Billie Eilish might be responsible for crystalizing what you could call “sad girl” pop in this day and age … an argument that’s got fans of Fiona Apple, and others, up in arms.
Here’s the deal … a fan account that chronicles Billie music news tweeted Saturday that the Recording Academy — which, of course, is responsible for the Grammys — credited BE with creating the above-mentioned genre … also employed by Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae, etc.
They’re referencing an article from the Recording Academy that was written a few days ago, titled … “The Psychology Of “Sad Girl” Pop: Why Music By Billie Eilish, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo & More Is Resonating So Widely.”
While the Billie fan account isn’t quite accurate in characterizing what the article actually says — namely, that Billie has more or less popularized “sad girl” pop into its own subgenre, especially for a new generation — it does sorta capture the spirit … which seems to be giving artists like Billie and all the other Gen-Zers a bit more credit than they perhaps deserve.
That’s where Fiona fans are coming out in force against this narrative … dive into the “Fiona Apple” trend on Twitter right now and you’ll see what we mean. They’re sour over this.
A lot of them are, perhaps rightly, pointing out that musicians like Fiona and Alanis Morissette are the actual trailblazers that the Recording Academy thinks Billie, Olivia and other young’ns are — and there are other names getting thrown in the mix too as pioneers.
There’s Lana Del Rey … who’s been in this lane for years. Others who’ve been mentioned as stalwarts of “sad girl” pop — Michelle Branch, Taylor Swift, Avril Lavigne, Marina Diamandis, Lorde, Hope Sandoval … and even older acts like Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell, frankly.
While the article in question DOES actually shout out a lot of these ladies, they also seem to kinda downplay their impact a bit. Of course, the other argument is … maybe Billie and co. actually did help turn all this sad girl stuff mainstream??? The debate rages, no doubt.
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