Finneas

He's won Grammys and Oscars, but his proudest achievement? His relationship with his sister... Billie Eilish

- RICHARD GODWIN

At 27, Finneas O'Connell has achieved almost everything it is possible to achieve in pop music. If you measure achievements by Grammies (x10), Academy Awards (x2), number ones (US and UK), album sales (10 million+), earworms (duh), his songwriting/ production partnership with his sister Billie Eilish, 22, is peerless.

And yet the pressures on the O'Connell siblings are of an entirely different amplitude. Eilish (that's actually her middle name) is out there on stage, in the press, on the socials, hitting the notes, spilling her guts. Finneas (as he is known) is almost always by her side - but he's crouched over a laptop or strumming a guitar, providing the cover as his little sister draws the fire. He's aware it's the easier side of the bargain.

"Sometimes, I've walked offstage with Billie and said: "That was a fun show!' And she's said: 'Really? I was working really hard the whole time." He laughs. As the frontperson"...you're focused, you're concentrated, you're trying to hit the notes, you're engaging, you're looking them in the eyes, somebody passes out and you've got to deal with it - it can be really challenging. I have a lot of respect for it. It's a way harder role than being the guy in the back playing the keyboard." Which makes Finneas's latest flex rather daunting. With his new solo album, For Cryin' Out Loud!, he is now centre stage. He's fronted bands before, in high school. But it was only when he handed one of his songs to his then-14-year-old little sister that lightning struck.