Intermediate
Billie Eilish Releases New Album with 10 Songs
May 16th, 2024
Billie Eilish, a 22-year-old singer, has made a new music album called "Hit Me Hard and Soft". This is her third album and it has 10 songs. Billie likes to make music that is different from other music we hear today. Her brother Finneas and some other musicians helped her make this album.
The first song, "Skinny," talks about how people look and feel about their bodies. It is a very emotional song. She sang a similar song at the Oscars with a big orchestra. As you listen to the album, the songs change a lot. They start one way and then surprise you.
One song, "Lunch," is something her fans will really like. Another song, "Chihiro," might remind you of a character from a famous movie. The music in the album can be very quiet sometimes and very loud other times. There is a song called "The Greatest" that starts with a guitar and then gets very big and loud.
Billie also has a song that sounds happy but talks about being honest in love. She has a different song called "The Diner" that brings back the sound of her older music. The album also has a song that is very quiet and might not be as interesting as the others, but another quiet song "Wildflower" is very good.
In many songs, Billie sings about being like a bird that wants to be free. Her new music is about wanting to be free and letting her feelings be heard. Billie is not afraid to sing louder than before and be herself.
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💭 Discussion Questions
1
. What is the name of Billie Eilish's new music album?2
. How many songs are in Billie Eilish's new album?3
. What do many songs on the album talk about?📖 Vocabulary
🌐 Cultural context
Billie Eilish is a famous young American singer known for her unique style of music. She often addresses themes of mental health and self-image, which resonate with many young people today. She works closely with her brother Finneas, who helps produce her music.
🧠 Further reading
Hindi cinema
Bollywood is the name for movies in Hindi from India. It's in Mumbai, where many movies are made. Bollywood is like Hollywood in America but for Hindi movies. Indian cinema makes many movies every year. In 2017, they made almost 2000 films, and many are in Hindi.
Hindi movies make a lot of money, about 43 percent of all cinema money in India. There are other Indian movies too, but Hindi ones are very popular. In 2019, lots of people, like 341 million, went to see Hindi movies.
Bollywood movies often have many different kinds of stories in one movie – like action, love, and drama, and usually there's singing and dancing, too. These are called masala films. Bollywood has made many musical movies, even more than America! The first silent movie in India was in 1913, and the first talking and singing movie in Hindi was in 1931.
There are also serious movies in Bollywood that try to show real life and don't have songs. These are called art films. But today, it's sometimes hard to tell the difference between fun masala movies and serious art movies.
Music of My Mind
Stevie Wonder, a famous American musician, made a special album called "Music of My Mind." It came out on March 3, 1972. This was the first time Stevie could make music just the way he wanted because he had a new deal with his music company. He worked with two experts, Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff, who knew a lot about electronic music. They used a special electronic instrument called a synthesizer to make the music sound different and new.
Stevie got interested in using synthesizers because he liked the sounds from a group named Tonto's Expanding Head Band. He met them and started to use synthesizers in his songs. The album had a lot of different instruments, but Stevie played most of them by himself. He only had help from friends with the trombone in one song, and guitar in another.
People liked Stevie's album when it came out. It was popular with many kinds of people and did well on the music charts. It was number six and number 21 on the R&B and pop charts. People who write about music said that this album showed Stevie was getting really good at making music and that he was able to try new things because he was in charge of his own songs. This album is thought to be the start of a really great time in Stevie Wonder's music career.
Americana (music)
Americana is a type of music that comes from America. It's made from different kinds of music styles, like country, folk, blues, soul, bluegrass, gospel, and rock. It's special because it mixes these styles to make a new sound. People usually play Americana music with guitars, banjos, and violins. The songs often talk about everyday life and the tough times people face.
The music started a long time ago, in the early 1900s. During the 1940s, there was a time when folk music became very popular in America. This was called the "folk music revival." It became even more popular in the 1960s. There were dances and music shows in places like New York City where many people came to listen. This helped make folk music famous. Musicians like Pete Seeger and groups like The Weavers and The Kingston Trio became very well-known during this time because they played this kind of music.