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28 September 2022 11:52 AM

Damon Albarn says he’ll collaborate with Billie Eilish in the future

"It’s just a case of schedules"

By Rolling Stone UK

two side by side images of Damon Albarn (left) and Billie Eilish (right) performing live on-stage
Damon Albarn and Billie Eilish. CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons

Damon Albarn has said that he will collaborate with Billie Eilish at some point in the future.

Back in April, the Blur and Gorillaz frontman made a guest appearance during Eilish‘s headline set at this year’s Coachella in Indio, California. The pair treated the crowd to joint renditions of ‘Happier Than Ever’ (from Eilish’s second album of the same name) and ‘Feel Good Inc.’ (the lead single from Gorillaz’ 2005 record ‘Demon Days’).

Eilish told the audience: “This man changed my life in a lot of ways and changed my complete view of what music could be, and what art could be, and what creation could be.

“My first favourite band ever was The Good, The Bad and the Queen when I was six and Blur changed the world and Gorillaz changed the world, and this man is literally a genius, and that’s that.”

Albarn had previously called the singer and her brother/collaborator Finneas “really interesting songwriter[s]” in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. The musician said he was a fan of Eilish’s “minor and odd” sound, calling her an “exceptional” artist.

Yesterday (September 27), Albarn was asked by Apple Music 1‘s Matt Wilkinson if a studio project with Eilish could emerge.

“Yeah, it will. Yeah,” he replied. “I think we keep trying to do it. It’s just a case of schedules.”

Albarn, who’s known for shifting genres through his numerous projects, was then pressed on what musical style the potential team-up could have. “Who knows?” he responded. “[It] could be kind of babbling brook folk or dark satanic metal.”

Gorillaz are set to release their eighth studio album, Cracker Island, on February 24, 2023 via Parlophone.

The 10-song collection will include collaborations with Tame Impala, Stevie Nicks, Thundercat, Beck and more. You can pre-order the record here, and see the full tracklist beneath.

  1. ‘Cracker Island’ (feat. Thundercat)
  2. ‘Oil’ (feat. Stevie Nicks)
  3. ‘The Tired Influencer’
  4. ‘Tarantula‘
  5. ‘Silent Running’ (feat. Adeleye Omotayo)
  6. ‘New Gold’ (feat. Tame Impala and Bootie Brown)
  7. ‘Baby Queen’
  8. ‘Tormenta’ (feat. Bad Bunny)
  9. ‘Skinny Ape‘
  10. ‘Possession Island’ (feat. Beck)

Over the summer, Billie Eilish released a surprise EP called Guitar Songs, which featured two new tracks: ‘TV’ and ‘The 30th’.

The pop star made her debut headline appearance at Glastonbury in June – read Rolling Stone UK’s review of the set here.

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