Billie Eilish is calling out "your favorite artists" over their sustainability efforts.
The "Happier Than Ever" singer sat down with Billboard to discuss her own eco-conscious habits, which lead to her shading artists like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé for selling excessive editions of their albums on vinyl.
Swift has already released four editions of her upcoming The Tortured Poets Department on vinyl weeks before its Apr. 19 release. Additionally, Beyoncé is also offering four different versions of Cowboy Carter for purchase on her website, a marketing ploy that "irritates" Eilish.
"I can't even express to you how wasteful it is," the Oscar and Grammy winner insists. "It is right in front of our faces and people are just getting away with it left and right, and I find it really frustrating as somebody who really goes out of my way to be sustainable and do the best that I can and try to involve everybody in my team in being sustainable - and then it's some of the biggest artists in the world making f---ing 40 different vinyl packages that have a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more."
While the sole difference among the Cowboy Carter variants is only that they include a different colored record, Swift's vinyl pressings each have a different album cover, record color, and bonus track per variant. The singer has previously used the tactic in the past, specifically offering over five versions of Midnights and 1989 (Taylor's Version) with alternate art. The move led to Swift dominating the market, leading to one of every 25 vinyl records sold in 2023 one of hers.
"It's so wasteful, and it's irritating to me that we're still at a point where you care that much about your numbers and you care that much about making money - and it's all your favorite artists doing that sh--."
On the contrary, Eilish did offer eight different versions of her most recent album, Happier Than Ever, on vinyl. However, the manufacturers used 100% recycled black vinyl for the standard pressings. For vinyl variants with different colored discs, recycled scraps were used. The shrink-wrap that covered the vinyl was also made from sugar cane for a more sustainable alternative.
The "Bad Guy" singer's passion for sustainability comes from her parents, Patrick O'Connell and Maggie Baird, who raised her in a sustainable household. The clan frequently practiced eco-friendly standards, going as far as removing the water in their front yard to conserve water.
While Eilish aims to mainly use sustainable vinyl options for her albums, the recent Barbie soundtrack that she took part in had eight different vinyl variants that were not advertised as sustainable. Her song on the soundtrack, "What Was I Made For?" earned her and her brother, Finneas, an Academy Award and a Grammy for Song of the Year.
Eilish has not revealed much about her upcoming album or its vinyl pressings. However, she did confirm on Feb. 24 that the album was mastered and is complete. A title or release date is currently being kept under wraps.
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