Happier Than Ever is Billie Eilish’s sophomore LP, released on July 30, 2021. Since the outburst of her career, the media has paid more attention to her clothes rather than her talent. On this record, she addresses it all and fires back.

As mentioned in Willow’s post, the parent’s trajectory can influence the path to pursue something akin. And that is what happened to Billie Eilish O’Connell with her mother and father being an actress and a musician, respectively.

Whereas some attend school, she was homeschooled, which sparked creative freedom in some way. Hence, during her infant years, she became involved with anything artistically. Whether it was playing an instrument or attending acting auditions.

Other essential members of the family are the siblings. Luckily for Billie, she wasn’t alone on the journey of becoming a singer. Her older brother, FINNEAS, was leading the way.

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In 2015, he had written and produced the song “Ocean Eyes.” Nevertheless, he gave it to his younger sister for an assignment and they uploaded it to Soundcloud. Needless to say, it blew up. Marking the birth of her career.

Ever since then, the relatives began collaborating. Hence, in 2017, her debut EP “don’t smile at me” (produced by FINNEAS) arrived, including “bellyache.”

Although the EP wasn’t a commercial success, it put her on the radar as an artist to watch. Throughout the next year, she finished recording what would become her next endeavor.

On March 29, 2019, her full-length LP, “When Do We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” (prod. by FINNEAS), hit online streaming services. If “Ocean Eyes” was the before part of her career, this album was the after.

A dark-themed record, which debuted atop the charts and its singles (e.g., “You Should See Me in a Crown,” “Bury a Friend,” and “Bad Guy“) catapulted her to new heights.

Unfortunately, with fame comes along critics. Instead of focusing on the music, the media began body-shaming a then 18-year-old.

However, that did not stop her from recording. Throughout 2020, she and her sibling locked in his studio to record 16 new tracks for her sophomore, “Happier Than Ever” (prod. by FINNEAS).

Billie Eilish: Happier Than Ever

The opening track, “Getting Older” has a dark tone similar to her previous LP. Nevertheless, the beat cuts short before “I Didn’t Change My Number” proceeds with an electro-pop.

On “Billie Bossa Nova” and “Your Power,” FINNEAS knocks it out of the park with guitar strings lingering in the background. Furthermore, “Lost Cause” brings the summer vibes. Also, the visual is a “fuck you” to the critics.

“If I wear what is comfortable, I am not a woman.
If I shed the layers, I am a slut.”

-Billie Eilish, Not My Responsibility (2021)

“OverHeated” brings a fast-paced tempo rarely heard in her music. “Happier Than Ever” and “Male Fantasy” bring closure to a happy phase in Billie’s life.

In conclusion, record companies tend to team up producers with singers expecting to create a hit duo, in most cases being inorganic. However, for the siblings, it has happened organically.

With both still in their teenage years, we will wait for what the future holds for them. Like her brother, she also is a Grammy Winner.

Happy birthday, FINNEAS! Watch and stream Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” on its 1st anniversary.

1. “Lost Cause” music video by Billie Eilish. Directed by Billie Eilish (Darkroom, Interscope, 2021). ↩︎
2. “Happier Than Ever” album by Billie Eilish. Cover artwork by Kelia Anne MacCluskey (Darkroom, Interscope, 2021). ↩︎

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Optimist is the debut LP by FINNEAS, released in October of 2021. The album is the culmination of a career of co-writing and producing for other artists. Now, he steps into the spotlight.

A parent’s occupation can influence a child’s plan. Therefore, when both parents are in the art industry, most likely the kid will follow in their footsteps.

• “Lately I Feel Everything” Album: WILLOW’s Pop-Punk Conquest

Exactly what happened to FINNEAS O’Connell. Due to her mother being an actress, he began scoring screen time on TV Shows (e.g., Modern Family, Glee) and starred in movies (e.g., Life Inside Out).

On the other hand, due to his father being a singer, the instrumentations intrigued him as well. Hence, at the young age of 12 (2010), he commenced writing and producing.

In 2014, he and three other musicians formed the band “The Slightlys.” That same year, they released their debut EP, including the single “Superhero.”

Despite having a band, he wasn’t always writing for himself. In a way, acting classes helped him portray fictionalized characters. Thus, he applied it to co-writing and producing for other musicians such as Billie Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes” (2015).

Once the single hit Soundcloud, everything changed, and the formula of teaming up with his sister only made sense. From there on, they released Billie’s debut EP “Don’t Smile at Me” (2017), and the smash LP, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” (2019).

Afterward, he focused on his music. On October 4, 2019, he debuted his EP “Blood Harmony,” accompanied by four singles, including “I Lost A Friend.”

Optimist LP

Two years later, on October 15, 2021, his debut LP, Optimist, hit the web. Firstly, the album kicks off with the melancholic-tuned “A Concert Six Months From Now.”

However, “The Kids Are All Dying” and “Happy Now?” balance it with an uplifting beat and a catchy hook, respectively. Thirdly, “Love is Pain” and “Peaches Etude” give room to a beautiful piano playing in the background.

“Medieval” distinguishes itself from the previous tracks by drums being the protagonists instead of the piano. “What They’ll Say About Us” and “How It Ends” perfectly close a single-handedly written and produced record.

Nowadays, artists are either known as producers or singers. However, FINNEAS has broken the boundaries and is optimistic about conquering both lanes. That is, as a singer collaborator (e.g., Ashe), and as a producer (e.g., girl in red). His record label is OYOY. He is a Grammy Award Winner.

Naturally, siblings tend to pursue the older relative’s footsteps. So, once he chose to be a musician, his little sister followed suit.

Billie’s post premieres on July 30th, 2022. In the meantime, watch “Love is Pain” and stream FINNEAS’ “Optimist.”

1. “Naked” music video by Finneas. Directed by Sam Bennett (OYOY, Interscope, 2021). ↩︎
2. “Optimist” album by Finneas. Cover artwork by Luke Fenstemaker (OYOY, Interscope, 2021). ↩︎

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Wyoming is a state located in the central-west part of the USA and is known for its national park attractions “Yellowstone” and “Grand Teton.” In 2016, while in hot waters, producer Kanye West found a new place for “The Wyoming Sessions.”

During the “Hawaii sessions,” Kanye crafted not one but two masterpieces. Namely, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” (2010), and “Watch The Throne” (2011), alongside Jay-Z. But when the Grammys didn’t nominate either one for “Album of the Year,” he knew his past was still haunting him.

Moreover, in the venture for his newfound passion for fashion, he also felt the burden. In 2013, his footwear deal with Nike crumbled. On the bright side, he signed to Adidas. A place where he finally felt respected as a fashion creator with his “Yeezy” collection.

In addition, his “Yeezus” LP (2013) broke music barriers by blending different musical genres. Nonetheless, once it received mixed reviews, he ranted.

Beginning of 2016, Ye released “The Life of Pablo.” Everything seemed bright until it wasn’t. During the “Saint Pablo Tour,” he complained about creative limitations under Jay-Z’s streaming service, “TIDAL.” In 2017, Jay responded on his album “4:44.”

Undoubtedly, his erratic behavior was a cry for help. Eventually, he checked into rehab and remained under the radar the following year. Afterward, he flew to Jackson, Wyoming.

The Wyoming Sessions

In April of 2018, he announced he was producing five projects, which would be released within a spawn of five weeks. Frequent producers and an arsenal of musicians were flying in and out of Wyoming.

Firstly, on May 25, 2018, rapper Pusha T kicked off with “Daytona.” Up next, Kanye unleashed “Ye.” This was followed by “Kids See Ghost,” a joint project between him and Kid Cudi. Last but not least, Nas’ “Nasir” and Teyana Taylor’s “K.T.S.E.” were released. With 7 songs each, West chose quality over quantity.

It is clear that while escaping both thunderstorms, the “Hawaii” (2009) and “Wyoming sessions” (2018) enlightened a creative spark in him to showcase his rap and production skills.

“The most beautiful thoughts
are always beside the darkest.”

-Kanye West, I Thought About Killing You (2018)

To conclude, a kid from Chicago with aspirations to be a multi-facade artist and not just a producer. Kanye West is Hip-Hop’s second billionaire.

Watch his upcoming plans in the next interview, and listen to Kanye’s produced album “Daytona” in the link below.

1. “All Mine” music video by Kanye West. Directed by ye (Getting Out Our Dreams, Def Jam, 2018). ↩︎
2. “ye” album cover by Kanye West. Cover artwork by ye (GOOD, Def Jam, 2018). ↩︎

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Hawaii is an island located in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of the U.S. It is home to eight major islands, including its beautiful islet named Oahu, also known as “The Gathering Place.” In 2009, while in hot waters, rapper Kanye West found the perfect place for “The Hawaii Sessions.”

Before making it as a rapper, Kanye was a producer. In the early 2000s, he was crafting beats for Roc-A-Fella Records, Jay-Z’s back-then music label. As covered in my previous post, Jay-Z’s The Blueprint (2001) is a Hip-Hop classic. An album where West left his stamp as a beat-maker.

However, West didn’t want to hide behind a beat forever. He wished to break free and let the lights shine on him. Eventually, he signed to Roc-A-Fella Records (2002).

The years to follow birthed LPs such as “The College Dropout” (2004), “Late Registration” (2005), “Graduation” (2007), and “808s and Heartbreak” (2008). Nonetheless, such a legacy was tarnished at the infamous Video Music Awards (2009).

Ever since, Kanye has carried a crucifix, which pinpoints him to that event. The reason why he was labeled as crazy, delusional, to even a jackass by the then-president of America.

Subsequently, under such a thunderstorm, he knew he had to find spirituality away from society. And indeed he did, in the remote island of Oahu, Hawaii.

The Hawaii Sessions

The months to follow sparked creativeness to a new height. Consequently, he flew in a variety of artists to work with. Namely, top-tier producers Mike Dean, RZA, Q-Tip, Madlib, Swizz Beatz, No I.D., and musicians Kid Cudi, Jay-Z, Pusha T, Nicki Minaj, CyHi The Prynce, Rihanna, and Bon Iver.

Therefore, in 2016, once again in hot waters, he exiled himself to a place called “Wyoming.” Clearly, you can’t help to pinpoint a similarity. A genius who is about to do it again.

Part 2: Wyoming Session premieres: May, 2021.

In the meantime, watch his fashion-inspired video “Runaway,” his full-length film, and listen to “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” in the link below.

1. “Runaway” music video by Kanye West. Directed by Kanye West (Roc-A-Fella Records, 2010) ↩︎
2. “Runaway” full-length film by Kanye West. Directed by Kanye West (Roc-A-Fella Records, 2010). ↩︎
3. “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” album by Kanye West. Cover artwork by George Condo and Virgil Abloh (Def Jam, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2010). ↩︎

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The music industry keeps evolving. What started with Vinyl and cassettes evolved into the CD. However, by the early 2000s, a new way of consuming music entered the market: Online Streaming. So, what does this mean for music artists and the industry?

The Online Streaming era

To understand the online streaming that we know today, we have to rewind four decades. Firstly, in the early ’80s, Karlheinz Brandenburg began decoding music data and how to implement it onto computers. Nevertheless, their only limitation: technology.

Generally speaking, as technology progressed, MP3 was successfully created in the mid-90s, allowing consumers (listeners) to have limited music files on their PCs.

Furthermore, in the late 90s, Napster allowed users to share online MP3 files among themselves. Music piracy was (and still is) a huge topic of discussion since listeners were no longer willing to buy compact discs in stores. Yet, a lack of substance between MP3 and Napster: Audio quality.

Therefore, beginning of the 2000s, Apple seized the opportunity and released iTunes and the iPod. An online platform where listeners could buy high-quality music and store them on the device respectively. Ever since then, Nothing Was The Same (get it?).

Nowadays, listeners are offered a variety of options in today’s Online Streaming market, such as:

• Spotify (2008)
• Tidal (2014)
• Apple Music (2015)

As mentioned in The Compact Disc era, 1 CD bought = 1 CD sold. Nevertheless, in today’s cycle, sales depend on streams. But how are these measured?

Billboard publishes and updates the rules for their Stream Equivalent Album (SEA) tracking, at a certain point in time it looked as follows:

Nonetheless, it is far more complicated than that, since each Music App and country have different equivalent methods. Hence, this has led to some artists not becoming a fan of online streaming platforms.

For example, one of them is Taylor Swift, who decided to pull off her entire catalog from Spotify in 2014. Her argument consisted of how poorly artists were getting paid as shown in the next table.

In fact, keeping your catalog away from online streaming services (Spotify and Apple) can lead to a spike in CD sales. This is what happened to singer Adele in 2015 with her album “25.” As a result, the album sold 3.38 million copies within its first week, making it the fastest-selling album in history.

Moreover, the advantages of Online Streaming services for the listeners are their prices. Whereas in the ’90s-2000s CDs were priced between 10.00 and 20.00 USD, nowadays, this is the monthly price for unlimited music.

On the other hand, an advantage for music artists is that it gives them the freedom to modify their music as they please. Thus, this is what Kanye West did on his album “The Life of Pablo” (2016). Often, he modified verses or added features to songs.

Like with any other product, music has also been evolving, changing consumer behavior, which has led to changes in the music industry and the artists themselves. Finally, musicians no longer need to venture on a marketing-promo tour or depend on big record labels.

Indeed, technology has given artists the tools necessary to adapt, survive, and thrive in this constantly changing environment.

Admittedly, every often sells spike in Vinyl, cassettes, and CDs. A certain aspect of nostalgia hits the audience every once in a while, which makes them buy physical copies. There is nothing more pleasing than reading the CD’s notebook containing information such as the writers, producers, and much more!

1. Photo by Filip (Unsplash, 2021). ↩︎
2. Photo by Mike Meyers (Unsplash, 2022). ↩︎

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In the early 1900s, there was the Vinyl, a two sides 12” record. Beginning of the 1960s, the cassette was introduced, and twenty years later the Compact Disc. Like any other product, the music industry has been evolving. So, what does this mean for music artists and record labels?

The Compact Disc era

Firstly, let’s rewind to the ’90s and 2000s, where every artist’s journey began with a record label whose role includes (simplified):

• A&R (artist and repertoire)
• The signing of the music artist (Terms and Conditions)
• Recording of the Album
• Marketing
• Distribution of the Album

Before, artists had to knock on the record label’s door with their demo or EP. Thus, here is where the A&R comes in handy. Namely, they are responsible for listening to the songs and screening for the potential before passing it forward.

For example, rapper J. Cole’s signing to Roc Nation was due to an A&R. When initially handing his CD to Jay-Z, he declined it. It was later when an A&R played some of Cole’s songs to Jay, which led to meetings that turned into a record deal signing.

In addition, the T&C is crucial. For instance, a good contract will allow musicians to have a lucrative career, whereas a bad one will prevent them from ever dropping (worst-case scenario). Every now and then, we hear from artists trying to get out of their contracts.

Once a record deal is signed, the recording of the album begins (vocals, mixing, and mastering). Afterward, the marketing process takes place.

Back then, artists had to venture on a marketing tour that consisted of visiting local and overseas news and radio stations, promoting their singles, videos, and albums.

Furthermore, the distribution of music is vital, which means shipping the compact disc on a worldwide scale. Therefore, the entire process for an album rollout; from the production to marketing to finally releasing the CD, took 1-2 years.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has been tracking sales since the 1950s and Billboard publishes them on a weekly basis. Moreover, CD sales were huge back in the day as shown in the next tables.

The 90s & 2000s CD sales

Worldwide CD sales in the 90s (*Data may vary)

Worldwide CD sales in the 2000s (*Data may vary)

In addition, an artist had to fully convince the consumer (the listener) to go to the store to buy an album (standard/deluxe version), which was mostly priced between 10.00-20.00 USD. Also, measuring sales was straightforward.

A threat that the music industry faces up to this day is piracy or the so-called bootlegging. In the 90s and 2000s, most LPs didn’t survive their official release date before being hacked and sold on the black market. Thus, the ones who lose economically are the artists and record labels, who depend on each other.

To summarize, the music industry has evolved and offered new products to the listener, who were always keen to buy the album in physical form. However, a bigger threat besides the leaks was on the horizon for the industry and compact disc sales: Online Streaming.

Stay tuned for Part 2! In the meantime, feel free to read my previous musical posts.

• “Half Written Story” EP: Hailee Steinfeld recovers from a breakupMay 20, 2020
• How J. Cole’s “2014 Forest Hills Drive” vinyl became the blueprint of lifeJune 17, 2020
• Juice WRLD may be gone but “Legends Never Die”July 11, 2020
• Jay-Z comes clean and reveals the blueprint on “4:44”July 31, 2020

1. Photo by Surya Urs (Unsplash, 2018). ↩︎

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