LOS ANGELES, Nov 22 –– From a teenager writing songs with her brother on a MacBook to mega superstar, Billie Eilish has certainly come a long way.
It’s fitting then that she adds yet one more accolade as the year comes to a close: Apple Music’s Artist of the Year 2024.
This is the second time she has won the award, being its first-ever recipient in 2019.
At only 22 years old, Eilish already has two Academy Awards as well as nine Grammy Awards in total, with her Barbie movie track What Was I Made For? winning her the Oscar and two Grammys.
That song has proven to be a mainstay on social media with it being used in countless TikTok videos and for a while, was as inescapable as America Ferrera’s Barbie monologue.
Her third full-length album Hit Me Hard and Soft hit No.1 on Apple Music’s all-genre albums charts in 138 countries worldwide solidifying her status as one of the most popular artists of the year.
It’s also been a busy 2024 for Eilish in other ways –– she performed her smash hit Birds of a Feather at the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympics which spiked searches of her song on Shazam and then collaborated with Charli XCX on another big track Guess.
The singer is also busy performing on her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour that will extend into 2025.
Apple Music’s senior director of content and editorial, Rachel Newman, said: “From the moment we first heard Ocean Eyes nearly a decade ago, we’ve been fans and champions of Billie’s work.”
“It’s always special when a young artist can connect with so many people so quickly. But what’s been truly remarkable about watching her evolve over the course of this last year isn’t just that her voice and artistry have continued to resonate so widely. It’s that she’s blossomed as bravely and honestly as she has –– on her own terms, in her own way,” she said.
On receiving the award, Eilish told Apple Music: “Since day one, Apple Music has supported my music and artistry, and I am both honoured and humbled to receive this recognition as Artist of the Year this many years into my career.”
Hungry for more music as well as Eilish’s? Check out Apple Music’s selections of its editors’ favourite albums of 2024.
