Current:Home > FinanceFinneas says working with sister Billie Eilish requires "total vulnerability" -InvestSmart Insights
Finneas says working with sister Billie Eilish requires "total vulnerability"
View
Date:2025-04-13 21:26:16
Finneas O'Connell and his younger sister, Billie Eilish, have become household names. Recently, their collaborative work on the hit song "What Was I Made For?" from the "Barbie" movie has earned them nominations for "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year" at the upcoming Grammy Awards.
The duo's small studio in the basement of Finneas' Los Angeles home is the birthplace of many of their songs together, including "Ocean Eyes," which went viral in 2015 and launched their careers.
Most of their songs together, including "What Was I Made For?" often come from spontaneous moments between the two in front of a piano.
"We sit here, co-piloting. The microphone that's over your shoulder. It's like a boom mic, and she'll just swing it around," Finneas said.
"I'm fairly certain that was how we wrote 'Barbie' was, I was sitting at the piano. And she was sitting here or maybe on the couch with the mic," he said.
Director Greta Gerwig approached Eilish and Finneas for a "heart song" for Barbie's character in the film. Gerwig showed the duo 40 minutes of the film, and the pair went to work, though they later revised a part of the original song they wrote.
"We wrote the whole song in like 45 minutes with a bad, with a terrible bridge that we ended up, um, rewriting," said Finneas.
Their melody was woven throughout the film's score, culminating in the emotional end to Barbie's journey. Their effort won Best Original Song at last weekend's Golden Globe Awards. Finneas calls seeing their music coexist with the scene of the movie "so powerful."
But not all projects were that straightforward.
Finneas said the pair faced challenges while creating the theme for the James Bond film "No Time To Die." Working with iconic composer Hans Zimmer in London, he said they felt immense pressure to live up to the legacy of James Bond themes.
"James Bond has such an ethos and a sort of a signature thing. That if — if you fail, you really, you really fail. You really miss the mark," Finneas said.
The result was a song that not only won critical acclaim but also earned them a Golden Globe, a Grammy and an Oscar.
Their journey began when Finneas was 18 and Eilish was 13, growing up in a musical household. Their mother, Maggie Baird, was also a songwriter.
At just 26 years old, Finneas is already an eight-time Grammy winner. He released his debut solo album "Optimist" in 2021, and is not slowing down. He's currently scoring director Alfonso Cuarón's upcoming Apple TV+ series "Disclaimer," and working on Eilish's new album, their third project together.
"I think that it's the closest I am with Billie to like total trust of anyone,"Finneas said. "And total vulnerability. I'm sure there's something that she would be embarrassed to say in front of me, but not much."
Anthony MasonAnthony Mason is senior culture and senior national correspondent for CBS News. He has been a frequent contributor to "CBS Sunday Morning," and is the former co-host for "CBS This Morning: Saturday" and "CBS This Morning."
Twitter InstagramveryGood! (3)
Related
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Israel says 4 hostages, including Noa Argamani, rescued in Gaza operation
- 10 injured in shooting at Wisconsin rooftop party
- Apple expected to enter AI race with ambitions to overtake the early leaders
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- Massive chunk of Wyoming’s Teton Pass crumbles; unclear how quickly the road can be rebuilt
- Republican challenger to Tester leans into his outsider status in Montana U.S. Senate debate
- Kia recalls about 460,000 Tellurides and tells owners to park outside because of fire risk
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Katie Holmes Makes Rare Comment About Daughter Suri While Reflecting on Style Evolution
Ranking
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- Michael Landon stubbornly failed to prioritize his health before cancer, daughter says
- NASCAR at Sonoma 2024: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Toyota/Save Mart 350
- Caitlin Clark Breaks Silence on Not Making 2024 Olympics Team
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Costco is switching up how it sells books. What it means for shoppers.
- Kyle Larson surges to second Sonoma win after fascinating NASCAR road-course race
- A freighter ship in Lake Superior collided with something underwater, Coast Guards says
Recommendation
Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
Trump to undergo probation interview Monday, a required step before his New York sentencing
Josh Maravich, son of Basketball Hall of Famer Pete Maravich, dies at 42
Methodist church regrets Ivory Coast’s split from the union as lifting of LGBTQ ban roils Africa
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
United Airlines passengers to see targeted ads on seat-back screens
Republican contenders for Mitt Romney’s open US Senate seat face off in Utah debate
Rainbow flags rule the day as thousands turn out for LA Pride Parade