Billie Eilish is perhaps the most talented artist of our generation…and I don’t throw that around lightly. At only 13, Eilish wrote “Ocean Eyes” alongside her brother Finneas and launched her prolific career. And at the fair age of 22, Eilish has 24 GRAMMY Award nominations and nine wins, two Oscars, two Golden Globes, and countless other accolades.
Beyond that, she recently announced her third album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, to be released May 17, 2024. She spent the days leading up to the announcement building excitement by adding all of her Instagram followers to her “Close Friends” list. Eilish had the most Instagram followers in 48 hours…with her count increasing by 7 million followers total.
While her debut album, when we all fall asleep…where do we go?, was a chart-topper in its own right, it landed Billie every GRAMMY it was nominated for at the ripe age of 18…Eilish has solidified herself as one of the most revered and sought-after popstars in the world.
Eilish recently caught media attention for quietly revealing her sexuality. In an interview with Variety, she states that she’s always liked girls…and assumed people always knew that. In a viral snippet from her new song, LUNCH, she details a love affair with a girl.
But people don’t only adore Billie for her catchy tracks that consistently top the charts. It’s not just her songwriting ability and unique vocals that keep us hooked. People love her because she’s unafraid to speak her mind.
Whether it be complaining about too many influencers being at an awards show, or calling out other artists for using unsustainable practices…Billie does not hold back.
Billie Eilish On Sustainability
Eilish home
rethinkingthefuture.com
The Eilish home is iconic for many reasons: it’s where Billie and Finneas recorded her debut album, countless other songs, and EPs, in an effort to conserve water there’s no grass, and the roof is covered in solar panels. And being environmentally conscious extends beyond the four walls of their home.
When the hottest young talent is discovered at such an early age like Eilish, record labels are chomping at the bit to sign them. It’s like when a D1 athlete is ready to commit to college…you have your pick.
But what Eilish and her mom, Maggie Baird, were looking for wasn’t about money or label-perks…they were seeking a solid sustainability program. And while that may seem like standard practice, most labels didn’t bring up environmental policies during these meetings at all.
After signing to The Darkroom via Interscope Records, the struggle didn’t stop there. Billie Eilish and her family have been consistent contributors to the fight against climate change.
Maggie Baird has since started Support + Feed, which focuses on the climate crisis and food insecurity. Support + Feed helped Eilish’s 2022 Happier Than Ever tour save 8.8 million gallons of water through plant-based meal service for the artist and crew members.
During Billie’s 2023 Lollapalooza performance, she aided the launch and funding of REVERB’s Music Decarbonization Project – which guaranteed all battery systems used during her set were solar powered. The MCD’s overall mission is to lower – and eventually eliminate –the music industry’s carbon emissions.
But more recently, Billie Eilish called out other artists for releasing multiple versions of vinyls in order to boost vinyl sales. In an interview with Billboard, she says,
“We live in this day and age where, for some reason, it’s very important to some artists to make all sorts of different vinyl and packaging … which ups the sales and ups the numbers and gets them more money and gets them more…”
Artists convince fans to buy different versions of their albums by offering exclusive features on each vinyl. Take Taylor Swift, for example, who released five separate vinyl versions of Midnights, each with a different deluxe “Vault” track.
While Billie may not have been trying to shade one artist in particular, the point is that she’s fed up. After being the rare artist in the industry who go out of their way to remain environmentally conscious, Eilish sets the bar high.
How Eilish’s New Album Is Sustainable
Billie for "Hit Me Hard and Soft"
William Drumm
Social media users were quick to claim Eilish was hypocritical by announcing that HIT ME HARD AND SOFT will have eight vinyl variations. However, each vinyl is made from recycled materials – either 100% recycled black vinyl or BioVinyl, which replaces petroleum used during manufacturing with recycled cooking oil.
This just illustrates that Eilish wasn’t directing criticism towards other artists for using vinyl variants to gain album sales…but she does think there are better ways to do it that benefit the environment without hurting their sales.
The Worst Thing We Can Do Is Stop Hoping — On The Loss of Alexey Navalny
Written by Stanislav Kucher
With the brutal death of Alexey Navalny, there's a lot of pain, anger, and despair on the Internet. I’m talking about normal people, not moral monsters, scoundrels, and prostitutes — and people feel powerless. Many are crying not only over Alexey Navalny but also over the loss of hope: “Hope has died”, they write. But these words are a manifestation of self-pity — a quality that Alexey would least like to see in his compatriots.
And not for the sake of the words Navalny called upon people not to give up. Not for the cool pose he was showing everyone an example of true fearlessness and fortitude again and again while going in and out of the punishment cell.
He was encouraging his adherent — was laughing at his jailers, he joked and always smiled. He never slipped into cynicism, pathos, or vulgarity. He remained a human, a person, “my guy” proving “I could do it, and you can too.”
The worst thing we can do — all of us, who are shocked by Alexei’s death — is to stop hoping. We need to turn hope into a goal, and goals into reality. Yes, only a few are capable of self-sacrifice, as demonstrated by Navalny. From each according to his ability . . . But everyone, no matter where they are, can wipe away their tears, figure out what exactly they can do in their place, make a decision, and act to bring about change. Alexey has said more than once — in his videos recorded while free and in his posts from prison — that there are many ways, you can fight, the main thing is not to lose hope and faith in yourself, not to give up.
By dying, idealists become paragons for their contemporaries' children. Navalny and Nemtsov are heroes: the way they lived will frighten thieves and slaves, and inspire generations of free people around the world. Russia will also change, perhaps not as quickly as Boris and Alexey dreamed, but it will change. And the grandchildren of idiots who are posting abominations in Z-publics will stroll along avenues and squares named after the very heroes their ancestors spread rot about. It’s hard to believe now, but it will happen — just as Nemtsov and Navalny dreamed.
This will happen. Let’s not drown the pain in a cocktail of tears, vodka, despair, and apathy. Ask yourself the question . . .
“What can I do if I don’t want my grandchildren to live in a country of lies and death?”
Depending on your place of residence, occupation, age, talent, and personal qualities, the answers will be different for different people. This is fine. It's important that the question itself be asked first.