What was Billie Eilish’s first song? Singer's music origins explored

Billie Eilish, the 22-year-old megastar who has made over 50 songs in the last nine years, has taken the world of music by storm. The Bad Guy singer first stumbled into this industry as a 13-year-old, not having the slightest idea that the song that she casually uploaded on SoundCloud would explode overnight.

Over the years, Eilish has released two EPs, two studio albums, and a series of singles, many of which have been used as soundtracks in movies and series. However, Ocean Eyes - the first song of hers that became extremely popular - continues to remain a favorite in the hearts of her fans.

Following its accident release in 2015, the bedroom pop ballad was re-released commercially in 2016 and was later added to her debut EP - Don't Smile At Me.

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Billie Eilish's Ocean Eyes was originally written by her brother for his band

Billie Eilish's Ocean Eyes has a special story behind it. Eilish's brother, Finneas, had originally written the song for his band - The Slightlys. Then Billie went to him to share how her dance instructor had asked her to create a song to choreograph next, and Finneas thought of the song.

In a 2017 interview with Teen Vogue, Billie Eilish revealed:

"[Finneas] told me he thought it would sound really good in my voice. He taught me the song and we sang it along to his guitar and I loved it. It was stuck in [my] head for weeks."

When the siblings were done recording the song, they uploaded it on SoundCloud with a free downloadable link so that Eilish's dance instructor could access it, from where it went viral overnight.

Ocean Eyes was later used as the soundtrack for the 2017 film, Everything, Everything, and spent 82 weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100. Eilish first performed the song live on her 1 by 1 tour in 2018, at the Coachella in April 2019, and at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2019.

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Billie Eilish performed Ocean Eyes with Lana Del Rey at Coachella 2024

Lana Del Rey, the Summertime Sadness singer, was headlining the opening night of Coachella 2024 on Friday, April 12, when, mid-performance, she invited Billie Eilish on stage, saying:

"That's voice of our generation, the voice of your generation. I'm so f***ing grateful she's standing next to me right now, singing my favorite song of hers."

By her "favorite" song of Eilish, Lana Del Rey meant Ocean Eyes, which the duo of singer-songwriters then performed together for the crowd at the music festival.

Their Ocean Eyes duet was followed by the two collaborating on Del Rey's Video Games from her 2012 studio album - Born to Die.

Following the performance, Billie Eilish also took a moment to praise Del Rey, who the Bad Guy singer described as her hero, saying:

"You really paved the way for everyone. People have been trying to look and sound like you since you started. I talk about this with Finneas. You changed the way the music industry sees and hears music, and you changed the way people sing."

Lana Del Rey was also full of admiration for the Six Feet Under singer on Coachella's stage, recalling how she first saw a video of her singing. She also remarked:

"It didn't feel like you were aspiring to be anything. It's crazy to have that magical quality."

Both award-winning singers have their upcoming studio albums due this year. Billie Eilish's Hit Me Hard and Soft is set to release on May 17, while Del Rey's Lasso is slated for September.