If you are on social media as a musician, chances are, you’ve already bumped into this name being casually mentioned in the music community. Sometimes with a hint of humor, sometimes as a worthy opinion. Strategically positioning himself as a voice of influence and taste-making, Finneas, who is Billie Eilish’s real-life brother, boasts almost 2 million fans following his TikTok account. Oh yes, and a 2022 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Discover who’s the man and what he achieved through our choice of his top 5 songs.
5. Let’s Fall in Love for the Night, 2019
Born in 1997, the singer, producer, and actor Finneas Baird O’Connell has composed and produced for a plethora of A-listers including for his megastar sister, Billie Eilish. He has already won eight Grammy Awards but passed under the radar of mainstream media only catching up with Pop culture attention about the time the pandemic hit. That happened due to his knack for creating viral content on TikTok, being very meme-able, and sure enough, his own solo introduction as a singer on the market with his EP Blood Harmony. The lead single Let’s Fall in Love for the Night peaked at number 17 and 24 on the US Billboard Alternative Songs and Rock Airplay charts despite it being a Pop record.
4. I’m In Love Without You, 2017
If you wondered what we meant by him being an actor too, Finneas played a student in the comedy film Bad Teacher in 2011. In 2013, he co-starred in Life Inside Out, written by and starring his mother Maggie Baird. He had recurring guest roles on Modern Family and Aquarius, and played Alistair in the final season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee in 2015.
When you look back at his first music video, I’m In Love Without You, it’s pretty clear why Finneas would have an alternative career as an actor. His emotions are very palpable and credible. The song for the same music video is an interesting amalgamation of ASMR elements which he obviously implemented in Billie’s songs and a borderline Clean Bandit type of song.
3. Break My Heart Again, 2018
The man’s voice really comes through in this one. Break My Heart Again flaunts a very artsy music video all black-and-white forcing the audience to pay attention exclusively to the lyrics, piano, and vocals. The Indie Pop ballad talks about the singer’s breakup with his girlfriend via on and off texting featuring the real content of what went down between them as per Finneas’s admission. Beautiful and creative composition.
Finneas was born in Los Angeles to actress and screenwriter Maggie Baird and actor Patrick O’Connell, both of whom are also musicians. So it would seem the talent runs in the entire family’s blood.
2. Love is Pain, 2021
Love Is Pain smells like Billie Eilish. Same approach to muted vocals, effortless sing-talking, deep melancholic lyrics. Or, one might put it the other way around and say Billie is the female version of Finneas since he is the one composing and producing her hits so the similarities between the two were prone to stare us in the eyes sooner or later.
Finneas, unknowingly to many, produced the 2019 hit single Lose You to Love Me by Selena Gomez, two tracks on the 2019 album Romance by Camila Cabello, Moral of the Story by Ashe, and composed the score for the 2021 teen drama film The Fallout. Shocker, ay?
1. Shelter, 2019
Finneas penned Shelter initially in 2016 for Avicii but never found out if the Swedish musician heard his creation or not. Released in 2019, the song was mostly positively acclaimed by critics and gained favor with both new and old fans alike. While sounding like an Ed Sheeran song, Shelter is a brighter appearance in Finneas’s usually dark-themed repertoire.
Finneas wrote and produced the song Ocean Eyes originally for his band, The Slightlys, but gave it to his sister Billie when her dance teacher asked them to write a song for a choreography. The duo posted the song on SoundCloud, having gained immediate attention from music outlets and online magazines. Finneas’s manager reached out to him in November 2015 to talk about Eilish’s potential. Finneas then helped Eilish sign to the A&R company Platoon.
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If you want to make the world a better place by helping 50 stellar indie artists arduously working 24/7 to give you authentic music, stream the playlist below.
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