Billie Eilish
A defining voice of her generation who released 'Birds of a Feather' in 2024.
Billie Eilish is an American singer-songwriter who released her third studio album, *Hit Me Hard and Soft*, in 2024. The album includes the song "Birds of a Feather," which was released on May 17, 2024, and became the second official single on July 2, 2024, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. Eilish wrote the song with her brother, Finneas O'Connell, who recorded and produced it at his home studio in Los Angeles. The song is described as a baroque pop, indie pop, new wave, and synth-pop track that explores themes of deep love and a desire for lasting connection.
- Role
- Industry Peer
- Genre
- Alternative Pop / Electropop
- Status
- Active
- Connection
- Mutual Respect
- Shared Events
- Awards Ceremonies & Galas
Lore & Background
Eilish first previewed "Birds of a Feather" on May 13, 2024, through a teaser trailer for the third season of the Netflix series *Heartstopper*. In an interview with Apple Music, Eilish revealed that the song contains the highest belt of her career. The song borrows its title from the English idiom "birds of a feather flock together." It is composed in the key of D major in common time with a tempo of 105 beats per minute. The music video, directed by Aidan Zamiri, was released on September 27, 2024, and filmed at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. In the video, Eilish is shown singing in an abandoned office building while being dragged around by an invisible force.
In Their Own Story
The song topped the Billboard Global 200 and the national charts of nine countries, including Australia, Croatia, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore. It peaked at number two in nine other countries. "Birds of a Feather" was certified Diamond in France and multi-platinum in Australia, Canada, Greece, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was the fourth best-selling song of 2024 globally according to the IFPI. The song was nominated for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in 2025.
Reader's Guide
Eilish performed the song during the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony on August 11, 2024, as part of the Olympic flag handover from Paris to Los Angeles. On October 19, 2024, she performed the song on *Saturday Night Live* alongside "Wildflower." Eilish included "Birds of a Feather" as the final song of the set list of the Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (2024–2025). She sang the song with Finneas during the FireAid benefit concert on January 30, 2025, and also performed it at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on February 2, 2025.
Did You Know?
- "Birds of a Feather" became the most-streamed song in a calendar year on Spotify in 2024, surpassing Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso."
- The song became the fastest song to surpass both 2 billion and 3 billion streams on Spotify.
- It is the most-streamed solo song by a female artist on Spotify.
- The song spent 52 weeks inside the Billboard Hot 100, surpassing "Bad Guy"'s 49 weeks.
- Eilish performed the song at the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, recorded the day before at Long Beach.