POPJUICE

Save for lending her vocals to the soundtrack of the upcoming Bond film, Billie Eilish has largely remained out of the spotlight in this year of the pandemic.

So when she announced earlier this week that she would be dropping a new tune on Thursday, people were quick to speculate what my future would be about. Would it be another scathing wake-up call about our climate in crisis? Or perhaps, furthering the discussions about body image that Eilish started earlier this year.

The song, as it turns out, is about neither of those things. Taking a page out of Christina Aguilera’s hit ballad Beautiful, Eilish sings about fake friends (“And you don’t seem to notice I’m not here”) and placing oneself as a priority. “I’m in love / But not with anybody else / Just wanna get to know myself,” she declares. It’s a moment of vulnerability that’s made convincing with her soft, meandering voice.

And just when you think that the song is going to remain a ballad, the drums kick in at the halfway point to make for an upbeat, almost R&B affair, the likes of Sabrina Claudio and Alina Baraz. It’s a nice continuation from her 2019 single, everything I wanted, that also allows her to deliver some great vocal runs—not exactly something we’ve come to expect from the singer.

For all the twists and turns and jaw-dropping moments she’s had with her craft, we can hardly wait to meet Billie Eilish’s future, too.