Billie Eilish Makes the Case for Shorter Albums & Shorter Shows
Written by djfrosty on May 28, 2024
Billie Eilish wants to keep things short and sweet.
On May 17, Eilish released her third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, with a brisk 10 tracks. Then over the holiday weekend, some statements she made via the Stationhead app went viral about the increasing run-time of some high-profile concerts.
“I’m not doing a three-hour show,” Eilish says in fan recordings of the comments. “That’s literally psychotic. Nobody wants that. You guys don’t want that. I don’t want that. I don’t even want that as a fan. My favorite artist in the world, I’m not trying to hear them for three hours. That’s far too long.”
On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about Eilish’s perspective — weighing what is possible and healthy for an artist versus what a fan wants from a concert. Listen to the full conversation below:
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Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department and Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft team up for a big week, as the two albums both exceeded 300,000 equivalent album units each in the same week — the first time that’s happened in eight years. While Swift is steady at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Eilish debuts at No. 2 with a career best in terms of units earned. Plus, all 10 of the new album’s songs debut on the Billboard Hot 100, including a top five arrival for “Lunch.”
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)