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.
68+ Anti-Racism Resources
Whether you're protesting or donating, here's a list of resources that will help you deepen your understanding of the implications of and history behind the George Floyd protests.
This week's riots in America are overt protests against the murder of George Floyd, but they're also protests against centuries of oppression and state-sanctioned racist violence against Black people.
Whether you're just beginning to learn about prison abolition or are a seasoned member of the fight, it's always important to continue educating yourself—and if you're a white ally, education is not a suggestion; it's mandatory.
Many of these resources are designed with white people in mind. White people are particularly responsible for self-education and for continued action, as white status quo, complicity, and violent silence has continuously perpetuated the brutalization of Black communities and livelihoods.
What we are seeing now is rage against a system that refused to be dismantled by peaceful action and information. Now we are being called to step back and listen—and then to act.
It's never a person of color's responsibility to educate you about racism or why everyone's out in the streets protesting; the Internet is full of resources that will help you understand that and that will help you move your advocacy past the world of social media.
If you're feeling radicalized by this moment or are ready to learn more, here are some resources to check out. Do the work and be active in the fight against white supremacy. Start by donating and signing petitions. Then go deeper. Question and challenge your own racism and biases. Don't speak over people of color; listen harder and put your body on the line when you need to.
Whether you're in the streets or making calls from home or learning and talking to other white people in your life, persuading them to start the process of learning and unlearning their biases and systemic advantages, it's time to start now.
Docs, Courses, and Master Lists:
- Black Lives Matter Resource List
- #blacklivesmatter Resource List
- BLM's Guide to Allyship
- Resources & Tools Regarding Racism and Anti-Blackness
- Rachel Ricks' Antiracism Resources
- Resources for White Accomplices
- Jenna Arnold's List of People to Follow
- Brittney Packett Cunningham's reading and resource list
- Anti-Racism Resources Doc from FightForBreonna.org
- Check Your Privilege
- Invisible No More Study Guide
- Syllabus For White People to Educate Themselves
- Abolitionist Futures Reading List
- A Running List of Anti-Racism Resources (Dazed)
- Demand Justice for Black Lives Now
- Black History Month Library (Google Drive)
- White Supremacy in the Age of Trump (Syllabus)
Places to Donate:
- The National Bailout
- Brown Sisters Speak
- Minneapolis Solidarity Donations
- Bail Funds (Master List)
- List of Black-owned businesses
- Black Lives Matter Donation Links (Master Thread)
- List of funds from @transnormativity
- List of funds from @reclaimtheblock
- Mutual Aid funds thread
Articles to Read:
- John Henryism and the Life-Threatening Stress Affecting Black People in America - Vice
- The Empathy Crisis of White America by Phillip Picardi
- We're Still Living and Dying in the Slaveholders' Republic by Ibram X Kendi - Atlantic
- 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice by Corinne Shutack
- What to Do Instead of Calling the Police
- Here's the Problem with Performative Allyship
- America's Racial Contract is Killing Us - Atlantic
- White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh
- The Racist Roots of American Policing: From Slave Patrols to Traffic Stops - The Conversation
Books to Read:
- Brea Baker's Anti-Racist reading list
- Ibram K Kendi's Anti-Racism Reading List
- Books for Anti-Racist Teachers
- Noname's Book Club
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
- Between the World and Me by Ta Nehisi Coates
- The Souls of Black Folks by W.E.B Du Bois
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
- Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Marie Brown
- Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Strategies by Renee Linklater
- So You Wanna Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- - Frantz Fanon: Dropbox of works and specifically "The Lived Experience of the Black Man" from the book Black Skin, White Masks (1952): http://www.campusincamps.ps/…/Fanon-The_Lived_Experience_Of…
- - James Baldwin's "Stranger in the Village" from the essay collection Notes of a Native Son (1955) https://www.janvaneyck.nl/site/assets/files/2312/baldwin.pdf
- Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
- Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
- The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale (Free on Verso)
- Black Revolutionary texts (Google Drive)
Articles to Read:
- On Raising White Children
- 26 Ways to Be In the Struggle Beyond the Street
- How Videos of Police Brutality Traumatize African Americans and Undermine the Search for Justice
- The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House (Audre Lorde)
- This Week Has Happened Before
- The 1619 Project
Educational Threads and Posts:
- Misinformation Twitter Thread
- Minneapolis and Target Thread
- Why Reverse Racism is a Myth Thread
- Thread of Readings for Feeling Radicalized in This Moment
- How White People Can Make Themselves The Most Useful Right Now
6. Call to Direct Action by @mimizhuxiyuan
7. Building a Police-Free Future by @mpd_150
8. Resource Roundup by Rachel Cargle
Actions to Take:
- Record a video for George Floyd: https://yourvoice.colorofchange.org/prompt-single/justiceforfloyd
- Text FLOYD to 55156 for George, Text ENOUGH to 55156 for Breonna, Text JUSTICE to 55156 for Ahmaud
- Sign these petitions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dz0YWM5dxraPFkkO8tlvfI9PajwOVW4tIdSnzDMDab0/edit?fbclid=IwAR1u0XtiSDHJuDEuoKyc-BmH3DV2dmovtD6nRojs3axCfdt7Zd6P2jeA9-I
- Take Action to End White Silence at your police station or city hall
- Copy this template and email it: https://docs.google.com/.../1-yqKbkh9eF4eZn-Bolz.../edit...
Email:
On Protesting:
- How to Protect Yourself While Protesting
- Know Your Rights While Protesting
- How to Protest While Undocumented
- Guide on How to Show Solidarity w/o Being Able to Protest
- Twitter Thread on Protest Gear
- Street Medic's Guide
- Lawyers Offering Pro-Bono Services
Organizations to Join:
Courses to Take:
- Free Do the Work 30-Day Course (Rachel Cargle):
- ACB Academy
- Crossroads Anti- Racism Training Videos
- Anti-Racism and White Privilege Online Course
- Open Yale Course: African American History
Social Media Accounts to Follow:
Public Address On Revolution: Revolution Now | Rachel Carglewww.youtube.com
5. @theconsciouskid
6. @reclaimtheblock
7. @blmlosangeles
8. @southasians4blacklives
9. @supportpoc__
10. @decolonialbulaklak
11. @frontlinemedics
12. @mvmnt4blklives