Billie Eilish's second album, Happier Than Ever, had the reviews on its side, but lower popularity cost her the wins at the 2022 Grammys. Eilish was denied even one award, getting overshadowed by another 'Best New Artist' winner who was the much more predictable choice to win. Here's the analysis of Eilish's Grammy history.
Eilish this year received seven Grammys nominations, beating her personal record from the 2020 ceremony. The album and song nominated (both titled “Happier Than Ever”) were the main focus, but her concert film Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter To Los Angeles also received a nod in the Best Music Film category.
To be fair, the nominations she receives are in the most highly contested categories, but there’s at least one she should have gotten: Best Pop Vocal Album. With the popularity of Rodrigo’s Sour and the singles “drivers license” and “good 4 u,” Eilish didn’t stand a chance no matter the quality of her new music.
Eilish netted five Grammys in 2020 and two last year, making her the youngest and second-ever artist to receive Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year in the same year. setting a precursor for Olivia Rodrigo to collect the same awards this year (she received three of the same five that Eilish won in 2020). Ultimately, the streaming numbers mattered too much - without billions of streams on any song, Eilish couldn’t match Rodrigo’s popularity even with the critically superior album. Thankfully, the Grammys ended up awarding less popular albums and songs the general awards at the 2022 ceremony. Not that Rodrigo didn’t deserve it, she’s just a close second across the board.
Eilish’s most recent record, Happier Than Ever, is available on streaming services everywhere. Revisit this one for a more nuanced pop approach than the other Grammy nominees this year!