Bad Guy is the fifth single from Billie Eilish's debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Photo / Getty Images
Bad Guy is the fifth single from Billie Eilish's debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Photo / Getty Images
Goth-tinged pop star Billie Eilish has made history as the first artist born in this century to land a No. 1 song — Bad Guy, in this case — on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"AYYYYYEEEE WE MADE IT," the 17-year-old said on Instagram in reaction to the news.
Image / Instagram, @billieeilish
Thecrown passed from one Gen-Zer to another as Bad Guy, the fifth single from Eilish's debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? dethroned Lil Nas X's Old Town Road, which had reigned for a record-breaking 19 weeks. The rapper was born in April 1999, less than two years before Eilish.
He took the news in stride, commending her on Twitter: "congratulations to billie eilish!! u deserve this!!"
Lil Nas X and Eilish's feats put their youthful business savvy on display, as both Old Town Road and Bad Guy, their first respective No. 1 hits, benefited from remixes recorded after the fact. (In its calculations, Billboard considers remixes to be the same song.) Lil Nas X released multiple: The most famous in April with country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, followed by others with electronic DJ Diplo, rapper Young Thug, tiny yodeller Mason Ramsey and Korean pop star RM.
Old Town Road became the longest-running No. 1 last month, besting 1995′s One Sweet Day, a Mariah Carey-Boyz II Men collaboration, which had been tied with fellow 16-weeker Despacito, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's 2017 hit with a Justin Bieber remix.
Lil Nas X was quick to congratulate Eilish via social media. Photo / Getty Images
Eilish released a single remix in July that also happened to feature Bieber, her longtime idol.
Though it may seem inconsequential given the grand scale of these other achievements, Billboard notes that Bad Guy had already beaten another record for the most weeks (nine) spent in the Hot 100′s runner-up spot.
Eilish wrote Bad Guy with her older brother, Finneas O'Connell, who also acted as the sole producer on When We All Fall Asleep. The siblings recorded the album in O'Connell's childhood bedroom. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in March, also making Eilish the youngest artist to do that.
