At just 16, Billie Eilish has built an empire. In one year, her Instagram following grew from 275K to almost 9M, and she went from playing to crowds of 500 people to arenas with 40,000 people. However, fame does not make her immune to the struggles that many 16-year-olds face. Knowing that the majority of her listeners are similar to her in age, Billie is able to get in listeners' minds and relate to them in a way that many contemporary artists struggle to do. Through her latest "1 By 1 Tour" at her Atlanta show in Variety Playhouse (11/9/18), Billie proved how skilled she is at resonating with people, helping her listeners feel more in touch with themselves through her music.
Billie Eilish in Atlanta//Sophie Harris
Throughout the show, Billie used pop culture references to grab the crowd's attention - opening the show with the American Horror Story theme music, closing with The Office theme music, and interspersing Nintendo Wii's Mii Channel music in the middle. She physically grabbed the crowd's attention about once every song, holding the hands of the dedicated fans in the front row who waited 18+ hours to secure their spots. The fans in the middle of the front row, specifically, arrived at 2 AM that morning so they could be as close to Billie as possible.
Billie Eilish in Atlanta//Sophie Harris
Billie was able to combine her energetic stage presence with somber moments, beautifully balancing them throughout the show. During "you should see me in a crown," she exaggerated the song's sword sharpening sound effects with her movements across the stage. Her stage presence was infectious during her other high-energy hits, like "my boy" and "COPYCAT." But instead of grouping her energetic songs together for one portion and her slower ones for another, she chose separate moments during the show to slow things down and become more personal with her lyrics.
Billie Eilish in Atlanta//Sophie Harris
Billie's vulnerability shows through her lyrics that reveal her struggles with mistreatment, heartbreak, insecurity, and other mental health issues. Deep, uncomfortable sadness is the last emotion Billie wants her listeners to feel at her show. While many of her songs have sad, emotional lyrics, she wants the crowd to feel calm while singing along together, knowing that other people in the audience share the same struggles.
Billie Eilish in Atlanta//Sophie Harris
Before singing her debut hit, "Six Feet Under," Billie led the crowd in a deep breath in and out to promote calmness. Two songs later, listeners resonated with her recent "when the party's over," an eerie response to mistreatment in a relationship. A dedicated fan (@lcsten on Instagram) handed red paper hearts to listeners before the venue's doors opened, instructing them to place the hearts over their phone flashlights during 'when the party's over." Variety Playhouse twinkled with shades of red and pink during the song, creating a uniquely beautiful atmosphere that Billie herself was surprised by.
Billie Eilish in Atlanta//Sophie Harris
Being similar in age to most of her following, Billie Eilish knows the struggles that her listeners deal with and what will grab their attention. Once pop culture references have pulled them in, she uses her lyrics to show listeners that if they're feeling mistreated, insecure, or broken, they're not alone.
Billie Eilish in Atlanta//Sophie Harris
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