Billie Eilish is now in rarefied company, joining Alanis Morissette and Sinead O’Connor as the only female soloists to notch multiple No. 1 singles on Billboard‘s Alternative Songs list since its inception 31 years ago.
Eilish’s track ‘bad guy’ climbed to the top of the alternative charts, Billboard announced yesterday (August 8), after ‘bury a friend’ reigned at the peak for two weeks in May. This also makes the 17-year-old the youngest female solo artist to bag the honour. Listen to ‘bad guy’ below.
O’Connor was the first of the trio to earn the distinction. Her version of Prince‘s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ led the alternative charts for a week in March 1990, while ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ took over for another week that May.
But when it comes to the number of leading singles, Morissette comes out tops. She has three: ‘You Oughta Know’ (five weeks beginning July 1995), ‘Hand in My Pocket’ (one week that October), and ‘Ironic’ (three weeks in March 1996).
Both ‘bad guy’ and ‘bury a friend’ come from the teen superstar’s debut full-length, ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’. In the NME review of the album, Thomas Smith called it “a memorable and game-changing debut record, with Billie’s disruptive streak front and centre”.
There hasn’t been word of a follow-up yet, but, based on Eilish’s release schedule, the sophomore could arrive at the end of next year.