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.
First: How Do You Want to Plead?
When the steam heat of frustration finally clears, turn your ticket over and check the paper for information on court dates and location. During your arraignment, the judge will ask whether or not you want to plead guilty or not guilty. It's worth mentioning that some judges will lower the fine immediately if you plead guilty, but certain states prohibit this practice. Be sure to look up your state's laws before you make a decision.
The other option is to plead not guilty. Even though you have a chance of lowering the fine by pleading guilty, the smart bet is to say you didn't do it. This is because, in most states, if the officer doesn't show up to defend his citation at the court proceeding, the judge will throw the ticket out. Police officers have busy schedules and busy lives. There's always a chance they don't have time to meet you in court. Unless you live in a state in which judges lower fines for guilty pleas, always plead not guilty. The odds are in your favor, and even if the officer shows up, you've managed to inconvenience him in the same way he inconvenienced you with an unfair ticket.
Pleading usually won't help
Second: Call a Lawyer
Now, assuming you've decided to plead not-guilty and the officer who issued the ticket shows up, it might be time to call in a lawyer. At this point, you have to ask yourself (and probably your lawyer) what kind of penalty am I facing? Is it just money? Could my license get suspended? The answers to these questions, as well as the severity of the punishment you could face should determine whether or not you should hire an attorney. If it's only a couple hundred dollar fine, you may have to just cut your losses, as any legal fees you have to pay will cut into the money you would have saved.
Third: Have Proof
If you've decided to go Perry Mason on your traffic ticket, question number three is: do you have the necessary legal proof to combat it? Now, the answer to this question doesn't have to be yes right off the bat. As in all criminal cases, the burden of proof falls upon the claimant. I.e. it's the state's responsibility to prove that you made a traffic violation, not your responsibility to prove you didn't. The degree to which officers must support their traffic citation varies from state to state, but make no mistake, even after getting a ticket, you are innocent until proven guilty.
That said, you probably won't have any proof right away. You'll have to gather counter-evidence via discovery, i.e. using the government's evidence against them. Cross examining the police officer who ticketed you is also a useful way to get information and build your case. Another means of bolstering your defense is to claim your actions were justified in some way. Some examples of this are matter of fact conduct (proving to the judge you made an honest mistake), legally justified conduct (i.e. speeding to get to a hospital), and conduct to avoid harm (i.e. swerving to prevent a collision). Any of these defenses, when properly employed, can help you escape your fines. Talking to your lawyer can help you determine which route you want to take and whether or not your claim is defensible.
If you got pulled over for not following this sign, you'd be able to claim "matter of fact" conduct, as the sign makes no sense.
All that said, there is a litany of different ways in which a police officer can prove your guilt nowadays. Most have dash cams, and if they have videographic evidence of you breaking the law, your goose is probably cooked. With this in mind, it's good to take a second to think about whether or not you were really innocent or if you were just upset that you got caught. If the case is unwinnable, going to court can be a huge waste of time and money. On top of this, a disgruntled judge may even issue additional fines or penalties if you're proven guilty in court. This makes fighting a traffic citation a high risk, high reward type of scenario. If you're strapped for cash and can't afford to pay the ticket, it might be worth rolling the dice to see whether or not you can get it waived. If you're fighting the ticket out of a matter of principle, maybe take a second and do some quick tabulations to find out how much your pride is worth. No one talks about losing the trial when they take a traffic ticket to court, but it happens. If none of the defense information above can be applied to your specific situation, it's safe to assume you should probably just pay the fine and avoid court altogether.
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