9 Memorable Covers of Billie Eilish Songs

Billie Eilish has been called the voice of Generation Z, counting artists such as Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong among her fans. According to her touring manager, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke once even told the young star, “You’re the only one doing anything f—ing interesting nowadays.”

But musicians of all genres have been doing more than just singing her praises — they’ve literally been singing her songs. Here are some of the most memorable covers of Eilish’s music — which she pens with brother and collaborator Finneas — since she first started making waves with 2016’s viral song “Ocean Eyes.”

Alicia Keys, “Ocean Eyes”

In August 2019, the 15-time Grammy champ offered her stripped-down take on Eilish’s debut song. In a video shared on Instagram, Keys sings emotionally while playing the piano, giving “Ocean Eyes” a soulful feel. A few months later, she covered the tune once more, this time recording it for Spotify’s Single Series.

Vitamin String Quartet, “Bad Guy”

There have been several notable covers of this Billboard Hot 100 hit, which spent 49 weeks on the chart. But one of the most memorable is VSQ’s take, which soundtracked a scene in the third episode of Bridgerton’s steamy debut season. The quartet may have made the song suitable for a ballroom scene in a period romance series, but it also added to the fun with its bouncy strings, even sans vocals.

LeAnn Rimes, “When the Party’s Over”

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How do we live without this cover? Rimes delivered her knockout take of the seventh track from Eilish’s debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, during The Masked Singer season 4. Performing as The Sun, eventual winner Rimes let her vocals shine during her chill-inducing performance that left judges Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger mesmerized.

Chika, “My Future”

The rapper took on Eilish’s first single from her sophomore album for Spotify Singles after being nominated for the best new artist Grammy in 2020, the same award the pop star won in 2019. Like the original, Chika’s version starts softly, but the similarities end there. By the second verse, the song’s lyrics have completely changed to reflect the rapper’s own style, before ultimately transitioning back to Eilish’s original pre-chorus and chorus.

The Interrupters, “Bad Guy”

How do make a rockin’ song even more rockin’? In the case of “Bad Guy,” get LA ska-punk group The Interrupters on the case. The band added an extra touch of rebel ‘tude thanks to singer Aimee Interrupter, and the swingy trombone work by Billy Kottage.

Miley Cyrus, “My Future”

Eilish may be known for her whispery vocals, but Cyrus? Not so much. Nevertheless, the “Wrecking Ball” singer took on the subtle song during her BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge performance in September 2020, injecting a bit of the fun rock ‘n’ roll attitude she’s had as of late, with a curl of her lip here, a wag of her finger there, and wrapping the final lyrics as a powerful declaration and a joke: “I’m in love/ BUT NOT WITH ANYBODY ELSE!/ See you in a couple years … but probably not!”

Wynonna Judd, “Everything I Wanted”

As part of her “Love Notes” covers series, the country star took on the song that nabbed the record of the year Grammy at the 2021 ceremony, and added a country feel with her bluesy vocals. Judd explained to CMT that she wanted her cover to tell the young star, “Billie, I see you. I hear you.”

Chanyeol, “Bad Guy”

Chanyeol of South Korean-Chinese boy band EXO tried his hand at covering Billie’s hit for the trailer of his film The Box. Anyone expecting the smash to be transformed into K-pop would’ve been surprised by Chanyeol’s initially soft take on the pop hit before his version kicks it up several notches with a squealing guitar and bossa nova sound.

Machine Gun Kelly, “Ocean Eyes”

What would Eilish’s delicate debut song sound like with more of a rock vibe? MGK answered that question with his 2019 take, which featured sleek production and the rapper-rocker singing more softly than he’s generally known for. But try as he might, he even admits at the end of the song that he can’t match Eilish’s higher range.

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Can Holly+ Solve the Problem of Deepfake Vocals?

What would it sound like if Billie Eilish explained the GameStop short squeeze? What if Bob Dylan sang Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time”? Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, these bizarre queries are becoming a dystopian reality as fans, hobbyists and scammers mimic the voices of their favorite stars. 

For singers and rappers, these so-called “deepfake” vocals also present a looming threat as the technology rapidly improves, and the line becomes less discernible between re-creation and reality. Currently, most musical deepfakes are created in jest or homage by music fans, but however well-intentioned, deepfake vocals are almost always unauthorized uses of an artist’s voice. Because the human voice is not covered under copyright law and the underriding technology is so novel, this places AI vocals in a state of legal limbo, leaving artists vulnerable to identity theft and with no compensation for the use of their likeness.

Though there is evidence to suggest “publicity” or “personality” rights may provide some pathway to legal recourse for the commercial use of a public figure’s voice (like Tom Waits v. Frito Lay, a 1992 lawsuit in which the singer sued Frito Lay for the unauthorized impersonation his voice for a commercial and won), these rights vary from state-to-state and still have yet to address a case specific to the new frontier of AI-rendered vocals.

But for experimental electronic musician Holly Herndon, who has been working at the intersection of music and artificial intelligence for years, including a doctoral stint at Stanford University, she sees this space as a brave new world for musicians. Instead of fighting to destroy the inevitable behemoth of AI, Herndon is showing others how to control it and even use it to their advantage by releasing her new AI voice instrument, Holly+.

Created with start-up Never Before Heard Sounds and longtime collaborator Mat Dryhurst, Holly+ is a cloud-based instrument that allows users to upload up to five minutes of audio and map a rendering of Herndon’s voice over top. Programmed through the amalgamation of hours of Herndon’s voice recordings, the Holly+ instrument solves a few of the biggest challenges with AI voice renderings, most notably, the ownership and monetization of one’s digital likeness. “We’re really trying to figure out robust, foundational logic for how to deal with this technology through Holly+,” says Dryhurst. 

Instead of sticking a price tag to Herndon’s vocal likeness, the team decided to make the instrument available and free to all and to monetize the project in a way that wouldn’t exclude any users in the process. “We truly want people to play around with it,” Herndon explains. “Because I feel like for a lot of people, it’s kind of mysterious how this works. Of course, it still is somewhat mysterious, but people can at least get a better sense of the technology.” 

The groundbreaking monetization process of Holly+ has already begun. For the past week, users of Holly+ are able to upload creations made with the tool to be considered for the official Holly+ NFT (non fungible token) collection. This will be the first of multiple Holly+ NFT collections, and the submission process closes tonight. Like a digital gallery of AI-based musical works, Herndon and other team members will sift through submissions and choose their favorites to showcase in the collection which will be sold on the NFT marketplace Zora. This allows Herndon and the team the power to choose which songs are given official value, something that Dryhurst compares to the current practice of authorizing remixes. “A similar model already exists there. The official remixes made, authorized by the artist themselves, are more valuable because they are recognized. I think this will become the standard.” 

The NFT collection also offers a rare opportunity for users to be supported by the artist who created the tool. “It’s a marketplace provided by the artist themselves. I think that could also be an interesting future model for fan engagement,” says Herndon. Covering the costs of minting the officially selected NFTs and providing a platform for users, Holly+’s method of monetization lowers barriers of entry for users and allows Herndon control over the use of her voice. “There’s a couple ways of dealing with this. You could have crazy punitive digital rights management, or you could have a completely free tool for all. We’re trying to find the happy medium,” Herndon explains. 

Proceeds from the sale of the Holly+ NFT collection would be distributed 50% to the creator, 40% to the investment of future tools (governed by a decentralized autonomous organization or “DAO”), and 10% to Herndon directly as a royalty for the use of her likeness. “This is no get rich quick scheme,” Herndon says.

“But this model promises to solve a bunch of issues in terms of official attribution and revenue,” Dryhurst adds.

Although this model compensates Herndon for the attribution of her voice and the creator using the instrument, it still does not remunerate Never Before Heard Sounds or Dryhust directly for their contributions to the project. “We’re still trying to figure out what the business model is,” admits Chris Deaner, co-founder of Never Before Heard Sounds. “A lot of this project is proof of concept and gaging what the appetite is from users. With Holly+ we’ve found there truly is a lot of interest.”

Instead, for now, the music tech up start will remain a “lean team,” of just Deaner and co-founder Yotam Mann, continually testing new products and determining the path to monetization along the way. Mann and Deaner will also participate, along with Dryhust, as members of the DAO and will have voting power in the creation of future tools and in the curation of the NFT collection. 

The monetization of AI voice models is still in its infancy, but Holly+ offers novel solutions to the growing and inevitable use of machine learning in music. “This is a conversation starter, and this is something we are trying to figure out in public,” says Herndon. “I think there are going to be some uncomfortable moments that come up, and we’ll just have to figure it out together.” Mann adds, “eventually, we think it’s going to revolutionize music.” The auction for the first set of Holly+ NFTs will take place this September.

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T.3 Covers Olivia Rodrigo In Quarterfinals of ‘AGT’: Watch

2021 is the year of Olivia Rodrigo. The California teen blasted to No. 1 around the world with “Drivers License” and, then, “Good 4 U.”

Her smash hit album Sour also went to No. 1, pretty much everywhere. And she made chart history as the first female artist to simultaneously chart 11 or more songs in the Hot 100’s top 30.

Need more proof of her all-powerful status? Look no further than the quarter finals of America’s Got Talent, where the vocal trio T.3 tackled one of Rodrigo’s hits.

The singing group is a TikTok sensation and they made more fans Tuesday night (Aug. 17) with a cover of “Good 4 U,” showcasing their harmonies, high pitches and movement.

Count Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel among their new fans. Both judges gave a standing ovation. “I love it,” Vergara enthused afterwards. “The energy is amazing.”

Earlier, the “tenors” of Liam, Brendan and Jim breezed through the audition round with a performance of Panic! At The Disco’s “Into The Unknown,” earning a “yes” from all four judges.

Watch their QF effort below.

 

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Reservoir Media Revenue Up 23%, Adds $142M for Acquisitions

Reservoir Media — music’s newest publicly traded company — improved its quarterly revenues by 23% to $12.3 million in the period spanning April 1 to July 1, the company announced in its second quarter earnings report Tuesday (Aug. 17). This was Reservoir’s first earnings report since going public on July 28.

Catalog acquisitions — $112.3 million in the quarter, including the June 2 purchase of Tommy Boy Music for $100 million — and organic growth from existing catalog amid the booming music streaming market, helped drive the $3.1 million improvement.

Expect more acquisitions throughout 2021 after Reservoir’s July 28 merger with the Roth CH Acquisition II Co., a special purpose acquisition company that netted Reservoir $142 million and provided an alternative to a traditional — and more costly and time-consuming — IPO on the Nasdaq. Golnar Khosrowshahi, founder and CEO, said the company is in “a strong position to capitalize on the powerful secular tailwinds we’re seeing across the music business and around the globe.”

Reservoir’s acquisitions since forming in 2007 total $569 million – including $112 million in Q2 – that’s up 24.3% compared to the same period last year. Among its purchases have been Chrysalis Records in 2019 and in 2020 the catalog of Bob Crewe, a songwriter for The Four Seasons and “Lady Marmalade” by Labelle, among many other lasting hits.

Reservoir’s share price dropped 6.1% to $7.41 on Tuesday. It has fallen 28.1% from $9.49 on July 29, its first day of trading on the Nasdaq after the merger closed.

Financial metrics (Q2 2021 vs. Q2 2020):

  • Revenue: $16.7 million, up 22.5%
  • Music publishing revenues; $12.3 million, up 8.1%
  • Recorded music revenues: $4.2 million, up 93.8%
  • Operating income before depreciation and amortization: $4.4 million, down 7.9%
  • Operating income: $282,000, down 78.4%

Items of note from the quarter:

  • Reservoir’s $617,000 loan under the Paycheck Protection Plan was forgiven.
  • The merger with Roth CH Acquisition II Co gave Reservoir $142 million after closing costs.
  • Music publishing performance royalties declined 14.2% year-on-year due to COVID-19 business restrictions and closures that affected retail, restaurants, bars, gyms, live shows, synchronization revenue and physical sales.
  • Quarterly revenue was 16% greater than the previously stated forecast.

Key events in Q2 and Q3 2021:

  • Reservoir acquired Tommy Boy Music for $100 million on June 2.
  • Completed merger with Roth CH Acquisition II Co on July 28.
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Watch The Boyz Talk ‘THRILL-ING’ New EP & The Song They Can ‘Enjoy on Any Stage’

K-pop group The Boyz are back with their new mini-album THRILL-ING to encapsulate the thrill of summer. It’s their first project since their appearance on the Mnet competition show Kingdom: Legendary War and since their last album CHASE, which was released 11 months ago.

The Boyz’s new six-track EP represents the various emotions associated with the word “thrill” in the unique style of the band, and each track depicts the different emotions of excitement, fear, exhilaration and trepidation. The song “THRILL RIDE” kicks off with the bouncy rhythms of excitement, which stretches to the more dynamic sound of “Out of Control.” The album also includes a breezy midtempo number with romantic lyrics called “Dancing Till We Drop,” as well as the signature track of the dream series “Nightmares,” with surreal sounds presenting the emotion of fear while offering an unexpected twist to the mix. The musical journey of the album is completed by “Merry Bad Ending” with the impressive synth sounds of a heartbeat and “B.O.Y (Bet On You),” which illustrates the excitement of a summer night.

Among the six tracks, “THRILL RIDE” was unanimously chosen by all members to inspire the mini-album’s title. Q said: “When I first listened to ‘THRILL RIDE,’ I knew this was the song we could all enjoy on any stage.” Indeed, anyone who watched their performance of the song would agree that it is a feast for the eyes and ears with the catchy lyrics of “th-thrill ride, th-thrill ride” and the stylish choreography known as the “rollercoaster dance.” The music video also showcases a playful side of the boys for the entire four minutes, making it feel like being on summer vacation with bright and electrifying visuals of poolside sun loungers, the sunny basketball court and the amusement park.

While the previous albums REVEAL and CHASE focused on the more powerful side of each member, the new album is able to highlight the energetic and mature images of the boys with a hint of their playfulness.

Debuting in 2017, the 11-piece act gained much more public recognition by winning on the Mnet competition show Road to Kingdom. They were the runner-ups on the sequel Kingdom: Legendary War, where their song “KINGDOM COME,” which they performed in the final round, nabbed the No. 7 spot on the Billboard K-pop 100 — their first-ever song to hit the top 10 on a Billboard chart. It definitely marked one of the most rewarding moments for them, as three years of participation in competition shows and hard work on seven albums as a team had finally paid off.

Following the remarkable achievements after the debut, fans’ expectations for THRILL-ING are higher than ever — and those expectations seem to have already been met. “THRILL RIDE” debuted at No. 81 on the Billboard K-pop 100 and has topped the iTunes Songs chart in 16 countries. The first-week album sales of 520,000 units are more than double the unit sold with the fifth EP CHASE. Not to anyone’s surprise, all these impressive records are only the beginning for a band with a very promising and thrilling future.

Watch Billboard Japan’s interview with The Boyz below:

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