It’s not a bad time to be Billie Eilish. The Los Angeles native hit the music scene just three years ago with her SoundCloud single “Ocean Eyes,” but now, she’s one of pop’s biggest — and youngest — stars. Her single “Bad Guy” is the only song by a person born in the 2000s to reach number one on the Billboard charts, making her a bona fide Gen Z icon. (Even Julia Roberts is a fan.) Now, the 17-year-old musician has received another honour: Eilish has been crowned Variety’s Hitmaker of the Year, getting her one step closer to Grammy gold in 2020.
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Variety began its Hitmakers list in 2017 to honour not only artists, but songwriters, producers, and more in the music industry. This year, Eilish is featured on the list alongside producer brother Finneas, whom she writes her music with. Other names honoured this year include Decade Award recipient Ellie Goulding, who released her first hit single “Lights” in 2010; “Breakthrough Artist” Megan Thee Stallion, whose track “Hot Girl Summer” became an empowering meme; and BTS, the K-Pop “Group of the Year” winners that rose to the level of global superstardom.
Eilish’s debut studio album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? is eligible for the Grammy awards this year, and given all the fanfare around Eilish, it seems inevitable that she will pick up at least a few trophies. We won’t know for sure if she’s nominated for the award show until Wednesday, which is when the Recording Academy officially releases its list of nominations.
Regardless of what happens Wednesday, Eilish has already had an incredible year. In addition to Variety’s honour, she recorded a remix of “Bad Guy” with her idol Justin Bieber, performed on Saturday Night Live, and was one of the most coveted performers to watch at Coachella.
As Eilish once said, you really should see her in a crown. She is pop’s reigning princess, after all.