There are a lot of blog topics I need to catch up on from more than a week! More to come soon on topics not yet written but on top of mind.

But, first, I must give some enormous respect to the legendary Gen Z, American musician Billie Eilish. Earlier today, I saw the her tour documentary in 3D with my wife, sister-in-law, and family friend at this indie movie theater in SE Portland. I also had the privilege of seeing her live at the Moda Center on December 8, 2024 for her global “Hit Me Hard and Soft” tour, and was very impressed by her concert! I will absolutely be seeing her every time she’s in town. She’s the real deal.

Side note: if you get the opportunity to watch her documentary or see her live in the future, I would highly recommend it! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill… Reportedly she made this concert movie in part to allow everyone to see her show, including those who couldn’t attend. Respect!

I first heard of Billie Eilish sometime towards the end of the before times in the late 2010s, but I vividly remember 94.7 FM playing her song “Bad Guy” and digging it. However, I hadn’t explored much of her catalog and many of her amazing songs were yet to be released. Among the so-called “pop girlies,” she’s easily my favorite, both in terms of musicianship, and collaboration with her older brother Finneas, but also among the Gen Z celebrities… for several reasons. I was surprised to learn that she’s even younger than I thought, and still only 24 years old (born December 18, 2001) a whole 6 years younger than me!

First, she has a high degree of self confidence in writing and performing, but she seems quite grounded and humble given her enormous success. It’s clear she values her fans sincerely, and tries to connect with them the best she can. She’s walked the walk, and stood up for important causes for between voting, environmentalism, LGBTQ+ issues, bullying, and veganism among others when she didn’t have to. Also, she famously prohibited TicketFucker from allowing above face ticket resale on their platform (something I mentioned in my TicketFucker rant many posts ago, something few artists, let alone her size, have dared to do.) I mean what’s not to like?

I find it attractive and badass that since she’s had many male musician influences, she chooses to dress in more androgynous, less revealing attire, authentic to her own style, and still prove commercially successful and admired. Sure, there are some young pop women who are great musically, and also choose to focus more on the sex appeal element, but Billie Eilish proves you can still be pretty and attractive, without it being mandatory in pop culture. I think it’s nice to show younger generations, especially young girls but everyone, that you can be authentically yourself and inspire others.

I plan to talk more cool details soon about the movie and my favorite songs of hers, but suffice it to say for now, I liked Billie Eilish before today, and I like her even more now.

Pictured below: Billie and Finneas at The Forum in LA, January 18, 2020.