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Jack Antonoff has faced online backlash for throwing an apparent shade at Billie Eilish during an appearance on the Today Show on July 4, 2024. One of the show's hosts asked him about his writing process for sad songs and whether he had a routine for it or if he pens it all down in one go. The 40-year-old Bleachers frontman said that it was hard to write "unless you're really compelled."
"It’s hard to write unless you’re really compelled. Sometimes what compels you is way more serious things," Antonoff noted.
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Jack added:
"I never feel like, you know, you don’t hear a lot of great songs about…like, one’s lunch order… So the things you don’t really understand and cause you pain are usually things worth writing about."
However, it was Antonoff's mention of the word "lunch" that caught netizens' attention, as it is the name of the lead single from Billie Eilish's new studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft. Many took to social media to claim Jack Antonoff threw shade at Billie by implying that Lunch was not a great song because it wasn't about something "serious."
While there was no direct mention of the Birds of a Feather singer during Jack's interview, Billie's fans took to social media to call him out. Some compared Jack Antonoff with Billie's brother Finneas O'Connell, who co-writes the lyrics of her songs.
The written extract of Jack's comment about writing songs was reposted on Reddit, prompting more reactions.
Billie's fans pointed out that a song's theme doesn't always have to be about something intricate or serious. They said that there was nothing wrong with writing fun songs about trivial things. Others slammed Jack Antonoff for being 40 and allegedly picking on a younger artist.
Billie Eilish previously spoke about the meaning of the lyrics to the song Lunch and stated that it wasn't what the word meant to everyone. The first-person narrator in the song speaks about desiring a woman and wanting to indulge in it.
Fan-speculated past drama between Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift
In a March interview with Billboard, Billie Eilish criticized artists’ habit of putting out multiple vinyl editions of their albums and called it "wasteful."
"We live in this day and age where, for some reason, it’s very important to some artists to make all sorts of different vinyl and packaging…I can’t even express to you how wasteful it is," Eilish said.
Billie’s remarks were perceived as a dig at Taylor Swift by many Swifties, as the latter is known for releasing several vinyl variations of her albums. Taylor was also called out for her carbon footprint, as she frequently uses private jets to travel short distances.
However, Billie Eilish addressed the speculations and clarified that her comments were not targeted at anyone and were aimed at the music industry in general. She wrote on her Instagram Stories:
“Okay so it would be so awesome if people would stop putting words into my mouth and actually read what I said in that Billboard article.”
Billie continued:
“I wasn’t singling anyone out, these are industry-wide systemic issues. & when it comes to variants, so many artists release them - including ME! which I clearly state in the article.”
She added that her remarks concerned the current climate crisis and how everyone had a part in it. So, Billie made the statement in an attempt to spread awareness and encourage people to do better.
Another interview following the release of Hit Me Hard and Soft went viral, where Billie Eilish shared her thoughts on conducting a 3-hour-long concert. She told Stationhead that doing a three-hour show was "literally psychotic."
"Doing a three-hour show...That's literally psychotic. Nobody wants that. You guys don't want that. I don't want that. I don't even want that as a fan."
The Ocean Eyes crooner added:
"Even my favorite artists I'm not trying to hear them for three hours. That's far too long. That's literally psychotic."
Swifties took Billie's words as another shade at Taylor Swift, as the latter's Eras Tour concert shows are over 3 hours long. However, Billie has previously expressed her admiration for Taylor Swift and Beyoncé for putting out a show for a long duration and gifting many incredible moments to their fans.
