Billie Eilish defends Gen Z filming concerts on phones
Billie Eilish defends Gen Z filming concerts on phones
Patrick SawerSat, May 9, 2026 at 4:31 PM UTC
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Eilish performs onstage during her Hit Me Hard And Soft tour, which was the basis for her new film - Getty Images
For both fans and performers of a certain vintage, it is the bane of their lives –what should be the grand spectacle and electric atmosphere of a music gig ruined by a sea of outstretched mobile phones.
But one young pop star has now defended the phenomenon of fans filming concerts on their digital devices.
Billie Eilish – who recorded a James Bond theme song aged just 17 – has claimed filming concerts “keep us connected”, adding that she regularly filmed shows to watch back later.
Eilish performing at the Coachella music festival in 2019 - Getty Images
In Eilish’s new concert film, directed by James Cameron, a majority of the young, largely female audience can be seen dancing while filming the performance on their devices.
“I just think that’s what it’s like,” Eilish told the NME. “My generation, and the generations below, we love to film stuff. All I do is film and take pictures of stuff – all of the time.
“When I was young and would go to concerts or festivals, I would film every single minute of it – and then I would watch every single video that I took over and over until I even had the audio of the crowd memorised. I think that’s not to be pooh-poohed. An important part of the culture is that we are all on our goddamn phones! It keeps us connected. It does!”
Musicians have formed a growing chorus in recent years, critical of the habit of their concerts being filmed by fans, rather than lived in the moment.
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When Sabrina Carpenter and Madonna appeared together at the Coachella festival last month, the crowd caused controversy by standing still during Vogue and Like a Prayer, as they held their devices aloft instead of dancing.
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Bob Dylan has a “no photos” policy, Prince’s “purple rules” prevented video recording and Beyoncé once told off a fan who couldn’t join in the singing because she was too busy filming.
Things took a farcical turn last month when the R&B singer Akon tried to crowd surf over his audience in a giant hamster ball, only to drop straight to the ground when fans in Newcastle preferred to film the moment rather than hold him aloft.
But Eilish, who began building an online following in the late 2010s with her early viral track Ocean Eyes, told the NME she owed much of her success to young people’s interactions in digital spaces.
“I wouldn’t have a career without the internet. I wouldn’t have fans. I wouldn’t have the connection that I do without the internet.”
Eilish said that she wouldn’t have a career were it not for the internet - Simone Joyner
The LA-born 24-year-old, who was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome when she was 11 years old, also admitted, however, that there are “huge cons” to social media, which comes with its “dark” side.
Eilish’s collaboration with Cameron, the director of Titanic and Avatar, which was shot in immersive 3D and is playing now in UK cinemas, marks her debut starring in a full-length feature film.
“When my mum told me that James Cameron was asking if I wanted to make a movie of the concert in 3D, it sounded like it could be the coolest thing in the world,” she recalled. “I love the tour and the show so much. I had started to hate knowing that I wouldn’t be able to hold on to it. But when Jim came in with this idea, I realised that I would be able to re-experience it forever. So my answer was a resounding yes!”
A still from the James Cameron film Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour (Live In 3D) - PA
Ticketholders for the film Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) have been encouraged by Eilish to act as if it were a real-life performance and not a projection.
“I want singing along, I want screaming, I want standing up, I want running around,” she said on the red carpet at the film’s London premiere. “I’m sorry to the theatres.”
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
