Finneas O'Connell

Finneas Baird O'Connell (born July 30, 1997), known mononymously as Finneas (stylized in all caps),[2][3] is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has written and produced music for various artists, most notably his younger sister, Billie Eilish. He won six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Producer of the Year, Non-Classical and the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for his work on Eilish's debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019).[4][5]

"Finneas" redirects here. For the similar given name, see Phineas.

Finneas
Born
Finneas Baird O'Connell

(1997-07-30) July 30, 1997[1]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation
  • Singer-songwriter
  • record producer
  • actor
Years active2011–present
Partner(s)Claudia Sulewski (2018–present)
Parent(s)
RelativesBillie Eilish (sister)
Musical career
Labels
Associated acts

Finneas has released several singles as a solo artist, and his debut EP, Blood Harmony, was released on October 4, 2019. The EP includes "Let's Fall in Love for the Night"; it is Finneas' most successful song to date, peaking at number 17 on the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart.[6] As an actor, Finneas starred in the 2013 independent film Life Inside Out.[7] He is also known for his role as Alistair in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee.[8] He also made an appearance on the American sitcom, Modern Family.

Early life
Finneas (right) performing with his sister Billie Eilish in 2017

Finneas was born in Los Angeles to actress and screenwriter Maggie Baird[9] and actor Patrick O'Connell, both of whom are also musicians.[10][11] Finneas is of Irish and Scottish descent.[12] In 2010, at age 12, he took a songwriting class with his mother, and began writing and producing songs, purchasing Logic Pro.[13][14]

Career

Songwriting and producing

Finneas is best known for his collaboration and work with his younger sister Billie Eilish. He has said his experience playing characters helped with writing music for his sister, as he writes from her perspective and for her vocal range.[11] He stated: "Being able to hear an artist and emulate them has been a huge part of being successful as a producer and co-writer".[11] When he writes for his sister, he wants to "write a song that I think she’ll relate to and enjoy singing and empathise with the lyrics and make her own", and when he writes with her he tries to "help her tell whatever story she's trying to tell, bounce ideas off of her, listen to her ideas."[15]

Similarly to other artists, if you’re writing and you know that someone else's voice is going to be the voice telling the story, it should be a language that fits them. ... Everybody has a different vocabulary, a different way of putting sentences together, and the easiest way to tell if a song wasn't written by someone is if it doesn't fit their vernacular, so I try to match whatever I’m helping them make to whoever they seem to be. A lot of that also ... is asking an artist how they feel about it. If you come up with a line, even if an artist really likes it and is like 'That's a really cool line,' it's like 'Yeah, but can you wear it? Is it a thing you’d feel comfortable with singing every time?'[15]

Finneas had written and produced his song "Ocean Eyes" originally for his band, and gave it to Eilish when her dance teacher asked them to write a song for a choreography.[11][16] They posted the song on SoundCloud, garnering praise from various websites.[11] Finneas's manager reached out to him in November 2015 to talk about Eilish's potential. Finneas then helped Eilish sign to the A&R company Platoon.[10] He co-wrote and produced Eilish's debut EP Don't Smile at Me (2017), which peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard 200.[17][18] Finneas also co-wrote and produced Eilish's debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019), which debuted atop the US and UK charts.[19] He won the 2020 Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical; Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Eilish's "Bad Guy"; and Album of the Year and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?[20]

He has also been known to work with Grammy winners the Coutinho twins.[21] He produced the 2019 single "Lose You to Love Me" by Selena Gomez,[22] which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100,[23] and two tracks on the 2019 album Romance by Camila Cabello.[24] He also produced "Moral of the Story" by Ashe,[25] and collaborated with John Legend on an unreleased song.[26]

Solo music career

Finneas is the lead singer and songwriter of the band The Slightlys, which played the Warped Tour in 2015.[27][28][11] His first solo single, "New Girl", was released in 2016.[29] The music video for the single was released in 2019, was directed by Emma Sydney Menzies, and stars Finneas and Yasmine Vega.[30] He released the single "I'm in Love Without You" in 2017, and eight singles in 2018: "Break My Heart Again", "Heaven", "Life Moves On", "Landmine", "Hollywood Forever", "College", "Luck Pusher", and "Let's Fall in Love for the Night". At the beginning of 2019, Finneas played his first, sold-out, headline shows in New York[11] and Los Angeles.[31]

His debut EP, Blood Harmony, was released on October 4, 2019.[6] The EP's first single "I Lost a Friend" was released on June 25, 2019,[32] while the second single, "Shelter", was released on August 22, 2019,[33] and the third single, "I Don't Miss You At All", on September 20, 2019.[34] In October 2019, he embarked on his first headlining tour, in five cities in the US, in addition to a performance at Austin City Limits.[6]

On August 7, 2020, he released a surprise deluxe version of his debut EP, Blood Harmony, featuring two new tracks, "Break My Heart Again" and "Let's Fall in Love for the Night (1964)", the latter being an alternate version of the sixth track, "Let's Fall in Love for the Night". About two weeks later, O'Connell released a single titled "What They'll Say About Us".[35] It peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart. On October 21, Finneas released his single "Can't Wait to Be Dead" about his love-hate relationship with the Internet, along with a visual directed by Constellation Jones, released the following day.[36][37]

Acting

In 2011, Finneas played a student in the comedy film Bad Teacher.[11] In 2013, he co-starred in Life Inside Out, written by and starring his mother Maggie Baird.[38] He had recurring guest roles on Modern Family and Aquarius, and played Alistair in the final season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee in 2015.[11][39]

Personal life

Finneas is based in Los Angeles.[40] He has been in a relationship with YouTuber Claudia Sulewski since September 2018.[41][42] His single "Claudia" was written after the night they met.[43]

He was raised vegetarian, before then becoming vegan.[44][45] He has synesthesia.[46]

Discography
Main article: Finneas O'Connell discography

EPs

Filmography
Finneas (right) with his mother Maggie Baird at the 2014 Palm Beach International Film Festival
Films + TV
Year Title Role Notes
2011 Bad Teacher Spencer
2013 Life Inside Out Shane
2013 Tomorrow Tom Short
2013–2014 Modern Family Ronnie Jr. 2 episodes
2014 happySADhappy Andrew Short
2015 Glee Alistair 4 episodes
2015 Aquarius Earnest Boy 2 episodes
2018 Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk[47] Tom

Awards and nominations
Award Year[upper-alpha 1] Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Category Result Ref.
ASCAP Pop Music Awards 2019 Himself and Billie Eilish Vanguard Award Won [48]
Apple Music Awards Himself and Billie Eilish Songwriter of the Year Won [49]
Grammy Awards 2020 "Bad Guy" (as producer and songwriter) Record of the Year Won [50]
Song of the Year Won
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (as producer) Album of the Year Won
Best Pop Vocal Album Won
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical Won
Himself Producer of the Year, Non-Classical Won
2021 "Everything I Wanted" (as producer and songwriter) Record of the Year Pending [51]
Song of the Year Pending
"No Time to Die" (as songwriter) Best Song Written for Visual Media Pending
iHeartRadio Music Awards 2020 Himself Producer of the Year Won [52]
Songwriter of the Year Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards 2020 "Let's Fall in Love for the Night" Best Alternative Nominated [53]

Notes
  1. Indicates the year of ceremony. Each year is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.

References
  1. Hissong, Samantha; Spanos, Brittany (July 30, 2020). "Billie Eilish Drops 'My Future' in Time for Finneas' Birthday". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  2. "Finneas". AllMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  3. "FINNEAS". Spotify. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  4. "Family affair: Billie Eilish, Finneas win big at Grammys". Associated Press. January 27, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  5. https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/finneas-oconnell/251939
  6. Shaffer, Claire (August 22, 2019). "Finneas Previews Debut EP 'Blood Harmony' With New Song 'Shelter'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  7. "Talking with Maggie Baird and Finneas O'Connell". Your Teen Magazine. September 18, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  8. Shira, Dahvi. "Former Glee Actor-Musician Finneas O'Connell Talks About the Show's Pop-Culture Legacy, His Adoration for Kesha and Why He Goes to 'Desperate Measures' for His Girlfriend | skyelyfe | Music & Lifestyle". skyelyfe.com. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  9. "Maggie Baird". The Groundlings Theatre & School. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  10. "Is Billie Eilish Really That "Weird"?". BuzzFeed News. August 17, 2019. Archived from the original on September 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  11. "Sibling Revelry: Finneas, Billie Eilish's Brother & Co-Writer, Steps Out". Billboard. March 27, 2019. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  12. Power, Ed. "An Interview with Billie Eilish: Pop's Ferocious New Enigma | Hotpress". Hotpress. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  13. "Meet FINNEAS, Billie Eilish's Big Brother and Your New Music Crush". Bullett Media. October 26, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  14. Mawdsley, Melinda (May 15, 2015). "Fruita grad's indy film garners acclaim". Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  15. Almeida, Nicole (April 27, 2018). "Wholehearted Obsession: A Conversation with FINNEAS". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  16. "How Billie Eilish's "Ocean Eyes" Turned Her Into an Overnight Sensation". Teen Vogue. February 24, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  17. "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Billie Eilish's 'Don't Smile at Me' Hits New High". Billboard. June 7, 2018.
  18. "Billie Eilish Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  19. "Billie Eilish makes chart history with debut album". Consequence of Sound. April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  20. "Finneas O'Connell". GRAMMY.com. November 26, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  21. "Mason Coutinho Shares his Love of Performing and how he Uses his Talents for Good". YAYOMG!. December 17, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  22. Roth, Madeline (October 23, 2019). "SELENA GOMEZ RETURNS AS A STRONGER VERSION OF HERSELF IN 'LOSE YOU TO LOVE ME'". MTV. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  23. Hobson, Jeremy (November 5, 2019). "FINNEAS, Billie Eilish's Brother, Steps Out From Behind The Scenes With 1st Solo Album". WBUR. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  24. D'Souza, Shaad (December 5, 2019). "Camila Cabello drops Romance, feat DaBaby, Shawn Mendes, Finneas". The Fader. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  25. Castel, Gregory. "Ashe writes the perfect anthem for broken relationships in "Moral of the Story"". Earmilk. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  26. Aswad, Jem (December 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish and Her Brother and Co-Writer, Finneas, Get Deep About Their Music and What's Next". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  27. "In Battles of the Bands, The Slightlys Keep Winning (VIDEO)". LA Weekly. October 23, 2014.
  28. "Who Is Billie Eilish's Brother Finneas O'Connell?". Seventeen. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  29. "[PREMIERE] FINNEAS: 'New Girl' - WE FOUND NEW MUSICWE FOUND NEW MUSIC". wefoundnewmusic.com. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  30. FINNEAS (February 4, 2019), FINNEAS - NEW GIRL (Official Music Video), retrieved April 8, 2019
  31. Bronson, Kevin (January 30, 2019). "Finneas' fans fall in love for the night at the Troubadour". buzzbands.la. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  32. Fernando, Madeleine (June 25, 2019). "Finneas Unveils Gorgeous Sunset Video For 'I Lost a Friend'". Billboard. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  33. Burks, Tosten (August 22, 2019). "Here's What Billie Eilish's Brothers Music Sounds Like". Spin. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  34. Mamo, Heran (September 20, 2019). "Finneas Selfishly Reminds His Ex 'I Don't Miss You At All' in New Upbeat Single". Billboard. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  35. https://roanoke.com/people/finneas-oconnell-releases-new-single-what-theyll-say-about-us/article_007be5c3-6b9a-5b9d-b987-edb520645730.html
  36. Corcoran, Nina (October 21, 2020). "FINNEAS Gets Real on New Song "Can't Wait To Be Dead": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  37. Tan, Emily (October 21, 2020). "FINNEAS Struggles With the Internet on 'Can't Wait to Be Dead'". Spin. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  38. Goldstein, Gary (October 16, 2014). "When it's 'Life Inside Out,' they turn to music". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  39. "What other TV shows has Finneas O'Connell been in?". Pop Buzz. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  40. Flemming, Jack (November 26, 2019). "Finneas O'Connell, Billie Eilish's brother and producer, snaps up Los Feliz home". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  41. "Claudia Sulewski on Instagram: "favorite🌹"". Instagram. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  42. "Cabo with you♥️". YouTube. January 13, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  43. "UP AND COMING ARTIST FINNEAS DEDICATES HEARTFELT BALLAD 'CLAUDIA' TO GIRLFRIEND CLAUDIA SULEWSKI". Tiger Beat. February 22, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  44. Coscarelli, Joe (March 28, 2019). "Billie Eilish Is Not Your Typical 17-Year-Old Pop Star. Get Used to Her". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2020. They were also raised vegetarian and slept in a four-person family bed until Finneas was about 10
  45. Parket, Lyndsey (April 22, 2020). "Maggie Baird, mother of Billie Eilish and Finneas, talks homeschool advice, fears and hopes for Generation Z, and COVID-19 initiative Support + Feed". Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  46. "Billie Eilish Explains How Synesthesia Affects Her Music". iheart.com. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  47. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5634962/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
  48. "2019 ASCAP Pop Music Awards". ASCAP. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  49. Singleton, Micah (December 2, 2019). "Billie Eilish Earns Top Honors From Inaugural Apple Music Awards". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  50. "2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominees List". Grammy.com. November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  51. "Grammy Nominations 2021". The New York Times.
  52. "2020 iHeartRadio Music Awards Nominees Revealed: See the Full List". iHeartRadio. January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  53. "MTV VMAs 2020: Winners". VMAs. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
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