Yahoo readers sound off after Billie Eilish admits she doesn't know Van Halen
Billie Eilish has made headlines for her groundbreaking music, her style and her Grammy nominations, but her latest trip to the top of the “trending topics” list isn’t because of any of those things — it’s because of Van Halen.
Eilish stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! and when Kimmel asked the teen if she could “name a Van Halen,” she replied, “Who?”
Her comments lit up Twitter with reactions from people who were shocked the 17-year-old musician didn’t know the iconic band.
Wolf Van Halen, son of co-founder Eddie Van Halen, tweeted his support of Eilish amid the flurry of comments, writing:
If you haven’t heard of @billieeilish, go check her out. She’s cool. If you haven’t heard of @VanHalen, go check them out. They’re cool too.
Music is supposed to bring us together, not divide us. Listen to what you want and don’t shame others for not knowing what you like.— Wolf Van Halen (@WolfVanHalen) December 2, 2019
Van Halen’s only #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, “Jump,” topped the charts in 1984, while Eilish wasn’t born until 2001.
Yahoo readers had a lot to say about Eilish’s musical blind spot.
Patrick pointed out that Eilish isn’t exactly in the typical Van Halen fanbase age range:
Jade agreed that most 17-year-olds probably wouldn’t know the group, but complimented Wolf Van Halen for sticking up for Eilish:
One Van Halen fan said there’s no reason Eilish should know the band, just as he has no idea who she is either:
Zeek admitted being able to recognize superstar Beyoncé but not any of her songs:
And one reader just seemed confused as to who Billie Eilish is in the first place:
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