Saturday night live Host Billie Eilish changed the subject midway through the show with a dazzling rendition of the epic title track, “Happier Than Ever.”
The performance began with Eilish sitting backstage in a baggy black sweater and jeans, her nude claw-like nails wrapped around the microphone. Eilish sang quietly and alone. But when the camera moved, the curtains parted to reveal that she was on stage, fit for a soft song that actually boils with rage (“You clearly didn’t know you made me feel miserable”). Standing to his right, Finneas visibly changed his acoustics for a black electric guitar. Let the shredding begin.
For their second set, Eilish and Finneas returned for the nostalgic ballad, “Male Fantasy.” This time, there were just a brother and sister sitting cross-legged on the carpeted stage. As Finneas strummed his acoustics, all attention was focused on Eilish’s crystalline falsetto, as stark and understated as the Charlie brown Christmas tree behind them.
As a host and performer on the show, Eilish proved she could stand up for herself alongside fellow cartoonists like Kate McKinnon, who played Eilish’s odd neighbor and a business spokesperson for Business Garden Suites. Eilish also played a bad girl Christmas card, a hip-hop nativity stage manager, and an unconscious nurse twerking on TikTok. No one can say that Eilish has no reach.
In February, Eilish is set to receive seven Grammy Awards in 2022 for her second album, Happier than ever. In 2020, her debut album, When we all fall asleep, where do we go? swept the award ceremony and ranked at 397 in Rolling StoneThe 500 best albums of all time.