Revealing that he listened to 'When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?' during a 'stressful' Japan trip, the 'Mile High' singer further raves about the one single he found really fascinating.
- Dec 17, 2019
AceShowbiz - James Blake calmed himself down after a nightmare Japanese festival gig by listening to Billie Eilish's debut album for the first time.
The "Limit to Your Love" hitmaker, 31, is pals with Billie's brother Finneas O'Connell, who co-wrote and produced their record "When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" but initially refused to listen to it as he worried about the hype surrounding it.
However, he decided to give it a try after battling illness and fighting off insects to perform at the Mount Fuji Festival in Japan.
"It was really stressful - I don't like bugs - and we were driving back and that record really calmed me down, but it also gave me a lot of ideas," he tells Variety.
Gushing about the album, which is nominated for two Grammy Awards, and the track "Bury a Friend" in particular - which he says is the most interesting song he's heard since Kanye West's "Yeezus".
"It's so sparsely produced, and they gate the vocals so you can't hear any noise - when a vocal goes out there's just complete silence," the star adds. "I don't know whether that was conscious, but I found it really fascinating. 'Bury a Friend' was one of the most interestingly produced things I've heard since 'Yeezus', which I think was some influence."
He also praises the pair for addressing their sudden global success on their new track, "Everything I Wanted".
"It's so interesting how they put it out after (the album) to talk about what it's like to rocket to that kind of success and get everything you wanted, and actually have it exacerbate your nightmares," he explains. "I think the novelty of fame wears off quickly."
