The search for ‘the new Billie’ is undoubtedly under way. But how will record labels attempt to replicate her success?
Last week, Billie Eilish released her masterfully mournful Bond theme, No Time to Die – a huge swoop of a song that wants to bottle a feeling of timelessness. It ratchets up what has already been quite the year already for her, as last month she became the youngest person to win best record, best song and album of the year (as well as best new artist) at the Grammys.
The record business abhors a vacuum, so when it sees any sort of success happening it just wants to counterfeit more of the same. Hence the chart avalanche of glum boys – in the mould of Sheeran and Capaldi – who lack combs or ironing boards but make up for it with a lucrative line in the lachrymose. Likewise, the search for “the new Billie Eilish” is undoubtedly under way.