A lot has changed since Billie Eilish cleaned up at the 2020 Grammys. Since she won Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year at the Jan. 26 event, the world has been struck by a deadly global pandemic. COVID-19 has delayed albums, postponed festivals, canceled numerous events, and left us all wondering if life will ever be “normal” again. But, amid all that chaos and ruin, one thing remains certain: Billie Eilish still makes some interesting and engaging music, and she released her latest song, “my future,” on July 30.
While many fans were expecting something dark from Billie, she surprised everyone with a beautifully positive dance tune where she sang about loving herself and the person she’s growing into. The chorus goes: “‘Cause I, I’m in love // With my future // Can’t wait to meet her // And I (I), I’m in love // But not with anybody else // Just wanna get to know myself.” The 18-year-old also debuted an anime-style music video for it, featuring herself — green hair streak and all — on her search for what her future holds. What a perfect way to do a video during these times of social distancing and protecting against COVID-19.
Billie sent out an email to her subscribers list to talk about the meaning behind #myfuture pic.twitter.com/emWJ7qeer2
— Billie Eilish Updates (@eilishupdates) July 30, 2020
In advance of the song’s drop, Billie wrote in an e-mail to fans about the song’s meaning. “We wrote this at the very beginning of quarantine. It’s a song that’s really, really personal and special to me. When we wrote this song, it was exactly where my head was at — hopeful, excited and a craaaazy amount of self reflection and self growth. But recently it has also taken on a lot of new meaning in the context of what’s happening in the world now. I hope you can all find meaning in it for yourselves,” she explained.
“My future” is Billie’s first music since “No Time To Die,” her eponymous theme song to the upcoming James Bond film, released in February. The song continued Billie’s track record of success. It debuted at the No. 1 spot on the UK Singles chart, with 90,000 chart sales and 10.6 million streams. It’s only the second Bond theme to top the Singles Chart, with Sam Smith’s “Writing’s On The Wall” being the other. It also was her first No. 1 single in the United Kingdom, and she was the first female artist to take a Bond theme to the top. It debuted and peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, before going on to be certified Gold by the RIAA.
Billie said she was working on new music during the iHeartRadio’s ALTer EGO concert in January, per NME. When asked if she would release the follow-up to When We All Fall Asleep, Where DO We Go? In 2020, she said, “This year, no, but I will be making it this year. But next few years? It’s coming. When it’s made. It’s not made yet.” She also gave an update on her upcoming Apple TV+ documentary. “I’ve seen no part of it,” she added. “I’m terrified. I’m freaked out. They’ve been filming since like July of 2018 … Who has that much footage of them that they’ve never seen? I’m terrified.”
In the months of COVID-19, Billie has fearlessly used her platform to protest for Black Lives Matter and call out the New York Police Department after the cops claimed they were being vilified. She also called out President Donald Trump for his response to the killing of George Floyd. After Trump referred to protesters as “thugs,” Billie went on a rant. “ARE YOU DEAD F-CKING SERIUS? EAT A HUGE F-CKING D—K AND CHOKE ON IT.” She later composed her thoughts into a lengthier Instagram post, saying that, “IF I HEAR ONE MORE WHITE PERSON SAY ‘aLL liVeS MaTtEr’ ONE MORE F-CKING TIME IM GONNA LOSE MY F-CKING MIND… THE SLOGAN OF #blacklivesmatter DOES NOT MEAN OTHER LIVES DONT. IT’S CALLING ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT SOCIETY CLEARLY THINKS BLACK LIVES DON’T F-CKING MATTER!!!!!! AND THEY F-CKING DO!!!!!!”