2019 was the year of Billie Eilish. Her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, was released to critical acclaim and reached the top of Billboard 200 and featured many hit songs we could not avoid, such as "Bad Guy" and "Bury A Friend."
Once the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards rolled around, it would become Billie's biggest night of her career, taking home almost all of her nominations and winning the big award for Album of the Year. To celebrate Billie's huge success, here's a throwback of her first 10 singles in chronological order.
10 Ocean Eyes (November 16, 2016)
As the first song to give Billie mainstream attention, "Ocean Eyes" was first released on SoundCloud in 2015. The song was originally written by her brother Finneas and recorded for his band, but he thought her voice would be perfect for the song.
The rest would become history once the two siblings worked on the song together and uploaded it to SoundCloud, gaining widespread traction as a result. For a song intended for her brother's band and Billie's dance teacher, they made the right call to have her sing the lyrics.
9 Six Feet Under (November 17, 2016)
Similar to "Ocean Eyes," "Six Feet Under" was also released on SoundCloud before becoming a single by Interscope and Darkroom Records. The song has been compared to her previous single, being just as somber and melancholic.
It is a dark take on someone recovering from intense heartache while using the song's title to coincide with something that has passed on. "Six Feet Under" was also used as the trailer song for American Horror Story: 1984, giving Billie some more subtle media attention.
8 Bellyache (February 24, 2017)
To expand on her lyrical content, Billie's next single, "Bellyache," focuses on the perspective of a psychopathic person. As she describes it in Teen Vogue, it is entirely fictional and brings thought-provoking messages that can be incorporated into real-life situations.
Billie was only 15 by the time this song released and the tone, music, and lyrics make her feel grownup by teaching the concept of overall guilt. With the song also taking inspiration from V For Vendetta, "Bellyache" is a brilliantly crafted song overall.
7 Bored (March 30, 2017)
So far, one song from Billie has been featured in trailers, but when "Bored" came around, it would give the teenage singer more recognition for the song being featured on the 13 Reasons Why soundtrack.
The song's message fits some of the themes from the show, being centered around a person in a relationship with someone who does not care about their needs or wants. That person tries to help them, but it was sadly, only in vain.
6 Watch (June 30, 2017)
Before releasing her debut album in 2019, Billie previously worked on an EP titled Don't Smile at Me. Her first single for the extended play was "Watch," which showcases a person leaving a toxic relationship behind.
It is one of Billie's most powerful songs and with it being written and produced by her brother, it makes "Watch" a compelling and soul-crushing song that deals with sensitive subjects.
5 Copycat (July 14, 2017)
With a simple title like "Copycat," the song has a simple premise but features smart lyrics and fantastic vocals by Billie. Accompanied by hip-hop-influenced instrumentals, the song knows how to set the mood while also grabbing the listener's attention.
Billie can manage to write a song about anything mundane, such as someone copying what she does, and make it entirely original. On SoundCloud, it has almost 20 million plays and is currently her 13th most listened to song on the site.
4 Idontwannabeyouanymore (July 21, 2017)
You would just be surprised at how many singles Billie has on her EP. The next one, "Idontwannabeyouanymore," is her fifth single from Don't Smile at Me. Unlike her previous single, "Copycat," "Idontwannabeyouanymore" is a complete 180 in lyrical meaning.
But Billie makes the song personal, stating her doubts and flaws, such as lacking confidence in herself and dealing with constant negative emotions. One of the scariest realizations is, as Billie puts it, that you will always be you no matter what mistakes you make or accomplishments you achieved.
3 My Boy (July 28, 2017)
Taking inspiration from her first-ever single, Billie comes back to the subject of being in a failed relationship, but in a more positive approach. "My Boy" explores the fact that Billie knows her partner is lying, but instead of moping and mourning heavily, she takes full control and is able to get through the hardships.
With lyrics such as, "My boy's bein' sus and he don't know how to cuss/He just sounds like he's tryna be his father," Billie remains strong and confident.
2 &Burn (December 17, 2017)
"&Burn" is essentially just a remix of "Watch," but features vocals from Vince Staples, famous for being part of the trio Cutthroat Boyz. But it also acts as a sequel to "Watch," containing more lyrics from Vince.
According to Genius, the song, "strips away the piano melodies and trades the sensual voices for subdues and synthetic ones." Since Billie's first choice for the rapping vocals were Vince, you could tell she was ecstatic that he lent his voice to bring another version of "Watch" to life.
1 B*tches Broken Hearts (March 30, 2018)
Following the themes from previous singles "Six Feet Under" and "My Boy," Billie brings the subject of a breakup again with "B*tches Broken Hearts." The lyrics focus on what happens after the breakup and brings up bitter realities of how two people together will not always be meant to be.
In the song, Billie acts like she never cared or needed her ex, but in reality, it was just to shield herself from the pain. Despite this, the two will eventually have to move on, but they will find someone who will treat them better.