“Ocean Eyes” was the first of many tipping points for Billie Eilish, the moment an unknown 15-year-old became a Soundcloud sensation. So it was a treat to see Eilish on the Late Late Show performing a duet of her first hit with Alicia Keys, one of her first musical idols.
Keys was filling in for James Corden, and her hosting ethos seems to involve a lot of telling the guests how wonderful they are. She actually began the love-fest a few days ago, when she posted her own cover of “Ocean Eyes” to Instagram. For their late night duet, Keys played piano and used her rich brassy voice to complement Eilish’s piercing tones. The harmonies are gorgeous fun.
Alicia Keys wasn’t expecting any other Billie Eilish performances, but she was in for a surprise. Eilish brought in a home video from when she was 12 and covered Keys’ “Fallin'” at a talent show. While her piano playing is merely good for a 12-year-old, her vocals are great for any age, as she gracefully hits all the notes in Keys’ swooping melody.
Finally, Keys and Eilish joined the other Late Late Show guest Ali Wong in a goofy game called “Taller or Shorter?” Check out those videos below.
Alicia Keys recently released a new song, “Show Me Love”, with Miguel and Raphael Saadiq.
As for Eilish, she’s ending her busy year with an even busier December. Just in the last few days she’s teased a collaboration with BTS, made her directorial debut with the “xanny” music video, sold a documentary to Apple TV+ for $25 million, and released an extremely limited edition of a live album recorded at Jack White’s Third Man Records.
Eilish has a January appearance scheduled at ALTer Ego Fest, and in March she returns to the road with North American and European tour stops. Get your tickets here.