It's March 26, 2023, Air Max Day and this is being celebrated in a big way. In the Sneakerjagers The Untold Story community challenge, we tell the untold stories behind Nike's successful works and collaborations. After Tinker Hatfield's story behind the Air Max 1 'Big Bubble' and Michael Jordan's story, today we're talking about Billie Eilish. Told by Sneakerjagers, here you can learn more about the singer-songwriter who took over the world.
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish, full name Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell, is a 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. Known for her distinctive style, unique voice, and annual Vanity Fair interviews, the singer has quickly taken over the world with her songs. Along with her brother Finneas O'Connell, she writes and produces all her songs herself, staying close to her own sound.
Since her breakthrough in 2015, the singer has accomplished a lot. With multiple Grammys under her belt, broken Guinness World Records, and even an Oscar for her song 'No Time To Die', written for the 2022 James Bond movie, the 21-year-old is on her way to becoming one of the biggest artists of the generation.
Yet Billie's success did not come out of the blue either, and the singer has had to endure a lot to get to where she is today. In her Vanity Fair interviews, she talks openly about her mental problems, broken relationships, and the downsides of being famous. Billie's career looks like an overnight success, but nothing could be further from the truth.
No record label
At the age of 13, Billie released her debut single 'Ocean Eyes' in 2015, along with her brother Finneas (then 18). The song was posted on Soundcloud and was listened by millions in no time. Currently, the song has more than a billion streams on Spotify and other streaming services.
Despite the great success of 'Ocean Eyes', Billie was not immediately signed to a record label. This only motivated the singer more to make songs, and together with her brother, she recorded one song after another. Her debut EP 'Don't Smile At Me' was recorded in its entirety in Finneas' bedroom, as well as other successful songs by the two siblings.
In late 2016, a month before Billie's 15th birthday, she was signed to the record label Darkroom/Interscope. Under this label, she released her debut album 'WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO' in 2019.
With hits like 'Bad Guy', 'Bury A Friend', and 'When The Party's Over', her album won her seven Grammys in 2020. In 2022, she won her first Oscar as one of the youngest artists ever.
Mental health
In 2021, AppleTV came out with the documentary "Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry". The documentary, directed by R.J. Cutler, gave an insight into the young artist's life. Despite Billie's great successes, the film gave a realistic picture of her life and told the singer that she suffered from depression for many years.
She also expresses her mental problems in her songs, such as 'Everything I Wanted'. In an interview with David Letterman in 2022, she talks about Tourette's syndrome for the first time. The singer has suffered from tics since childhood. Despite being at peace with her tics herself, Billie told Letterman that the lack of understanding from others can sometimes cause irritation.
On stage, she does not suffer from this and goes wild like no other. Billie is known for her energetic way of performing and has even suffered injuries in the past during her concerts. Despite her great success worldwide, she remains humble and owes everything she has achieved to her fans: "I don't even call them fans. I don't like that. They're literally just a part of my life; they're a part of my family," Billie said.
Nike collab
Billie is known for her unique, oversized street style. With her signature outfits, consisting of oversized tees, hoodies, and shorts, Billie sets the tone and this did not go unnoticed by Nike. In 2021, Billie released her first sneaker in collaboration with Nike, the Air Jordan 1 Retro AJKO 'Ghost Green'.
Since then, the two have been inseparable. The bright green sneaker was followed by a striking (vegan) Air Jordan 15 'Beige'. Compared to other Air Jordan models, the Air Jordan 15 silhouette is not Nike's most well-known or beloved sneaker, which Billie said gave it all the more reason to use this model in her collab.
In 2023, the two reunited and Billie released several colorways of the Air Force 1. The sneakers were given a pieced patchwork and a unique look. Aside from the music industry, Billie doesn't seem to be played out in the sneaker scene either. In any case, we are fans.
The Untold Story
Especially for Air Max Day, Sneakerjagers is coming up with 'The Untold Story'. In The Untold Story, a community challenge in collaboration with Nike, we tell the success stories of the 'Big Bubble', Michael Jordan, and Billie Eilish under the motto 'failure that leads to success'. It is often the untold stories that can actually inspire one.
As with Billie Eilish, who endured many setbacks, achieving success lies in learning from your mistakes. A recurring theme in Sneakerjagers' The Untold Story. From March 21 through March 26, 2023, you can read more untold stories via the Sneakerjagers app.
In partnership with Nike, we are also giving away 3x the Nike Air Max 1 '86 'Big Bubble'. Read the terms and conditions of the challenge here. Keep an eye on our Instagram and read more untold stories.
Also, don't forget to download the Sneakerjagers app and stay up to date on The Untold Story community challenge.
