The Truth About Billie Eilish's Brother
With her eerily enchanting music, Billie Eilish is dominating the music industry right now. The singer has become a Gen-Z pop idol in a relatively short amount of time — thanks, in part, to her mesmerizing debut single, "Ocean Eyes." Eilish has her big brother, Finneas O'Connell, to thank for the single that catapulted her to stardom. O'Connell had originally written the haunting song for his band, The Slightlys. However, Eilish told Vogue that after hearing the band play the song, she fell in love with it and ended up recording it. The rest, of course, is history.
Since that initial SoundCloud single, O'Connell has been by his sister's side every step of the way. And while the 22-year-old might be one of his sister's songwriters, that doesn't mean he's living in her shadow. Here's what you need to know about Eilish's big brother who is a rising star in his own right (spoiler alert: he's not a "bad guy").
Finneas O'Connell has helped Billie Eilish top the charts
Billie Eilish is an incredibly talented artist in her own right, but it never hurts to have a little help from those who know you best. While "Ocean Eyes" was Eilish and Finneas O'Connell's first song that struck gold, it wasn't the pair's first time collaborating. Prior to the release of the debut single, the siblings had released two other songs on Soundcloud. The dynamic duo kept the momentum going with Eilish's debut EP, Don't Smile at Me, which O'Connell co-wrote and produced. The EP ended up peaking at #14 on the Billboard 200. The two teamed up again for the teen's debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, with O'Connell once again being credited as a co-writer and producer (via Billboard). The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200.
Despite the fact that O'Connell has definitely had a hand in his sister's success, don't expect any jealousy or sibling rivalry here. "It's so not competitive, [between Eilish and I]," he told Newsweek. "I have made all of her music with her, we perform every show together. Even if I wasn't involved in all of the creatives, I just think she's crazy talented and I wish the best for her."
Billie Eilish's brother is looking to climb the charts himself
Growing up in Los Angeles, the City of Stars, Finneas O'Connell was destined to become one himself. When he's not hard at work churning out hits for his sister, he's focusing on his own music career. Since 2016, O'Connell has been releasing singles under the stage name, FINNEAS, with his debut single being, "New Girl." In recent years, the singer has released several more singles, finally dropping his debut EP, Blood Harmony, in October 2019. And it goes without saying that the insanely talented 22-year-old wrote and produced all seven tracks by himself. While he might not be a household name like his little sister, O'Connell isn't sweating it. "I feel like every comment on my YouTube stuff is that I'm under-rated — which is very sweet and endearing — but I don't feel like this is necessarily true," the singer told Newsweek. "I feel like my rating is fine."
After all, fame and fortune isn't the reason O'Connell wanted to become a musician in the first place. "If you can use songs as a tool, vehicle for empathy and a deeper understanding of how people are feeling and how people's emotions work, there's a lot of good that can come from that," O'Connell told Atwood Magazine.
And that's what you missed on Glee
In addition to being a singer, songwriter, and producer, Finneas O'Connell is also an actor — is there anything this kid doesn't do? O'Connell is perhaps best known for his recurring role on the Fox hit show, Glee. He portrayed the character Alistair, a member of the New Directions, for four episodes during the show's final season. Since Glee involved just as much singing as it did acting, it seems like the perfect gig for a singer who's trying to hone his acting chops.
O'Connell also did a stint on the ABC sitcom, Modern Family. Screen endeavors aside, the 22-year-old has also appeared in a few movies, including the 2011 comedy Bad Teacher starring Cameron Diaz. Seeing as how O'Connell's last acting gig was in 2015, right before Billie Eilish shot to fame, it seems like he's put his acting career on the back burner for now.
If you think Eilish's brother is fascinating, the untold truth of the star herself will blow you away.