start's glam-rock vibes. Amongs all of Bowie's accolades in the music industry, he also found much succes as an actor. He is most known for his roles as Jareth The Goblin King from the cult classic film "Labrynth," and Nikola Tesla from the film "The Prestige." Bowie passed away January 10, 2016, however, his legacy will live on forever.

"Let's Dance" - David Bowie

References

Ankeny, J. (n.d.). Brian Eno: Biography & History. Retrieved March 20, 2020, from https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-eno-mn0000617196/biography

Collar, M. (n.d.). Selena Gomez: Biography & History. Retrieved from https://www.allmusic.com/artist/selena-gomez-mn0000996096/biography

Erlewine, S. T. (n.d.). Talking Heads: Biography & History. Retrieved March 20, 2020, from https://www.allmusic.com/artist/talking-heads-mn0000131650/biography

Finneas O'Connell. (2020, March 16). Retrieved from https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/finneas-oconnell

Lane, A. (2016, January 13). David Bowie in the Movies. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/david-bowie-in-the-movie

Pegg, N. (2011). The Complete David Bowie. Titan Books.

Roth, M. (2019, October 23). Selena Gomez Returns As A Stronger Version Of Herself In 'Lose You To Love Me'. Retrieved from http://www.mtv.com/news/3143331/selena-gomez-lose-you-to-love-me

Shira, D. (2015, November 17). Former Glee Actor-Musician Finneas O'Connell Talks About the Show's Pop-Culture Legacy, His Adoration for Kesha and Why He Goes to 'Desperate Measures' for His Girlfriend. Retrieved from http://www.skyelyfe.com/2015/11/11/glee-finneas-oconnell-slightlys/