Flashback Friday: Finneas - Break My Heart Again | Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day is upon us. So, this Friday we’re gonna flash back to a love song about heartbreak.

Whilst Finneas is often introduced and referred to as ‘Billie Eilish’s brother’ (understandably, so), he is also an artist in his own right. Being the co-writer and producer of all of Billie’s songs, there are of course similarities between his material and hers, which is to be expected. [Opens PowerPoint presentation on Michael and Janet]. But the cool thing about Billie and Finneas (and also Michael and Janet) is that for all the sibling similarities, they all have their own identities and viewpoints, which channels into the songs they pick and write. So, whilst some of the sonics and approaches to creating music is similar, the themes are where things diverge. Michael and Janet’s music is ultimately different. And with Billie and Finneas, it’s the same thing.

Finneas is a bit of a crooner, and his music on the whole is very downtempo. If I had to compare his sound to another artist, one that comes to mind is Ed Sheeran. Finneas has a few songs I think are pretty good, but “Break My Heart Again” is the one. I’m a sucker for a good piano ballad, and Finneas done kicked me in the balls with this one.

It’s a shame that “Break My Heart Again” didn’t do much commercially, because not only does it sound like the makings of a smash hit; but it would have gone some way to showing Finneas’ range as a songwriter and a producer.

Finneas showed out a great deal as a producer on Happier Than Ever. But even when he threw himself and Billie in new directions, it was still within a space which felt very ‘Billie’. So I’d imagine that some record labels and A&R’s probably don’t see Finneas as somebody who would produce for anybody else, because they can’t divorce him and his sound from Billie. And some may argue whether he even can produce for anybody else. And it’s a shame, because I think Finneas has the range to work with any and everyone.

Listening to Billie’s music alone, you wouldn’t think that the producer of her songs is a complete romantic who has a thing for ballads. And this is something which seems pretty rare in this day an age from a Gen Z producer. And there are many veteran artists whose bread and butter is crooning ass ballads, who would love to work with somebody young and fresh, but all the young and fresh talents are making ‘bops and bangers’. Finneas could and should be working with the likes of Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand. And whilst she’s not of the same generation, she’s certainly of the sound; Adele.

It truly does feel like earnest writing of ballads and love songs, and this being a definitive lane for a songwriter and producer is no longer a thing the way it once was. And it feels all the more real with the very recent (at time of writing) passing of Burt Bacharach. It’d be great to have a new generation of songwriter to do what David Foster, Diane Warren and Walter Afanasieff did for ballads during the 90s. And Finneas has the talent and the platform try and bring the piano ballad back. There’s always a window when piano ballads come back in a big way. And when it opens, Finneas better be ready to stuntman dive through that bitch.