Billie Eilish has revealed her intentions behind the immersive experience she created to celebrate her debut album.
The Californian pop star released her first record ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ on Friday (March 29).
To mark its release, Eilish invited fans in LA to enter an immersive experience that allowed them to interact with the songs in different settings. Tracks were represented in different rooms that varied in smell, temperature, colour, texture, and more.
i wanna go to the billie eilish spotify experience JUST TO STAY IN THIS ROOM FOREVER pic.twitter.com/pGOTTftjwd
— ellé (@notearsxboca) March 29, 2019
Speaking to Billboard, the singer said: “I wanted it to literally be like an exhibit, a museum, a place to smell and hear and feel.”
? @billieeilish invited one of my favorite rescues, Marley’s Mutts, to be apart of her album release at the “Billie Eilish Experience” this weekend and I honestly can’t handle it. ??? #Rescue pic.twitter.com/baTVSV76Vc
— Michelle (@MichelleTera) March 31, 2019
She explained that the experience was meant to reflect her synesthesia, which makes her see colours or smell sounds when she listens to music. “I wanted to take my synesthesia and give it to the world and show everybody what it feels like,” she said.
The pop-up in partnership with Spotify also included staff wearing Blohsh jumpsuits (Eilish’s new merch line), artwork created by fans on the walls, a waiting room for parents to sit in while their children explored, and a huge statue of Eilish designed by Takashi Murakami. You can see images from the experience above.
NME awarded ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ five stars upon its release. In the review, New Music Editor Thomas Smith wrote: “When We All Fall Asleep…’, then, ticks all the boxes for a memorable and game-changing debut album. It’s a brave and resounding first step for an artist with bags of potential and over the next decade, you’ll no doubt see popular music scrabbling to try and replicate what this album does on every level. There’ll always be copycats, as Billie noted on her 2017 song of the same name, but none will be able to reach these heights any time soon.”
Last week, Eilish discussed the meaning behind the song ‘xanny’, which features on the record.
“I’ve never got high, I’ve never smoked anything in my life,” she said. “I don’t give a fuck, I never have. It’s just not interesting to me. I have other shit to do.” She continued to explain that the track encourages listeners to “be safe” rather than warns them to stay off drugs.