Billie Eilish Rocks Olympics Closing Ceremony With “Birds of a Feather” Performance

At just 22 years old, Billie Eilish boasts a resume similar to a musician twice her age. The “bad guy” singer has nine GRAMMY Awards and two Oscars under her belt, just to name a few. Her third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, hit shelves in May and has garnered comparisons to Joni Mitchell’s Blue. On Sunday (Aug. 11,) Eilish helped bring the 2024 Summer Olympics to a close with an impressive performance of her latest single.

Social Media Reacts to Billie Eilish’s Closing Ceremony Performances

The 2024 Summer Olympics wrapped up Sunday (Aug. 11) in Paris, France. Aside from reflecting on this year’s displays of extraordinary athleticism, the closing ceremony was also a time to pass the torch to the next host city. Los Angeles, California will welcome the 2028 Summer Olympics. As a native of the City of Angels, Billie Eilish absolutely belonged on that stage.

Videos by American Songwriter

Dressed in appropriately sportly red-white-and-blue gear, the Academy Award winner performed her breezy new single, “Birds of a Feather.”

https://twitter.com/kittymccracken/status/1822752324260950243

[RELATED: Behind the Meaning of “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish]

Social media buzzed with anticipation in the hours leading up to the closing ceremony. Much of that enthusiasm centered around the “LUNCH” singer. “What time is the Olympic closing ceremony at?” one fan wrote on X/Twitter. “I’m not tryna miss Billie Eilish’s performance…”

Another fan added, “I never watch the Olympics but I will be tonight.”

On Instagram, one fan wrote, “imagine being 22 and closing for the olympics. wow.”

Another Instagram user chimed in, “Went from performing in front of 10 people to performing in front of the entire world.”

Billie Eilish Admits Making Music Is “Irritating”

Billie Eilish has won multiple GRAMMY Awards and helped redefine the pop music landscape. However, the multi-GRAMMY winning artist admits that making music hasn’t always been her favorite part of being a musician.

“I used to be like, ‘[I] hate making music… It’s frustrating. It’s irritating,” she told Zane Lowe. “I love having made it… I love when it’s good, but I really have always struggled with the process.”

Eventually, older brother (and musical collaborator) Finneas told her that he no longer enjoyed the process either. This promoted Eilish to take a different approach, which saw her “finally enjoying the process for the first time.”

Featured image by Rob Latour/Shutterstock