Let's get one thing out of the way, I hate generation demographics. It is dumb, arbitrary, and difficult to keep up with as the cutoff years shift. The marketing and advertising think tanks are constantly trying to box people into stereotypes so boomers can understand what makes the younger generation tick.
"Generation Z", aka the part of the population born somewhere between the mid-90s and the mid-00s, represent the wave of young adults who, right now, most combat the established social norms. If you are snarky, you might be quick to associate this generation with smartphones, apps, Snapchat, etc.
When I think of this generation, I think about the leaders of tomorrow. Generation Z has churned out some pretty incredible social and political changes. Everything from the March for Our Lives Foundation, which was founded in response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, to easing LGBTQ+ equality into the populace's minds.
Gen Z is all about subverting the norms and allowing people to be themselves. No one better represents this generation than the 17-year-old singer, songwriter, and overall weirdo, Billie Eilish.
Billie Eilish's music career really kicked off with the release of the song "Ocean Eyes." Initially launched on SoundCloud while she was still in high school, the song took off. "Ocean Eyes" is a breakup song (yup, even Gen Z'ers experience the same drama we all did when we were teens) at its core, but in my opinion, it is so much more.
It is the culmination of years of moody and dramatic music brought to a younger audience. Artists like Lana Del Ray, Florence + The Machine, and others have become staples in the moody drama space of music. Billie Eilish walks this same well-trodden path, but brings her own strange personality.
Since "Ocean Eyes," Eilish has released several singles, and in early 2019, her debut album, "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" Each song speaks of the happiness, pain, struggle, and emotions that are synonymous with being a teen in a post-flip-phone world.
Eilish gives her own spin on these topics through unconventional lyrics and beats. In the song "bad guy", Eilish touts herself as just as bad as the bad boy she is interested in. The line "'might seduce your dad' type" raised some controversy due to her age (17 at the time), but I see this line as iconic. Eilish subverts the image of an older man targeting a younger woman, and turns it on its head, saying that she is bad enough to seduce your dad. On top of that, the line is a joke, a hyperbole, a statement so over-the-top to reinforce how wild she is that she would do something so taboo. The kind of nihilistic humor that is synonymous with internet culture.
When Billie Eilish began to gain popularity, I personally did not like her. I did not understand her music, did not understand her style, and just did not understand why she was as popular as she was. It was not until I read an article about how Eilish dresses in baggy clothes so the media would not immediately objectify her and her body. Her unusual style, usually a baggy hooded sweatshirt and matching sweatpants, has become a part of her brand that is as inseparable from her as is her unique sound.
Generation Z is here to shake up your social norms, and no one does this better than Billie Eilish. She is a complete package: everything from style, to look, to sound, she has a well-defined and well-developed personal brand that makes her stand out from the rest. If that is not Gen Z, I don't know what is.
