GUESS… THE RED?

It’s no mystery that summer 2024 is officially BRAT. Charlie XCX recently released the new single “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish, showcasing Eilish in her new role as an LGBTQ+ icon, while fluttering rainbow-colored panties as flags. But she seems very affectionate to the color red. Can you guess why?

music video “Guess” Billie Eilish feat. Charlie XCX

Billie made a great comeback with her latest album in May, called “Hit me Hard and Soft”, where she demonstrated her dedication to new musical experiments and her vulnerability through years of growth, heartbreak, and self-discovery.
At the start of the year, fans noticed many hints about the theme, particularly the lyrics of her well-known unreleased song “Blue”, and cryptic messages referencing the same color throughout main cities in the USA.
Then, these subtle signs culminated in the announcement on Billie’s official page, finally revealing her third album. The album was welcomed by the world with great success: most of the new songs completely dominated the “TikTok” viral sounds catalog and consequently the album topped the charts of the mainstream music apps.
The Independent described it as “the perfect fit for a record that whispers its way through a marvelous maze of music to deliver some big emotional wallops”. The album also received high ratings from major reviews.
Billie finally broke down her character of being confined in dark sounds, which often felt like a spiral going deeper and deeper. This time, the softness of touching the innermost parts of ourselves is a gift that she has shown us repeatedly, and it feels like something grabbed her taking her to the surface of light.

This shift is evident not only in her lyrics, where some songs are more frivolous and light-hearted, others beat to jazz rhythms, and some feel like an enlightened awakening comparable to the Interstellar soundtrack, touching the strings of existentialism. Her personal growth is perceived in this album, where the old dominating feelings of depression, anger, and eagerness for freedom slowly give way to confidence, acceptance, irony, and letting go.
The album covers almost every genre out there, except reggaeton (yet).
Some songs have an acoustic vibe, while some others have a more electronic kick. A notable pattern is the incredible work of instrumental build-up in songs like “The Greatest” or “Chihiro”, which start melodically and evolve into something entirely different.
Finneas, her producer and brother, gave his best in creating one of the best albums of the decade.
We see a change of tone also in the visuals created for the album: “Lunch” strongly recalls the uptown hip-hop music videos from the 2000s, while Billie explores her new sensuality as an LGBTQ+ community member (and quickly representative icon). Meanwhile, “Chihiro”, inspired by her favorite Ghibli movie “Spirited Away”, has the typical atmosphere of 90s films, with two teenagers escaping from and towards each other in constantly moving scenes from a deserted school to long fields kissed by the last orange light of the sun.

Despite the consistent blue theme predominant in her album, Billie often contrasted it with red, seen in details on her social media posts and stories, and at the NYC listening party.
Some fans noticed a special edition of the album cover splashed with red and merchandise featuring, again, these two colors. And the red matter definitely sparked the fire of rumors of a possible double album.
The so-called “ilomilo” theory has been going on since May and suggests that there might be another album coming out before the end of the year, or it might be her brother’s, since the two of them seem to have that siblings’ soul tie.
Recent Instagram activity has reignited these rumors.
Billie and her close friend Alex Wolff posted an infinite loop of scenes in their stories, where their profiles matched the blue and red secret code. Also, the final sentence of the album: “But when can we hear the next one?” at the end of the “Blue” violin orchestra, left the public intrigued by the mystery, wondering why in a campaign that should have been fully themed visually in blue, there were so many red dots, like a hidden map.
Could Billie Eilish soon reveal a new alter ego, fueled by the red of passion and young desires? With her latest single debut with the queen Charlie XCX, we might have some more hints. You tryna “Guess”? Meanwhile, we switch back from being Sherlock Holmes in this intriguing cultural landscape to writers.