When we think of world's biggest rock and metal stars, we generally expect their taste in music will mirror what they create – but sometimes they can take us by surprise. Such is the case with Kiss’ Gene Simmons, who has just revealed he doesn’t actually just sit at home listening to 80s hair metal in full corpse paint – he’s actually a fan of Billie Eilish.
The bassist recently took to Twitter to tell the world that he was “blown away” with Eilish’s new documentary on Apple TV+, titled The World’s A Little Blurry, which explores her rise to fame as a young singer-songwriter.
"Have to say I was blown away by the @billieeilish Docu," he wrote. "A unique and original artist. Her brother @finneas is a major talent, multi instrumentalist and producer. Catch the Docu #TheWorldsALittleBlurry. You will love Billie Eilish."
Have to say I was blown away by the @billieeilish Docu. A unique and original artist. Her brother @finneas is a major talent, multi instrumentalist and producer. Catch the Docu #TheWorldsALittleBlurry . You will love Billie Eilish.March 23, 2021
Although she might not be what we'd typically consider an "alternative" artist, it’s easy to see why someone like Gene Simmons could also catch Billie fever. Her brand, artwork and lyrical content is among some of the darkest stuff the mainstream has ever produced, and we think that’s pretty metal in itself. If that wasn't enough to convince you, she also once performed in a custom T-shirt made out of Rob Zombie, Type O Negative and Cradle Of Filth shirts, leading the Type O Negative Facebook page to call her “a unique and bad ass superstar who absolutely walks her own path”.
This isn’t the first time Simmons has spoken of his love for the young artist – last December, in conversation with Gulf news about rock’s apparent falling popularity and his love for contemporary pop music, he said, "I think Billie Eilish is fantastic. She's interesting because she and her brother actually write the material and are unique to themselves."
If you’ve managed to avoid Billie Eilish’s music so far, you’re one of the few. Since Eilish began releasing songs with her brother on the internet a few years ago, she has become one of the industry’s biggest stars, and took home the 2020 Grammy Award for Best New Artist.