Billie Eilish Reveals That ‘Birds of a Feather’ Almost Didn’t Take Flight

Even Billie Eilish has moments of doubt. In her WSJ. Magazine cover story, the Grammy-winning artist admitted she almost scrapped “Birds of a Feather” — a song that fans now belt at every concert.

“Multiple times I was like, ‘We should cut this,’” Eilish said about the track she and her brother Finneas worked on for eleven months. She even laughed about her early hesitation: “Even when I played the whole album for the label, I was like, ‘Guys, this one is kind of stupid.’”

Luckily, she didn’t follow through. The song went on to reach No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a five-times platinum certification from the RIAA.

Known for her dark, whispery sound, Eilish took a new approach with “Birds of a Feather.” The tune feels bright and romantic, celebrating love that lasts “until the day that I die.” But Eilish being Eilish, she made sure there was still a shadow in the light.

“It’s so funny to think back on all of the criticisms that were like, ‘The songs are too sad,’” she said. “So many people and companies wanted us to make happier songs.”

Still, she wasn’t going to give the world bubblegum pop. “We wrote about the idea that you’re going to die soon, and let’s make it last,” she explained. Adding “something dark” kept the song true to her style — hopeful but haunting.

The mix clearly worked: the song earned three Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.

Eilish said she’s proud of refusing to change her sound just to please others. “It just wouldn’t have been genuine if we had,” she reflected. “I feel really proud of my younger self for standing up in that way.”

Now on the final stretch of her Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour — with shows in New Orleans, Tulsa, Austin, Phoenix, and San Francisco — she’s performing the song she almost left behind.

It’s a reminder that sometimes the tracks you question most end up defining your story.