Billie Eilish‘s busy 2020 continues. Following her historic five Grammy wins on January 26 and her performance at the Oscars on February 9, she premiered her theme song from the upcoming James Bond film “No Time to Die” on February 13. Listen to it above, and vote in our poll below to let us know if it sounds like a potential Oscar winner to you.
At age 18, Eilish is the youngest artist ever to write and perform a Bond theme. But she was a logical choice since the iconic spy is known to be a tough guy, like-it-really-rough guy — though in this case he’s the good guy, duh.
She co-wrote the song with her brother, fellow five-time Grammy winner Finneas O’Connell. It was produced by O’Connell and Stephen Lipson with orchestral arrangements by Hans Zimmer and Matt Dunkley, and guitar from Johnny Marr. If it wins an Oscar next year Eilish would be the youngest ever winner in a non-acting category.
“No Time to Die” producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said in a statement, “Billie and Finneas have written an incredibly powerful and moving song for ‘No Time To Die,’ which has been impeccably crafted to work within the emotional story of the film.” The film’s director Cary Joji Fukunaga added, “There are a chosen few who record a Bond theme. I am a huge fan of Billie and Finneas. Their creative integrity and talent are second to none and I cannot wait for audiences to hear what they’ve brought.”
Eilish herself said, “It feels crazy to be a part of this in every way. To be able to score the theme song to a film that is part of such a legendary series is a huge honor. James Bond is the coolest film franchise ever to exist. I’m still in shock.” And O’Connell adds that “writing the theme song for a Bond film is something we’ve been dreaming about doing our entire lives. There is no more iconic pairing of music and cinema than the likes of ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Live and Let Die.’ We feel so so lucky to play a small role in such a legendary franchise, long live 007.”
It is indeed an exclusive club to which Eilish now belongs, joining an impressive and wide-ranging list of Bond performers including Shirley Bassey (“Goldfinger,” “Diamonds Are Forever,” “Moonraker”), Paul McCartney (“Live and Let Die”), Carly Simon (“Nobody Does it Better” from “The Spy Who Loved Me”), Garbage (“The World is Not Enough”), Madonna (“Die Another Day”), Adele (“Skyfall”) and Sam Smith (“Writing’s on the Wall” from “Spectre”). How does Eilish’s theme compare?
Be sure to vote today for our Gold Derby decade awards featuring the best of the best from 2010 to 2019. You can keep changing your ballot as often as you like until the event closes on February 21. All 1,500 candidates you’ll see across 22 categories were nominees at either the Oscars, annual Gold Derby Film Awards or both. And join in the fun debate over these contenders taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our film forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
