Billie Eilish has been accused of copying Kanye West after hosting an arena listening party for her new album Hit Me Hard and Soft.
The pop star put on a special event for fans at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Wednesday night (May 15) where she played her third album while dancing around on stage.
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Before pressing play on the project, she told the audience: “I could shit myself right now! Do we wanna hear something? Alright, dudes, so I’m gonna play you the entire album — front to back.
“And I’m not gonna pause it in the middle, and I’m not gonna talk. Well, I don’t know. Maybe I will. But I’m trying not to talk. I’m doing my best.”
Billie Eilish is filmed by her brother Finneas during her Barclays Center album listening party. pic.twitter.com/3DuyVb044f
— Variety (@Variety) May 16, 2024
The event appeared similar to those Kanye has thrown in recent years for his albums Donda and Vultures 1 alongside Ty Dolla $ign, leading many on social media to accuse Eilish of theft.
“One of the most interesting things about Kanye is that he sets all the trends right in front of the world yet nobody seems to notice,” one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in response to a video of Eilish’s listening party.
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“From interior design to the dominant color schemes you see in stores, sneakers, music production, and stage design, everything is stolen from Ye.”
A Kanye fan account added: “Ye is literally the most influential artist of all time, and it’s not close.”
Aus Taylor, who works for Kanye as his creative director, also appeared to take issue with the event. He quote tweeted a clip of Eilish’s party and simply added an ellipsis.
Listening parties were a good revenue driver for Kanye as his five-show run promoting Vultures 1 earlier this year generated over $12 million in ticket sales.
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All five shows were sell-outs and priced at the higher end of the market, with tickets available for between $140 and $220.
Ye and Ty Dolla $ign put on two events in the U.S. in New York and Chicago before taking the listening parties on the road to Europe in Milan, Bologna and Paris.
