Finneas on why he thinks singing live “is just infinitely harder than strumming a guitar”
Finneas has argued that singing live is “infinitely harder” than playing the guitar on stage.
Speaking on a recent episode of On Film…With Kevin McCarthy, the producer, musician, and singer-songwriter breaks down how he views live performance dynamics when he’s on stage with his sister and longtime collaborator Billie Eilish.
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“I always think of my role as the guy holding the trampoline while the acrobat is flipping,” says Finneas. “So it’s like they’re doing the hard thing, but I could kill them.”
Expanding on that comparison, particularly in contexts like Saturday Night Live, where the pair often perform together, he adds, “If Billie and I are playing SNL or something, I’m like ‘Billie’s doing the hard part’. Billie is singing, which is just infinitely harder than strumming a guitar.”
“If I fuck up my guitar part, she’s in the open ocean,” he explains. “And that to me is like, I am locked in. I’m right there.”
“The other part is like if Billie wants to take an extra beat because she’s feeling the significance of a line… that would be such a failure if I’m like [hits imaginary keyboard] and I step on the beat.”
Finneas traces this sensitivity back to his early musical training, noting that he “grew up singing in choirs” where “watching the conductor” was essential.
“You better be watching the conductor,” he says. “Even if you are learning the song as you’re singing it, you better be looking up and back ‘cause they’re going to cut you off and bring you in.”
“And also that is the fun of it,” the producer continues. “but that would be so embarrassing to be like, ‘Oh my god, she was taking a pregnant pause and I blew through it ‘cause I was too relaxed or whatever.’”
Watch the full interview below.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
