Billie Eilish doesn’t know who Van Halen are. As music fans pour in to disparage the 17-year-old superstar, a member of the iconic band has come to her defence.
The teen brewed up headlines following an interview Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this week, after being quizzed on her music knowledge from the 1980s.
It was all going fine until the chat show host asked Billie to name a Van Halen song, to which she replied: ‘Who?‘
While Kimmel initially responded with, ‘I’m going to cry’, he then conceded, ‘If you asked me questions about 1943, I probably wouldn’t know the answers either.’ Alas, this was not enough to deter the snobs and naysayers of the world wide web.
One particularly vociferous critic wrote on Twitter: ‘Sorry, she works in music and claims to be skilled and innovative in the craft. She should know who they are. There are five-year-olds who know music from Van Halen’s high era. Three-year-olds who dance to Michael Jackson. She probably only listens to hip hop and pop.’
Naturally, Van Halen was trending on social media as people persisted on either shaming or supporting the teen. However, if anyone is going to have the final word on the matter, it’s the group themselves.
Wolfgang Van Halen, son of lead guitarist Eddie Van Halen and the band’s bassist, took to Twitter to support the young star – and it’s really rather wholesome.
Wolfgang wrote:
If you haven’t heard of @billieeilish, go check her out. She’s cool. If you haven’t heard of @VanHalen, go check them out. They’re cool too.
Music is supposed to bring us together, not divide us. Listen to what you want and don’t shame others for not knowing what you like.
It’s a charming sentiment, one that should have brought the pointless criticisms of Billie to a close, yet the replies tell a different story.
One of the bassist’s followers wrote: ‘Come on Wolf… you know it’s bullsh*t. It’s like me not acknowledging Sinatra, The Beach Boys or Hank Williams… I’m not a fan, but I’m aware of their music and influence… even when I was 15.’
However, most are enamoured by Wolfgang’s response, with one user writing: ‘I have never listened to her music cause I’m old but, this is a great way to say it. Your parents must be proud. They raised you right.’
Another follower wrote in support of the bassist’s remarks: ‘Keepin’ it classy, Wolf. And as a result of her interview, I was curious as to who she was. I googled her, watched some interviews, and she seems like a nice young lady. Her music isn’t what I’d normally listen to, but diversity is what’s beautiful about music.’
Think about it – Billie can now listen to Van Halen’s Jump for the first time, what a privilege!
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.