Hans Zimmer on how Billie Eilish was picked to sing the ‘Bond’ theme
Hans Zimmer has spoken about how Billie Eilish came to be chosen for the latest Bond theme tune.
The pop star and brother Finneas worked on ‘No Time To Die’ together, which was released in February.
- Read more: Billie Eilish undergoes her biggest transformation yet in the ‘No Time To Die’ video
The composer explained that there were a “box of songs” that were in the running for the theme song, including “this small, leanly produced, very personal song by Billie”. “I just went, ‘That’s it,’” he told GQ. “And everybody said, ‘Well, but it’s not quite right. It’s not good.’ [I said] ‘No, no, no, here’s the mistake you’re making – she and Finneas haven’t seen the movie yet. They don’t know what they’re writing about. Get them on a plane, get them over here.’”
He continued to say that it was “undeniable” to him that Eilish was the right choice. “It felt hugely personal; it felt really well crafted,” he said. “I really liked how lean it was.”
Zimmer added that he kept pushing for Eilish and Finneas to be given the job, saying that ‘No Time To Die’ continued the tradition of people who work on Bond themes bringing “a strong style of their own, with conviction and a great commitment”.
“This song had it,” he said. “It maintained an intimacy, which I thought was beautiful.”
While the theme song was released in February, No Time To Die’s cinematic release has now been pushed back until April 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, Eilish recently advocated for the climate change awareness initiative No Music On A Dead Planet during her livestream concert. At the end of ‘All The Good Girls Go To Hell’ – during which screens showed the effects of climate change – the singer appeared in front of the campaign’s name.
She also urged fans to vote in the upcoming presidential election, which takes place tomorrow (November 3). “Please, vote people,” she said. “We have 10 days til this election. It is so important that you vote, especially if you’re young, because we’re the ones with futures — unless you don’t vote and we all die.”
