Tools of the Trade

So far, the interviews we’ve shared were recorded shortly after Finneas had released his solo debut, Optimist, in the fall of 2021. But it’s also interesting to hear from an artist in the midst of their creative process — to hear firsthand about their emotional state, in addition to the challenges and even doubts they face in the studio.So with this in mind, we're sharing an interview with Finneas from fall of 2020 for another show, Inside the Studio. At the time, Finneas was busy working on his first full length, as well as testing the waters with an EP, Blood Harmony.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They that every character in your dreams is really you. The same goes for songs. Finneas spoke to us about how themes on Optimist began to emerge — ones that he wasn’t necessarily aware of as he wrote it. It helped him make sense of the tumultuous last few years, and how it changed him as an artist and as a person. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Sharing” is the key word when he comes to most artists. It’s only natural: You’ve made something you’re proud of, and you want as many people as possible to enjoy it. That’s all well and good, until the audience begins to turn their attention away from your art, and onto you. Some people enjoy the attention and thrive. Others, like Finneas, emphatically don’t. This week, we continue our exploration of Optimist, as Finneas digs deeper into his relationship with fame and the internet — and how those two tend to feed into one another.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Success can open doors, but it can also be confusing, sometimes crippling. This episode, Finneas begins to take us track-by-track through his album Optimist, discussing his influences and the wide variety of experiences he drew on in the writing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These days, you don't need a studio or a $10,000 microphone to make a good sounding record. In fact you probably have everything you need available on whatever you're using to listen to this podcast! Finneas is one of the most visible beneficiaries of this democratization of music. This episode, he talks about the tools and tricks he uses to create, stay inspired, and make the music that he hears in his head.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you make a hit record? To try to answer this not-so-simple question, we're sitting down with someone who helped define the sound of popular music in recent years, Finneas, to take us through the life cycle of a song from studio to stage and everything in between. You may know his sister, Billie Eilish. Their first song together, "Ocean Eyes," went viral practically overnight, and the album that followed became one of the most important records of the decade. Since then, he's written and produced radio smashes for the likes of Justin Bieber, Camila Cabello, Selena Gomez, Halsey, and Kid Cudi, not to mention nine Grammys. Now he's embarking on a new phase of his career, stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist with 2020's full length Blood Optimist, last year's Optimist, and his latest single "Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa." This season on Song Stories, Finneas takes us on a tour through the creative process and what it means to be a success in the music industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.