*Why* Billie Eilish could be the future of Pop Music (with actual reasons!)

[Guest Blue Madonna]

Before I state my points, I’d like to get a few important things out of the way.

FIRST: I apologise if all of these threads about Billie being the future of pop music annoy you, however I have been working on this thread for quite a while and I hope that these other threads which simply say ‘bILLIE IS QUEEN HATERS CAN CHOK’ make this thread seem less valid, I have actually put time and thought into this thread unlike a few others I’ve seen.

SECOND: My definition of the future of pop music is how pop music will likely progress in the near future, not necessarily how I want it to be or how I hope it will be. For example, I will go ahead and say that right now Ariana is the biggest name in pop music, even though I personally am not a huge fan of her. 

THIRD: Don’t come here just to trash her. Please read the OP and if you have conflicting opinions that’s totally fine, just don’t mindlessly drag Billie or her fans 

 

Okay, with that out of the way   I’ll go through each aspect of Billie and how that contributes to how I see her as the future of pop music.

 

First aspect of her; her music.

Billie Eilish combines pop with indie pop and hip-hop. Currently, pop music is essentially dominated by hip-hop artists, or at least it was in 2016-2018, I can see that might change this year though. Billie’s music is a bridge between traditional pop/indie pop and hip-hop music. She uses elements of trap music such as low-key instrumentals and often quiet, whisper-y vocals, but she’s putting it in a pop setting. By taking what hip-hop fans like about hip-hop and putting it into pop music, she is making a genre which both hip-hop fans and pop fans can both enjoy, and this is apparent in her fanbase’s other favourite artists, which range from Lana and Lorde to Drake and Migos. This is why I believe she can usher in a new style of pop music with the kind of music that she is making.

Second aspect of her; her personality.

Something which is often make-or-break for an artist with popular music is their personality. Billie is a hilarious, carefree and badass young girl. If you follow her IG, you’ll see what I mean She is an absolute goofball, her stories are so often just her messing around with her friends, and even things like her album intro show this. She is also really sweet and genuine, just watch a few of her interviews and you’ll agree for sure. 

However she does have a sadder side. She has spoken out about her experiences with depression, and this makes its way into her art. Her generation is experiencing peak levels of mental health problems, and when she makes music that addresses these issues, her audience can relate, and feel like they’re not alone. Don’t get me wrong, I love an empowering bop like Born This Way but sometimes it’s also nice to know that you’re not the only sad person out there.

 

Third aspect of her; her aesthetic.

Now this is where a lot of the haters pick on her for. The comments of trying too hard, being too edgy, glorifying depression, trying to be an adult… I can see where you’re coming from but I don’t agree. Take her debut album, its cover and the videos for it. Billie has spoken about how she has her notebook of nightmares, where she writes lyrics and draws drawings that she associates with her songs. What she does, and she has said this herself, is she takes emotions she feels and she takes it to the extreme. Her new album is inspired by themes such as sleep paralysis and nightmares, and she took that concept and bloated it to make it visually amazing.

The video for ‘bury a friend’ shows how she took the idea of a monster under the bed and took it to the EXTREME. It makes for a wonderful, interesting video. It’s the same for ‘when the party’s over’ and ‘you should see me in a crown’. The former’s video was inspired by a drawing a fan drew of her (which I think is SO CUTE ), and she made a visually stunning, terrifying masterpiece. For ‘you should see me in a crown’ she took people’s fear of spiders and made this extreme by putting them in her mouth! 

You could say this is glorifying depression, but it’s not. Bubblegum pop does essentially the same thing, as does heavy metal and many other genres. People like Katy Perry took the ideas of bliss and joy and made it extreme, to create videos like ‘California Girls’. Like, in reality, bliss does not usually mean surrounded by candy and funny characters and dancing, but she took that emotion and made it huge in order to make art. Metal does the same with anger, and emo rock did the same with feeling like a misfit. (#SoAmI) 

Her album cover and her videos aren’t ‘trying too hard’ or ‘attempt to be edgy’ but taking relatable emotions and blowing them up to make it even more interesting. 

 

In conclusion, Billie Eilish is a figure who is young, and feels the struggles of her youth every day. This is what makes her so attractive and popular with young people. Her videos are over-the-top in an exciting way, and she as a person is kind and honest. I believe this makes her the future of pop because musical growth comes from the new generation, and she speaks for this current generation growing up. The same was Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy spoke to the youth of the early 2000s, and the same way 2008ish kids clicked with Gaga and Katy, the same way that mid-late-2010s kids love people like Drake and Post Malone, the kids of today have clicked with Billie Eilish. And this is why I believe her genre and style will begin inspiring new and similar artists, and likely make her style a trend. And that is what the future of pop music means.

[Guest]

Just want to re-iterate that I apologise for contributing to the flurry of Billie-related threads, it's just I have actual opinions on it which I would like to express rather than just say that she is the future of pop music and leaving it at that. 

[Economy 49,625]

That's too much to read 

 

But I was listening to a couple of her new releases today including bad guy which is topping streams in like every country

 

I like the vibe! 

[Thotiana 872]

Millennials, we already have our queens of pop. There's a younger generation that like Ariana and Billie. So yes, Billie could be the future of pop. It’s up to them. Welcome to the 2020’s ladies and gentlemen.

[Morphine Prince 105,752]

I agree with how you described every aspect of her.

I only started listening to her last November and my obsession with her artistry overall is  comparable to how I became obsessed with Gaga in 2009. 

I don't know if she will change the course of Pop music, but I'm here for her 100% 

I'm very picky when it comes to actually becoming a huge fan of someone but with Billie it just clicked instantly. 

[River 116,378]

She just started, let's give her the time to do her thing, it's too soon to label her, especially with how tricky the music scene now, one day you top the spotify charts and the next day you are out of them.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Thotiana said:

I will say this one more time, we don’t get to decide who’s the future of pop because there’s a younger generation for all you 20 and 30 something people. 

Sorry I don't think I fully understand, what do you mean by this?

[Thotiana 872]

1 minute ago, Blue Madonna said:

Sorry I don't think I fully understand, what do you mean by this?

I worded it badly. Basically, most of GGD members are millennials. We are in our 20’s and 30’s already. Billie could be the future of pop because a younger generation is into her. 

[Morphine Prince 105,752]

Just now, River said:

She just started, let's give her the time to do her thing, it's too soon to label her, especially with how tricky the music scene now, one day you top the spotify charts and the next day you are out of them.

But she didn't just start. That's the thing. Billie put out an EP in 2017 that slowly made her fan base bigger. She released songs in 2018 months apart and slowly crept into the iTunes and Spotify charts.

Her debut album is just the final launch into the mainstream for her.

[Meredith Grey 3,151]

I really like Billie! It took me until this album to get into her but I definitely think she’s interesting and unique. I think she needs to release a more mainstream album (i still want it to be experimental just something I can really bust it down to tho).

Also, she needs better promo.

 

1 minute ago, Blue Madonna said:

Sorry I don't think I fully understand, what do you mean by this?

I think he means that a lot of people in their 20’s and 30’s are still trying to decide who the future of pop is, when really it’s up to the generation of teenagers to decide that now.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Thotiana said:

I worded it badly. Basically, most of GGD members are millennials. We are in our 20’s and 30’s already. Billie could be the future of pop because a younger generation is into her. 

Oh okay, thanks. I agree! 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Morphine Prince said:

But she didn't just start. That's the thing. Billie put out an EP in 2017 that slowly made her fan base bigger. She released songs in 2018 months apart and slowly crept into the iTunes and Spotify charts.

Her debut album is just the final launch into the mainstream for her.

I think they meant that they've only just started as a major player in pop music, which I get. But this is just a prediction, she herself might not necessarily stick around for long but I think she could have impact and spark a wave of more artists inspired by her. 

[River 116,378]

Just now, Morphine Prince said:

But she didn't just start. That's the thing. Billie put out an EP in 2017 that slowly made her fan base bigger. She released songs in 2018 months apart and slowly crept into the iTunes and Spotify charts.

Her debut album is just the final launch into the mainstream for her.

I meant in the mainstream and to the GP eye, from being a singer of a small fan base she's now hitting it big time, so I really wish her the best of luck, she's interesting and her music is very good! it's just, let's no hurry up, let's see how the GP will fully digest her and her art, if she'll be able to hold this momentum for a long time.. because it's not easy, we see how the recent female singers are having difficulties to be recognize, like Bebe, Charli and the others, look how long it took to Dua to be recognize.. her career is pretty long but she just got the best new artist award..

[Stephen 30,423]

Meh maybe I'm wrong but I don't see a real musician here. She's bold in her visuals but the music isn't exciting. It's not trendsetting, the minimalism thing she does is already trendy, trap is overdone, sad pop is already dominant. What's special about her? She reminds me of Melanie Martinez  

What would you guys say is her best song and why? Not the video, just the music.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Steve Nasty said:

Meh maybe I'm wrong but I don't see a real musician here. She's bold in her visuals but the music isn't exciting. It's not trendsetting, the minimalism thing she does is already trendy, trap is overdone, sad pop is already dominant. What's special about her? She reminds me of Melanie Martinez  

What would you guys say is her best song and why? Not the video, just the music.

I can't pick a favourite, but I think 'xanny' is really important and one of her best. The extremely relevant lyrical message about glorifying drug use combined with great vocals and great production makes for a beautiful song.

Songs I also love simply for their beautiful lyrics as well as great production are 'watch' and 'when the party's over'.