Billie Eilish, Jennie and a new album: Spotify listening session exceeds fan expectations

Billie Eilish surprised her Korean fans on Tuesday evening with a personal appearance at a special listening session of her album, accompanied by K-pop diva Jennie to make the special listening session indeed special.

Blackpink member Jennie interviews Billie Eilish at the listening event, hosted at Grand Walkerhill Seoul's Théatre des Lumières in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on June 18. [SPOTIFY]

What better way to enjoy pop star Billie Eilish's latest album than with an immersive art exhibition to accompany each song, K-pop queen Jennie and, well, Billie Eilish herself? Eilish surprised her Korean fans on Tuesday evening with a personal appearance at a special listening session of her album, accompanied by K-pop diva Jennie to make the special listening session indeed special.

Hundreds of people were lined up outside the entrance before the event officially began at Théatre des Lumières at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, eagerly anticipating the listening event organized by global streaming platform Spotify.

Eilish's participation had been kept ambiguous until the very moment she stepped up on stage.

Eilish and her team remained intentionally quiet regarding her arrival at the listening session, and although Spotify did gather fan questions beforehand, many fans speculated that this didn't necessarily mean Eilish would show up to answer them in person.

Various online comments before the event were seen in KakaoTalk fan chat rooms, ranging from hesitant anticipation to dejected resignation. Some said that she would be there since she uploaded a picture of herself in Korea on Instagram, while others were saying that she has plenty of other events on her schedule besides the listening event.

So, it was no surprise that the room, which had been filled with Eilish's iconic, serene music and mesmerizing visuals, was suddenly thrashing with thunderous applause and screams from fans when Eilish casually walked up on stage. So loud were the cheers and screams that it was impossible for any member of the audience to decipher what Eilish or the host, Blackpink's Jennie, were saying.

Visuals from the listening event, hosted at Grand Walkerhill Seoul's Théatre des Lumières [SPOTIFY]

"Hi everyone. Hello balcony. Hi guys," Eilish said, garnering yet another round of excited chants from a slightly settled crowd. "Thank you for listening to the album a bunch. I really appreciate it. I love you so much. Thank you for being here. "

Tuesday's talk session mainly focused on the questions that Spotify received from fans prior to the event. Questions from the fans ranged from being about Eilish’s music to the singer’s personal tastes. Eilish’s answers to the questions teetered on the edge of both jest and seriousness.

"It's been a trip. Its really amazing. I did not think that it would do so well honestly," Eilish said when she was asked about the reaction to her new album. "I couldn't have asked for anything more."

“I’ve gotten this question before and I have no idea at all,” said Eilish when asked about what the message of her new album was. The singer proceeded to explain amid the amused chuckles from the audience, saying that the music came naturally, not out of purpose or intent. "I think my message is whatever people get from the album."

Eilish and Jennie pose for the camera backstage at the listening event. [SPOTIFY]

“I’m just shouting. I’m just yelling, just yelling it in your face,” said Eilish with a cackle when asked why the titles to all the songs on the album were written in capital letters. “There is some meaning, but they’re up for you guys to figure out.”

"It differed in that I was an adult for the first time," said Eilish when asked about what makes this album different from her previous material. "Everything I have ever made was when I was a teenager."

This is the first time that Eilish has visited Korea in two years, meeting with fans in such a close setting. She last performed in Korea in 2022 as part of her world tour to promote her second album "Happier than Ever" (2021), performing at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro District, western Seoul.

"It's funny, isn't it? That art does that. It translates," said Eilish when asked about how it feels seeing Korean fans know her songs word for word. "One of my favorite things in the world is to speak and talk to someone, where neither of us speak the same language, but we bond over something, and I think music is one of those things."

"Thank you Billie!" was heard from the audience after Eilish's answer.

Fans wait for the event to start at Théatre des Lumières. [SPOTIFY]

Eilish and Jennie displayed an affectionate chemistry during the 30-minute interview session, with both artists complimenting each other on their artistry.

“I’m trying to think, gosh,” said Eilish when asked about the music she is listening to these days. “Your future solo album that you are working on right now,” she jokingly said, referring to Jennie, who was looking pleasantly sheepish.

Visuals and sounds blurred together into a surrealistic fantasy for the listening session — almost simulating synesthesia. Synesthesia is a phenomenon that occurs when one sense feels like that of another, like experiencing colors as sounds, shapes as tastes and vice versa.

It is the first time that Eilish has held an immersive art listening session in Asia. A similar event was held at the London art space Lightroom on May 16 and 17.

Visuals for the song "Lunch" [SPOTIFY]

The album's first song, “Skinny,” played with visuals, creating the impression that the venue was sinking underwater. Accompanied with hypnotic blue signal lights scattered across the ceiling, the first visual presentation immediately immersed listeners in the oceanic depth of Eilish’s music, just like the cover of “Hit Me Hard and Soft.”

Other songs that followed were paired with their own visuals, representing the theme or the vibe of the sounds. “Lunch,” a track with a distinct dance groove when listened to in headphones, elevated the room into a heart-pounding rave, with the sound blasting out of a surround system. Combined with visuals of fantastical jellyfish, the audience was plunged into a surreal underwater club with an ecstatic flurry of lights and bass.

The visuals for the song “Wildflower” lit up like a fever dream, where the screen ahead was nothing but a dark void in contrast to the walls lined with dark-red wildflowers and bony white branches, with the plants having a grotesque but beautiful aquatic sheen. The acoustic guitar and haunting disembodied vocals with mesmerizing, twisted visuals invoked a euphoric sense of sadness, representing the unique melancholy found in Eilish’s music.

The listening session drew to a close with the last track “Blue,” leading to the appearance of the two stars on stage.

A fan takes a picture in front of the visual screen at Théatre des Lumières. [SPOTIFY]

“This was my first large-scale listening event,” said music content YouTuber Jo Jang-woo, also known as Charming_Jo. “I was impressed with how the thematic visuals presented a linear visual narrative, where the water fills up in the first track and drains out in the last track,” Jo said, conveying his satisfaction with the experience.

Eilish posted a picture of herself on the set of tvN talk show “You Quiz on the Block” with entertainers Yu Jae-seok and Cho Sae-ho, hosts of the show, on Wednesday. The episode is reportedly set to be broadcast in June, but the specific date is not yet confirmed.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]