Thom Yorke has praised the individuality of teen pop sensation Billie Eilish, revealing he recently took his daughter to see her live.
Describing the gig as a “fine moment”, the Radiohead frontman said that singer Sam Smith – or rather “that guy who did the Bond song we didn’t do” – was stood behind him during the Billie show.
“That was a fine moment,” he told The Times of the gig. “We sat down and whats-his-name, the guy who did the Bond film we didn’t do? He stands behind us and I’m sitting with my daughter, her friends, and my girlfriend, when suddenly everyone goes ‘Saaaam!’ I’m, like, ‘Aaaaargh!'”
He continued: “I like Billie Eilish. She’s doing her own thing. Nobody’s telling her what to do.”
Radiohead had submitted a song for 007’s 2015 adventure Spectre, but it was ultimately rejected for Sam Smith’s ‘Writing’s on the Wall’, with the pop star even suggesting he had never heard of Thom Yorke in a dismissive interview. Yet despite an awkward encounter with Smith, Yorke appears to have still had a wonderful time.
Yorke was speaking amid the release of his new album, Anima. In a four-star review, NME’s James McMahon said the solo album was filled with songs that “sound like they were written just after breaking point.”
Yorke’s co-sign is another high point in a year filled with them for Eilish. In March, she dropped her studio debut ‘When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? to widespread critical acclaim, including a five-star NME review that said it “ticks all the boxes for a memorable and game-changing debut album.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWgUNsjy8-Q
Since then, Eilish has impressed with a powerful performance at this year’s Glastonbury as well as her honest approach to tackling mental health. She’s also won plaudits from rock legends such as Dave Grohl and Elton John.