Billboard‘s latest cover stars are none other than Billie Eilish and her older brother — and fellow musician — Finneas. The duo are the faces of the music magazine’s second annual Managers Issue, celebrating the most powerful talent managers in the music industry. Naturally, they’re also joined by their managers Brandon Goodman and Danny Rukasin.
Within the issue, Eilish and Finneas wear monochrome white and black sneakers, respectively. The pair particularly discuss in the accompanying editorial how they navigated their first year skyrocketing to fame with Goodman and Rukasin, following Eilish’s 2016 song “Ocean Eyes” going viral on SoundCloud.
“They just didn’t know what to say, and I don’t blame them for it,” says Finneas of other talent managers who met with the pair — who Eilish states “treated us like children.”
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“But it just proved even more how good [Goodman and Rukasin] were with us, especially at the beginning when we didn’t know what the fuck was going on,” Eilish shares to writer Lyndsey Havens. “They didn’t make us worried or scared or feel out of place or like we were doing something wrong, which was really nice.”
The duo also shared their thoughts on success, specifically how the career lengths of other artists are a greater inspiration to them than winning accolades — such as Grammy Awards.
“I had this feeling yesterday at the Grammys because we obviously didn’t win anything — I went into the day suspecting we weren’t going to win anything, and of course, the internet, no matter what happens, is going to be like, ‘You were robbed,'” Eilish says. “I’m just like, ‘I wasn’t, I have seven at home. It’s OK, it’s all good.'”
As two of today’s top talents in music, Eilish and Finneas take a moment to reflect on career longevity as well — especially the challenges artists face to achieve greatness and acclaim.
“When I was 15, 16, 17, I wasn’t thinking about the things that all the artists before my time had gone through to get to where they are,” Eilish shares. “Now I see how hard these people have worked, and I note it, I really note it. I don’t want to jinx anything by saying, ‘I’m going to do this or that,’ but I think that it’s an amazing thing when people have longevity.”
Finneas agreed, adding how evolution and reinvention has to occur to maintain a presence in the music industry.
“That’s what people forget so much about musicians: Whether or not your favorite musician is evolving, every other person on Earth is,” he says. “If you want to be somebody’s favorite musician for a decade, you have to evolve — because so are they.”
Goodman additionally shared how Eilish and their team are making long-term plans — especially where breaks are concerned.
“There’s a power in going away and coming back,” Goodman says, using Adele as an example. “A lot of artists are. We feel Billie has reached the level where it’s OK if she wants to focus on other things for a minute. We are on her timeline, and when and how she wants to release music, we’re here to support that.”
For footwear, Eilish usually opts for sneakers. In fact, she recently released a collaboration with Nike. During previous red carpet events, the star could be seen in platform sandals and pumps from brands like Gucci. However, her go-to styles are often sneakers hailing from Converse, Nike, Burberry and Balenciaga. The star occasionally wears tall boots that coordinate with her outfits as well, usually by Moon Boot, Dr. Martens and Swear London.
Discover Eilish’s oversized style over the years.
