It’s fair to say that Billie Eilish does well for herself. The 23-year-old musician is currently in the final three-week stretch of the Hit Me Hard and Soft tour, an extensive international run with 106 sold-out shows. Her third studio album has received a two-times platinum certification from RIAA with 2 million copies sold. She will also be donating $11.5 million from the tour to various organizations and charities.
Stephen Colbert revealed the news while presenting Eilish with the Wall Street Journal Magazine’s Music Innovator of the Year award in New York on Wednesday, Oct. 29. The proceeds will benefit organizations and projects that support food equity, climate justice, reducing carbon pollution, and conducting crucial environmental work in combating the climate crisis.
While accepting the award in a room of affluent figures — including Mark Zuckerberg, who has a net worth of more than $225 billion — Eilish wondered aloud about why people who have the resources to help others often fail to do so.
“We’re in a time right now when the world is really, really bad and really dark,” Eilish said. “People need empathy and help more than, kind of, ever, especially in our country. I’d say if you have money, it would be great to use it for good things and maybe give it to some people that need it.”
After a light round of applause from the audience that also hosted creative figures like Spike Lee and Questlove, Eilish continued: “Love you all, but there’s a few people in here who have a lot more money than me. If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but yeah, give your money away.”
Last year, Eilish spoke with Rolling Stone about her stance on responsibility and advocacy in her career. “I have never had an interest in being a role model, ever,” she said. “If you’re going to think I’m a role model, think I’m a role model in terms of trying to save the environment, and being more conscious of the way that you live, and your carbon footprint, and your contribution to animal agriculture.”
In 2022, Eilish signed an open letter from Global Citizen urging the most powerful governments, private sector leaders, and billionaires to commit to breaking systemic barriers that keep people in poverty and take climate action.
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