By Jasmine Lee
Staff Writer
Following criticism, Billie Eilish is offering clarity regarding her comments in a Billboard interview about sustainability in the production of vinyl variations by well-known artists.
In an interview with Billboard on March 28, Eilish expressed her passion for sustainability and bringing these efforts to fix some things within the music industry.
As soon as people noticed Eilish criticizing larger artists for releasing numerous vinyl variants of their albums for fans to collect, they swiftly overlooked her accomplishments and efforts toward sustainability.
“I find it really frustrating as somebody who really goes out of my way to be sustainable and do the best that I can and try to involve everybody in my team in being sustainable — and then 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,” said Eilish.
People began expressing their opinions on the issue through TikTok and other platforms, leading to Eilish facing backlash for revealing that her upcoming album “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” will have seven different vinyl variants, with a release date of May 17.
The public also noted that Taylor Swift is facing criticism for releasing numerous variants of her recent albums. Eilish is now being targeted by Swift’s fanbase, accusing her of being “rude” and “a bully” toward Swift. Fans of both artists are engaging in heated debates in the comments section of certain TikToks to express their opinions on the issue.
The puzzling aspect of this situation is how Swift’s fans often jump to the conclusion that when another artist mentions “bigger artists,” they must be referring exclusively to her.
While it makes sense to connect the two due to Swift’s history of releasing multiple album versions, such as the eight variants of “Folklore” in 2020 and the six versions of “Midnights” in 2022, many other artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Harry Styles and Beyoncé have also done this. Therefore, fans of Swift assuming Eilish was specifically referring to Swift isn’t credible.
As stated in an article by Today, Eilish posted a response to the negative comments on her Instagram story, where she talked about her frustrations.
“Okay, so it would be awesome if people would stop putting words into my mouth and actually read what I said in that Billboard article,” said Eilish.
She continued by explaining that she hadn’t targeted any specific individual and pointed out that many artists release multiple variants, so it’s unclear who she was specifically referring to.
Similarly to other artists, Eilish admits that she releases these variants and holds herself accountable, adding that “the climate crisis is urgent, and it's up to all of us to be mindful of our impact and strive to do better, sheesh.”
In the Billboard interview, she stated how some well-liked artists only care about profit and increasing their popularity. Eilish then proceeded to express her desire for vinyl restrictions.
“I would love to see limits, like no more than four colors. Or some kind of rules, because you can’t fault an artist for playing the No. 1 game,” said Eilish.
Eilish also mentioned that although her album “Happier Than Ever” was released with eight different vinyl variants, each of them was crafted using 100% recycled black vinyl and recycled materials for colored variants, along with shrink-wrap made from sugar cane.
In the same article, Eilish mentioned that she initiated and funded a Music Decarbonization Project with REVERB last year. This project aims to reduce carbon emissions generated within the music industry.
“Records are made from polyvinyl chloride, commonly known as PVC. It’s a petroleum product derived from a complex chemical process,” a 2023 CBC article states. “A vinyl record that winds up in a landfill lasts more or less forever. So the focus at Precision Record, Paul Miller, vice president of sales at Precision Record, is on minimizing waste.”
Eilish has consistently focused on sustainability throughout her life, a value her mother and star Maggie Baird has also emphasized. Billboard reported that during Eilish’s early teenage years, her mother was committed to integrating sustainability into her career.
Billboard stated, “Baird recalls ‘begging’ labels to provide more information about their environmental initiatives and policies, and often wondered why she and her teenage daughter were the ones who had to raise the issue in the first place.”
Besides altering her vinyl record materials, Eilish is also exploring ways to make all her merchandise affordable while maintaining ethical and environmentally friendly standards, as reported by Billboard.
“It’s going to be more expensive and that’s the thing: People can be upset by that. But I’m trying to pick one of two evils,” said Eilish.
It’s unfair to assume Eilish was singling out any specific artist in her remarks. Her goal is clear: to encourage both celebrities and everyday people to embrace a sustainable mindset like hers. While she may not convince everyone, we can hope that some will keep her message in mind.
