Billie Eilish has spoken about her creative relationship with her brother, Finneas, and how they say the most “cruel” things to each other while writing and recording — but are still a dream match in the studio.
Eilish was speaking at a merchandise pop-up store hosted by American Express in London on Wednesday (July 9) for an intimate Q&A with broadcaster Edith Bowman. One hundred fans were invited to the location in Old Street east London to witness the conversation and shop exclusive merchandise. (The pop-up is open from July 10 to 13.)
The U.K. and Ireland leg of the Hit Me Hard and Soft tour kicked off on Monday (July 7) in Glasgow, Scotland, and includes six nights at London’s O2 Arena, four at Manchester’s Co-op Live and concludes with a pair of shows at Dublin’s 3Arena on July 26.
Eilish’s creative process was the focus of the conversation, particularly her songwriting partnership with elder brother Finneas O’Connell. The pair work closely on all of Eilish’s recorded material, spanning from breakout track “Ocean Eyes” (2015) and through to their 2024 hit “Birds of a Feather.”
“Working with my brother for all of these years has forced me to be a good collaborator, which I appreciate,” she said. “But with a sibling, you can be so honest and brutal with each other. With Finneas, I never have to worry about if we’re not going to be friends again or have a falling out, or hurt his feelings in a way that we can’t fix.”
She continued, “Finneas and I have said the most cruel things that anyone has or ever will say because we’re siblings, and that’s how it goes. We love each other more than anyone’s been capable of loving anyone else. I think that’s why it’s so special, and why I don’t feel the need to work with anyone else to be real.”
The 23-year-old also discussed their work for movie soundtracks, including her James Bond theme (“No Time to Die,” 2020) and Academy Award-winning track for 2023 blockbuster Barbie (“What Was I Made For?”). “[Having a brief] is my favorite thing in the world,” she said of working with collaborators such as Barbie director Greta Gerwig and Hans Zimmer, who provided the score for No Time to Die.
“Having a prompt or assignment is where Finneas and I really thrive. It’s like a little game. Like, I get to write from the point of view of a Barbie doll and I love that.”
Songwriting, however, is something that still doesn’t feel natural to the Grammy-winning artist. “I find writing to be very, very challenging. To be real, I don’t enjoy writing music. It makes me feel very frustrated and that I’m dumb when I’m doing it. Because I’m thinking of what I want to say and feel like I can’t say it or find the right chords or whatever. And even now, after writing so many songs with my brother, I still find it really challenging.”
Elsewhere in the conversation she discussed being recently starstruck by New Girl star Jake Johnson at an airport. “Last year I was flying somewhere and as we pulled up to the airport, Jake Johnson got out of another car. My dad was there and was like, ‘Billie, you have to get out of the car,’ and I was just like, ‘I can’t, Jake Johnson is right there.’ And I started to tear up and cry, and my dad was asking, ‘Who even is that?’ And I said, ‘It’s Jake Johnson, the best actor in the world.’”
She continued, “I went into the airport and just sobbed, and called a couple of my friends and said, ‘Jake Johnson is at the same airport as me!’ My dad was begging me to go and talk to him and I refused … and this was last December, so not even that long ago! Eventually I had to walk by him as he was in the same room and he called my name out and said hello … and it was an awesome day!”
Eilish will return to North America for another leg of shows this fall, kicking off at Miami’s Kaseya Center on Oct. 9.
