- [Interviewer] We are here
with Finneas O'Connell,
artist, producer to the stars.
This year, you have worked
with obviously your sister Billie Eilish,
but also Selena Gomez,
Camila Cabello, Tove Lo.
What is it like to work with an artist
that you're not related to?
- It's harder to tell them
that what they're doing is not good.
Yeah, when it's your sibling,
both of you can just razz
each other all the time
and you can just be like,
"You could do that better."
And I think it's part of my goal,
whenever I work with a new collaborator
is to get to a place
where we are close enough
that they can be totally honest with me
about what they don't
like, what they do like
and I think that's when
you're the most effective.
When you're both just, like,
unfiltered, being super direct.
You save a lot of time that way.
- Absolutely.
- But obviously Tove,
Selena, Camila, huge inspirations of mine
and artists I've loved
the work of for years
and it's a huge honor to
work with all three of them.
- [Interviewer] Yeah,
speaking of collaborations,
our dear friend James Blake,
who's over there next door,
he was just saying that he
would love to work with you.
Do you think we can make that happen?
- Yeah, I'm focusing on
just being his friend first
'cause I'm such a fan--
- [Interviewer] It seems
like you're already in.
- That I think if I got
into a room and he started,
like, singing and playing
piano I would pass out.
So, like, at a brunch
table it's much more easy
to just try to pretend that's
not going on and just hang.
It's just easier.
But, I mean, I'm the biggest James fan.
I'm a big fan of that,
I ship that couple too.
I ship James and Jameela, big fan.
- [Interviewer] Oh yeah.
You and Billie have obviously been around
at a ton of events ahead of the Grammys.
Is there anyone that
you've been starstruck by
or that you would still love to meet?
- Really good question.
We had an encounter with
Billie Joe Armstrong
at a show of ours and he's
been so meaningful to me,
musically, in my whole life.
That was a huge, huge moment for me.
The coolest part about seeing
people at these events,
if you're a fan, is just
getting to walk up to a person
and tell them how much their
music has impacted you.
That's so cool.
So, I'll do that to anybody.
- [Interviewer] (laughs) Yeah, of course.
I know, Billie has told
me that the two of you
are working on music on the road now--
- True.
- [Interviewer] How is
that a little bit different
from working in your parents' home?
- You know, it's actually great,
especially, Billie plays
a lot of arenas now,
which is amazing, but we have
really big rooms backstage
and if you're not putting 'em to good use,
you feel like you're wasting space.
So I put all of my studio
gear in the room every day.
And, you know, arena tours,
in their actual day-to-day,
you don't see a lotta sunlight,
it's easier to get seasonal depression
and so it's a coping mechanism of mine
to just be making music all day,
which is what I really
love most in the world
is recording and writing music,
so it's definitely really wonderful
to get to do that on the road.
And it's been really effective.
We did the whole James
Bond song on the road.
- [Interviewer] So awesome.
Congratulations on that,
by the way.
- Thank you.
- [Interviewer] You wanna
give us a little teaser
on what it sounds like?
- (laughs) I am so legally
obligated not to do that.
(interviewer laughs)
All I will say is I think
the movie's incredible,
I think people are gonna love it
and I am so excited for people
to hear the song we made.
- [Interviewer] Yeah,
I'm excited to hear it.
- Thank you.
- We have to talk about
your upcoming debut, of course.
How do you decide what
songs to keep for yourself
and give to Billie?
- Well, everything,
everything sounds better
when Billie sings it.
So the only ones that I'll keep for myself
are ones that really
feel just super personal
to me in their content,
they really just feel
like, this is my life story
and maybe not anybody else's.
And then, also, especially
with Billie's album
and moving forward,
Billie and I pretty much
write everything in tandem.
With few exceptions like,
"When the Party's Over"
or "Ocean Eyes," everything
else has just been 50-50.
We've just sat and
written it all together.
So, more and more we just
write everything together.
- [Interviewer] Yeah, incredible.
Well, congratulations.
- Thank you.
- [Interviewer] So happy to talk with you
and have so much fun tonight.
- Nice to talk to you too.
Thank you so much.
I appreciate it.
- Yeah, of course.
All right.
- Nice to meet you.
