Rina Sawayama Belts Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” for BBC Radio 1: Watch
Considering Rina Sawayama and Billie Eilish are two of our favorite subversive pop stars, it isn’t too surprising that the former covered the latter’s hit “Happier Than Ever” during her visit to the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.
As evidenced by her most recent album Hold the Girl, Sawayama is a fan of blending genres — even when approaching other people’s songs. Here, she turns Eilish’s sweeping, waltzing ballad up a notch with blasts of electric guitar that emphasize the breakup anthem’s angry themes. Sawayama also takes some creative liberty with her vocals: During the first chorus, she sounds like she’s being processed through a Vocoder, though she’s flawlessly belting by the end.
Sawayama’s cover of “Happier Than Ever” just further solidifies her performing skills, as well as Eilish’s penchant for poignant songwriting. Now, we’ll be desperately waiting until the two finally collaborate. Listen to the cover for yourself below.
“Happier Than Ever” is the title track to Eilish’s smash 2021 album. Since then, she’s shared the surprise EP Guitar Songs, which includes live favorite “TV” and “The 30th,” which we named Song of the Week. Next month, Sawayama will kick off her Europe and US tour in support of Hold the Girl; get your tickets via Ticketmaster.