If you were still giving Billie Eilish the side eye, wondering about her wholesome integrity and suitability for your sub-teen’s care-free consumption, fret no further. Turns out that everyone’s favourite ex-emo gloom-monger is, in fact, a real pussy cat. Or, more accurately, a polar bear…
For Eilish and her musical collaborator (and brother) Finneas have just appeared on Celebrity Substitute, the ‘digital first’ feel-good US-based TV show in which celebrity guests are invited to come and ‘substitute teach’ a lesson at a public elementary school and show off some of their skills to its enraptured youth in the process.
So far the series has seen Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh giving the kids acting lessons, Camila Cabello shooting a music video, and Olympian Jordan Chiles teaching the kids how to do backflips.
Needless to say the Eilishes' task has a musical bent, enlisting the class of under sevens to provide their valuable input in finishing the latest song from the Grammy award-winning songwriters. Upon arrival in class at the Garvanza Elementary in Los Angeles the kids are predictably jazzed, exclaiming “Am I dreaming right now?” as Finneas runs through some options on a Nord Stage 3 while Eilish leads the class debate on which chords work best.
Then there’s the small matter of lyrics with Eilish resisting the temptation to conjure up something more downbeat in favour of ideas from the kids. “Ghosts” is one topic that’s pitched out there. Likewise “Kendrick Lamar” and “something freaky,” perhaps in an attempt to hand the fish-out-of-water duo a gift horse.
However, the group soon alights on the idea of something to do with “snow” and the notion of a sad (obviously) polar bear who “gets cheated on”. Fortunately things take a rather more upbeat drift with the suggestion that the polar bear finds a snowman to be his friend. Ahh.
It’s all beautiful, heart-warming stuff. Enjoy below.
Reminds us of the time Smokey Robinson appeared on Sesame Street with an anthropomorphic (and rather handsy) letter U for You Really Got A Hold On Me.
Or Stevie Wonder’s appearance on the same show. Best (entirely live) performance of Superstition ever? You bet.
