Justin: Why Billie Eilish is more important than Taylor Swift

Dear Swifties:

I have a lot of admiration for your hero. Taylor Swift churns out well-crafted pop songs that incorporate various musical genres. When it comes to marketing, she’s as savvy as Mick Jagger. Her marathon concerts guarantee that you all get your money’s worth.

But you’re worshiping the wrong idol.

Billie Eilish, who returns to the Twin Cities next week, is the voice of her generation, an artist who has a lot more on her mind than never, ever, ever getting back together with an ex. If Swift is bittersweet chocolate, then Eilish is Kobe steak.

It’s not that the 22-year-old star hasn’t gotten her props. She’s won nine Grammys and two Oscars, hosted “Saturday Night Live” and earned lavish praise from her elders.

“When I look at someone like Billie Eilish, rock ‘n’ roll is not close to dead,” Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl said in a news conference as early as 2019.

But it still feels like she’s underappreciated, especially when compared with your queen.

Swift’s two-night stand at U.S. Bank Stadium in June 2023 was heralded as one of the greatest pop culture events in Minnesota history; it took several months for Eilish’s Nov. 10 and 11 shows at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center to sell out.

Eilish’s biggest album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?,” has sold 1.2 million copies; Swift’s “Fearless” has passed the 7 million mark. Time magazine named Eilish one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2021; that same publication named Swift the 2023 Person of the Year.

Still, lean in more to the content of Eilish’s songs, most of which were co-written with her brother, Finneas O’Connell. She’s in a class by herself.

“Much of Taylor Swift’s work boils down to, ‘I’ve got all that licked and so can you. Forget the haters.’ Billie Eilish is mostly out there saying, ‘I’m kind of a hot mess. You’re not alone,’” said Peter Mercer-Taylor, a professor of musicology at the University of Minnesota School of Music, who teaches a class on the history of rock. “The two of them are dealing with a lot of the same basic stuff. But I suspect there are a lot of young women who feel emotionally nourished by Eilish’s music, who feel seen by it, in a way Swift can’t provide.”

Mercer-Taylor’s colleague, Alyssa Barna, admires Eilish’s “breathy” style, singing in hushed tones that make it sound like she’s addressing only one person.

“I would say that she has actually defined a generation of pop vocal performance, especially for female-identifying artists,” said Barna, who teaches music theory at the U. “The sound of her voice, and the music production, consistently imbue a feeling of intimacy, which I think is incredibly desirable to Gen-Z listeners.”

She’s particularly moved by “Birds of a Feather,” the way the video and delivery both represent contrasting and complicated emotions.

“I’m no expert on mental health, but I see a connection to the unpredictable nature of depressive episodes, and how people can often conceal their struggles with anxiety and suffer alone,” she said.

At this point, young Swifties, you may be thinking: Why should professors and a 50-something critic be telling me what’s good for me?

Fair enough. So let’s hear from some of your peers, starting with Vivian Rodriguez, a 17-year-old Southwest High School student who labels herself as the world’s biggest Eilish fan. She’s seen her four times, including shows in Paris and London, and has amassed a stockpile of fan merchandise, including an Eilish hairbrush and shoelaces.

“She understands our emotions so well and knows how to put them into lyrics,” Rodriguez said over drinks at St. Paul’s Claddagh Coffee with other “Avocados,” Eilish’s pet name for her admirers. “I’m personally not a Taylor Swift fan. Maybe I would be if I listened to her more, but I don’t think I relate to her material.”

Rodriguez’s classmate, Anna Barbes, also 17, has seen Swift twice and will be seeing Eilish for the first time.

“I think Taylor definitely puts on more of a show that’s super fun,” said Barbes, who has designed some special press-on nails for the concert. “But I feel like seeing Billie will be more emotional.”

Genevieve Arvold, 14, has been waiting nearly half of her life to see Eilish. She became such a fan that she learned how to play “Wish You Were Gay” on the ukulele.

“It feels like whatever mood I’m in, she’s got a song for it,” said the Roosevelt High School freshman.

No one is trying to talk you out of your current obsession, Swifties. But you might want to make some room in your heart for the more ambitious artist. And if it takes a little while longer to grasp Eilish’s genius, well, that’s just fine. We’ll wait for you to catch up.

“She’s going to be famous forever,” Barbes said.

When: 7 p.m. Nov. 10 and 11.

Where: Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul.

Tickets: Sold out.