Who is Billie Eilish’s brother Finneas O’Connell?

Billie Eilish is a world-class superstar. The young singer is making waves everywhere. With more Grammy awards than we can count, we couldn’t be prouder of her successes. 

However, she wouldn’t be nearly as well known without the help of her brother, Finneas O’Connell. So who is Finneas, and why is he so important to his sister’s success? Let’s break it down.

Finneas’s first years

Finneas Baird O’Connell was born July 30, 1997. His mother, Maggie Baird, was an actress & screenwriter, and his father, Patrick O’Connell, was also an actor; both parents were musicians. This obviously influenced him greatly as he was growing up, as he started creating music at the early age of twelve, experimenting with Logic Pro! Finneas was also inspired after taking a songwriting course.

From there, he just kept going, inspired by Green Day and other bands along the way. As Bullett Media says in their interview with O’Connell, “Turns out if he can’t find a song to suit his emotional state of mind, he’ll just make one.” Awesome.

Things were about to get even bigger for Finneas. . .

Finneas & Billie’s success

O’Connell was directly responsible for his sister’s first viral hit, “Ocean Eyes”, in 2015. Though he’s careful to separate himself from Eilish, and said in the Bullett Media piece, “Billie and I are both solo artists. We are not a duo. I wanted the project we were developing to be a badass, fifteen-year-old girl. I thought that was way cooler than a girl and her older brother.”

O’Connell co-wrote and co-produced Eilish’s debut album in 2019, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? He describes his production style as “super spacious and minimal” in the Bullett Media interview. Meanwhile, NME called the album “era-defining”, which is quite the flattering compliment, and also very true. Eilish’s album remade pop as we know it, and made her and her brother famous in the process.

He helped with Eilish’s second album as well, Happier Than Ever, and it was also a breakout hit. It’s safe to say Billie & Finneas really worked well together, and he sees their bond is inseparable.

Finneas’s growing fame

O’Connell is a powerhouse even by himself. He’s collaborated with a number of smash hit artists, including Ringo Starr & Justin Bieber. Most recently, he helped make the theme for the new James Bond movie, No Time To Die.

He’s also an actor. His breakout role was in the comedy film Bad Teacher, but from there he got a few recurring roles in Glee, Aquarius, and Modern Family. He also acted in the indie film Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk, which has one of the best titles we’ve ever heard, honestly.

However, he put his acting aside to hone in on his music. Now that Eilish’s career is taking off, O’Connell is focusing on his own career for a bit. His debut album, Optimist, releases on October 15th, 2021, and we couldn’t be more excited to listen to it.

NME is full of praise for the release, saying it “proves he’s not just a behind-the-scenes guy, but someone deserving of the spotlight too. It’s a brilliant first record, split between warm, rich and sentimental piano-led tunes and more inventive, electrifying pop.”

Good for Finneas! He’s doing a great job, and we couldn’t be more hyped for his new solo project.

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Finneas O’Connell is really going places. We’re excited about his breakout album and look forward wholeheartedly to its release. What are your thoughts on Finneas O’Connell’s incredible talent? Are you excited about Optimist? Let us know because we want to hear from you!