Billie Eilish doesn’t know if there will ever be another Billie Eilish

About ten years in the past, Billie Eilishthen 13 years old, he uploaded “Ocean Eyes” on SoundCloud and it took him to international fame.

It was the kind of musicians who craved high-rises, led by a platform that at the time was not known to have unearthed pop stars. But if you ask her now, even Eilish, who is 24 years old, doesn’t know if anyone can do it better. “Oh my God!” says when asked where the next Billie Eilish can be found. “I don’t know.”

Photo: Darrell Jackson

These days it’s common for new artists to share their music on SoundCloud, but back then it was still a novelty. Eilish said: “I’m curious to know what the future holds. “I don’t know where anyone is going to come from. I can’t wait to see them and I can’t wait to cheer them on, whoever they are.”

If they would come at all. Ten years ago artists could build a following, as Eilish did, through websites, Instagram posts, and television shows. In 2026, the landscape looks very different. Everyone seems to know, or claims to know, how to beat the algorithms to get streams and views, but very few feel it’s true, especially in a world full of AI slop. Eilish and her fans have grown up online, but they may not want to socialize the way they used to.

Eilish, to be clear, still believes that real talent can cut through the noise. Art, he says, should be “accessible to everyone” and the internet, although confusing, helps. “There are all kinds of technologies out there where it looks like we’re overwhelmed, but we’re not,” Eilish told WIRED. “If we’re going to keep making real, real human-made art—sound, audio—I don’t see it dying.”