While many teens spent their Saturday night cramming for upcoming tests, 16-year-old phenomenon Billie Eilish kicked off her 1 by 1 tour.
Eilish’s first stop on her tour was at Fox Theater in Oakland on Saturday, Oct. 20. The concert started at 7:30 p.m. with Eilish’s brother, Finneas O’Connell, and Childish Major as opening acts.
Eilish, home schooled in Los Angeles by parents with artistic backgrounds, rapidly gained popularity in 2016 after uploading the song “Ocean Eyes” to SoundCloud at age 13. Fast forward two years and Eilish began her first tour promoting her new album “Don’t Smile at Me.” Later, in August of 2018, she performed at the Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco.
This is only the beginning for Eilish, whose second tour, 1 by 1, has sold out all across the nation. The tour is set to travel from California all the way to New York and then abroad. The latest song to be released is “When the Party’s Over” and has already hit number one on iTunes. During her performance at Fox Theater, she sang the unreleased song “6.18.18.” for the first time as a tribute to the late XXXTentacion.
Kate C.,a sophomore in college, said, “Billie’s music feels real and every song she has is different […] I get goosebumps sometimes. What’s different about Billie compared to other artists is she has her own sound […] she can do anything and it’ll sound good because of her mesmerizing voice.”
The teen sensation released her music video for “When the Party’s Over” following the performance and has received praise from artists and fans alike. Her creativity has increasingly drawn attention to her platform.
Eilish’s music has aspects of alternative, grunge, trap, and hip-hop which provides her audience with a wide range to connect to. Many of her songs in the album “Don’t Smile at Me” follow the theme of pain and love, however, she adds her own twist. She incorporates the idea that it’s okay to not be perfect all the time and yet still be unapologetically yourself.
Kate C. said, “Her energy and voice made getting pushed and squished all worth it […] when she performed ‘When the Party’s Over’ and ‘6.18.18’ I felt the emotion in her voice, especially ‘6.18.18.’ I bawled my eyes out crying because I felt the pain she was feeling.”
