THE planets have aligned perfectly for Groovin The Moo. On Saturday arguably the hottest act in pop music - Billie Eilish - will electrify Maitland Showground.
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The 17-year-old from Los Angeles released her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? last month. It went No.1 in 17 countries, including Australia, UK and the USA, all to rave reviews from critics.
Eilish boasts 44.1 million monthly listeners, making her the sixth most popular artist on Spotify. Her single Bad Guy was the streaming service's most popular track this week, attracting 5.6 million daily plays.
It is the biggest coup in the 14-year history of Groovin The Moo. When the travelling regional festival announced its line-up in January Eilish was already considered the next big thing in pop music, but organisers would never have believed her star would have ascended so rapidly in the past month.
GTM may not officially advertise anyone as the headliner, but there is no doubt who will be the focal point, even if festival organisers said it was "not really GTM's ethos to single out any particular artist," when asked for comment regarding Eilish.
Over the past two weekends Eilish has performed at California's Coachella, one of the world's premier music festivals. Several reviewers described her performance as the "break-out set" of the event, which involved an creepy light show and Eilish, at times, singing form a suspended four-poster bed.
Before launching into her song Bury A Friend, a visibly-moved Eilish told the feverish crowd, "this is crazy." Indeed it was.
Esteemed music website Pitchfork reported; "Eilish was on stage as she is on record: free but formally sound, refreshingly weird without too much pretense.
"It was light and, at its best moments, an electric kind of performance that confirmed her as a somewhat nervous teenager and as an obvious superstar in waiting."
Following the Coachella success, English music festival giant Glastonbury announced this week they have promoted Eilish to their main stage for when she performs in June.
So what is it about this slightly weird and goth teenager that has the world in raptures?
Unlike many of her pop contemporaries, there's a darker, edgier vibe to Eilish. She's also rocks a baggy shirt and shorts, rather than some risque outfit.
Musically she ventures beyond commercial pop, with elements of R'n'B, trap, electro, indie and even jazz, leading to comparisons with fellow Kiwi teen star Lorde and Lana Del Ray.
In October 2015 Eilish released her debut song, Ocean Eyes, written by her 21-year-old brother and collaborator, Finneas O'Connell, and it quickly caught fire. From there the momentum has turned into an avalanche.
In 2017 she released her debut EP Don't Smile At Me and then last year she teamed up with American R'n'B star Khalid on the track Lovely, which has received 486 million streams.
On Saturday night Maitland learns if Billie the kid is worth the hype.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
