Billie Eilish’s Thoughts on Doing the Theme Song for ‘James Bond: No Time to Die’
Billie Eilish has a unique sound and confident attitude that has taken the world by storm since her overnight viral hit “Ocean Eyes.” The young musician has broken numerous records before the age of 20, including having the honor of writing and performing the theme song for the upcoming James Bond film No Time to Die.
Eilish’s theme of breaking records is not surprising with her talent and one-of-a-kind voice. Despite her young age, she is handling the media attention and superstar status with maturity while sticking to being herself. However, when chosen for the No Time to Die theme song, she was stoked and found it to be an honor.
007 returns in October
As one of the most popular spy movie series, James Bond has a large fan base, with its first film released in 1962. The movies are adapted from novelist Ian Fleming’s work, who introduced the world to the fictional character of James Bond in 1953. As a British secret agent working with MI6, Bond is best known for his codename 007. Throughout the years, six actors have portrayed Bond including, Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.
James Bond is one of the highest-grossing film franchises in history. With its impressive box office numbers, there’s no question about the popularity of the movies. With Spectre in 2015 being the last Bond film, fans have been anticipating the release of the most recent addition, No Time to Die. While development began in 2016, director changes and COVID delayed filming. The release date was pushed back from the original date in November 2019 to spring 2020 to an undetermined date. However, 007 fans can rejoice with the official release date in the United States for October 8, 2021.
Billie Eilish is making history in the Bond film franchise
At 18, Billie Eilish is the youngest artist to write and record the theme song for a James Bond film. The alternative pop sensation told Reuters that “she was honored to have been chosen to write and record the theme song for the upcoming movie, No Time to Die. Eilish wrote the song with her brother Finneas O’Connell to create the “incredibly powerful and moving” song, as described by producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli according to BBC, for the 25th film in the James Bond series. As Eilish joins other musicians including, Adele, Madonna, and Paul McCartney, she also takes the title of the youngest artist to perform the opening titles, previously held by 22-year-old Sheena Easton for 40 years. Easton recorded “For Your Eyes Only ” for the 1981 Bond film.
While the release for James Bond: No Time to Die has been delayed, Eilish released the theme song in February 2020. She was then nominated and won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in early 2021. Although it was months before the film’s release, her song “No Time to Die” was released during the 2019-20 eligibility period because of the original expected release date of the Bond movie.
What’s next for Eilish
While Eilish has been performing at a young age, 2019 was the breakthrough year for the singer. She had hits including “Bad Guy “and “All the Good Girls Go to Hell.” With 2020 ending her world tour after three shows due to the global pandemic, she worked harder on her craft and is now back to touring in 2021. She has also recently released her sophomore album, Happier Than Ever, featuring 16 songs and marking a new era for Eilish’s music career. As an award-winning artist and having the opportunity to work on the theme for one of the most well-known movie franchises, Eilish has a bright future.
