Billie Eilish (Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell) caught a rocket at the age of 15 when her first major single, “Ocean Eyes,” took off. In the scant four years since, she has released three hit albums and racked up an array of awards that would be impressive for an artist at the end of a long career, including seven Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, two Guinness World Records, three MTV Video Music Awards, and two Brit Awards. In 2020, Eilish became the youngest artist in Grammy history (and one of only two ever) to win all four general field categories — Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year — for her album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and its hit single, “Bad Guy.”
Her newest album, Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, drops July 30, and the artist is celebrating the release in true L.A. style with a filmed performance of the entire 16-song cycle performed with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic on stage at the Hollywood Bowl.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez and by Oscar-winner Patrick Osborne, the film will capture “an intimate performance of every song in the album’s sequential order for the first and only time,” according to an LA Phil press release. Other performers joining Dudamel and the LA Phil include Eilish’s brother Finneas O’Connell, the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, and the renowned Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo. Orchestra arrangements are by David Campbell. The film also includes animated elements that take viewers on a “dreamlike journey through Billie’s hometown of Los Angeles and its most iconic backdrops.”
The Disney+ channel will host the special beginning Sept. 3.
Eilish said about the project, “Disney is incredibly iconic, so to collaborate on something like this is a huge honor. To be able to present my album in this way and dedicate it to the city that I love and grew up in is so exciting to me. I hope you love it.”
Director Rodriguez commented, “We are all huge admirers of Billie and Finneas here in our household. They are such impressive, world-class talents that it’s a real honor to work with them on this film. The way the narrative story and animated pieces weave through her incredible concert performance makes this a spectacular event that is truly unique.”
Disney’s Gary Marsh added, “Billie’s musical evolution, coupled with her singular vision in crafting this special, establishes her as one of this generation’s premiere artists and storytellers. She delivers a concert experience like no other.”
