First-time voter Billie Eilish threw her support behind Joe Biden at the DNC
Billie Eilish has only been eligible to vote for nine months. But though she’s the youngest artist to perform at the Democratic National Convention, the teenage pop star is using her outsized influence to implore fans to cast their ballots for Joe Biden this November — or far earlier if they’re voting by mail. Eilish made an inspiring appearance at the DNC on Wednesday, denouncing Trump during a short, rousing speech and performing her new single “my future.”
Actress and last night’s host Kerry Washington (garbed in a perfectly tailored pinstripe suit) introduced Eilish by highlighting the voter registration booths at the singer’s concerts in pre-covid times. She also spoke to Eilish’s efforts to make her tours carbon-neutral.
Then Eilish threw her stardom behind Biden’s candidacy, by underscoring how chaotic life has been under Trump in a minute-long speech:
You don’t need me to tell you things are a mess. Donald Trump is destroying our country and everything we care about. We need leaders who will solve problems like climate change and covid, not deny them. Leaders who will fight against systemic racism and inequality. And that starts by voting for someone who understands how much is at stake. Someone who’s building a team that shares our values. It starts with voting against Donald Trump and for Joe Biden. Silence is not an option, and we cannot sit this one out. We all have to vote like our lives and the world depend on it because they do. The only way to be certain of the future is to make it ourselves. Please register, please vote.
Eilish’s appearance at the DNC then segued into the live performance debut of her single, “my future,” which is about learning to love yourself but doubled as a plea for a more equitable America for all of us. She was backed onstage, as always, by her brother Finneas. Delightfully, the grey pit bull Eilish adopted at the start of quarantine lolled about the haze-filled space while she performed. Check out her speech and song, below:
The 2020 DNC has been remarkably cohesive and impassioned, with bipartisan politicians and celebrities alike lining up to trash Trump and endorse Biden. While the convention is intrinsically different from elections past — thanks to coronavirus, it’s the first-ever virtual gathering — there’s also a current of urgency running through the pageantry. There’s a long road ahead for the Biden-Harris campaign, the biggest hurdle being voter turnout in a pandemic, but the energy of the DNC has me feeling hopeful. Eilish’s performance was a nice reminder that the future doesn’t have to be as gloomy as the past four years have been. It’s time for us all to take control of our destinies, and the road to a healthier democracy starts with voting.
