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Earth Day 2024: Billie Eilish & Her Eco-Friendly Vinyl Releases

She emphasizes the importance of prioritizing environmental care over material wealth

Archivado en: Billie Eilish  •   Taylor Swift  •  

On April 22nd, Earth Day is celebrated, and one of the artists who commemorates it daily is Billie Eilish. From the very start of her career, she’s been a strong advocate for environmentalism, stressing the importance of doing our part to protect the planet. The singer behind «Bad Guy» is committed to sustainability and minimizing her ecological footprint, values instilled in her from her upbringing by her parents, which she aims to uphold throughout her career.

In a recent interview with Billboard, Billie, alongside her mother Maggie Baird, emphasized the importance of prioritizing environmental care over material wealth. Indeed, what worth is wealth if there’s no world to enjoy it in? Notably, one aspect that has drawn attention is Billie’s stance against something many musicians cherish: vinyl records. But why?  

The Reason

Musicians distribute their music across all formats: streaming platforms, CDs, special editions, vinyl… (and even cassettes, why not?), but this flood of formats isn’t something Billie Eilish is a fan of. “We live in this day and age where, for some reason, it’s very important to some artists to make all sorts of different vinyl and packaging. Which ups the sales and ups the numbers and gets them more money.” 

Todd Owyoung/Getty Images.

She made it clear that she sees it as wasteful, noting that: “It’s some of the biggest artists in the world making f–king 40 different vinyl packages that have a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more. It’s irritating to me that we’re still at a point where you care that much about your numbers and you care that much about making money.” Despite her good intentions, her comments led some to point fingers at a specific person: Taylor Swift. 

What Does Taylor Swift Have to Do with All of This? 

Fans of the artist and millions who have come across her statements might feel targeted, linking these words to the strategy that the «Cruel Summer» singer has employed in her recent releases. Ever since announcing her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, she mentioned that it would have five different versions. And as we all know, fans tend to buy them all. 

Nevertheless, the artist wanted to convey a message on her social media platforms to clarify that nothing she said during the interview was aimed at any specific artist. “It would be so awesome if people would stop putting words into my mouth and actually read what i said in that Billboard article. I wasn’t singling anyone out. These are industry-wide systemic issues and when it comes to variants, so many artists release them – including ME! which i clearly state in the article,” clarified the singer. 

It’s important to mention that she herself admits she didn’t fully live up to her ideals at the start of her career. There was a time when she sold vinyl records and various formats of her albums and EPs. However, now that she’s more aware, she’s committed to the environment and sustainability. So, the new versions and formats of her latest album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, in physical editions are eco-friendly.

We appreciate Billie’s concern for the planet, and we’re definitely looking forward to hearing her new music.