Katy Perry admitted she initially thought Billie Eilish’s song ‘Ocean Eyes’ was ‘boring’ when asked if she would work on it with her, at a concert event with 102.7 KIIS FM.
Katy Perry, 38, told an audience that she once passed on working with Billie Eilish, 21, and now regrets it, during a recent Q&A. The singer was performing at a concert event for 102.7 KIIS FM when she talked about the moment she was asked to join the then teen on her now mega hit “Ocean Eyes.” After admitting she passed on it, she called her quick decision a “huge mistake.”
“[Someone] sent me an email one time that was: ‘Hey, check out this new artist. I’d really like us to work with her because she was working with me for Unsub [Records],” Katy said on stage. “It was a song called ‘Ocean Eyes,’ and it was just a blonde girl, and I was like, ‘Meh, boring.’”
Katy passed on a chance to work with Billie Eilish at the beginning of the then teen’s career. (Arroyo-OConnor / AFF-USA.com / MEGA / Lumeimages / MEGA)
“Ocean Eyes” went on to become Billie’s breakthrough single in 2015. It was written and produced by her brother Finneas O’Connell, with whom she collaborates on many of her songs, and it was featured on her debut EP, Don’t Smile at Me. It reached number 84 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and peaked within the top 60 in the record charts of several countries and peaked at number 72 on the UK Singles Chart, making it a commercial success. It received several certifications, including a triple-platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Although Katy wishes she wouldn’t have passed up working with Billie, the talented artist has had quite a successful music career of her own. Her own breakthrough hit song was “I Kissed a Girl,” which was released in 2008. She has gone on to release many other hit singles since then, including “Teenage Dream,” “Last Friday Night,” and “Roar.”
