Making and Visualizing Music in the Bedroom and Living House, Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic, with Billie Eilish and Fiona Apple




Richardson, John

PublisherInforma UK Limited

2026

 Popular Music and Society

48

5

548-566

566

0300-7766

1740-1712

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2026.2623721

https://doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2026.2623721

https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/515883217



This article reflects on changes in music production which impacted multimodal aesthetics before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a shift toward bedroom production, DIY aesthetics and reflection on mental health. It addresses how home produced music by Billie Eilish and Fiona Apple foregrounded individual and collective agency while leveraging the possibilities of new digital technologies to invoke expansive imaginary worlds. This mode of address is intimate to the extent of being discomforting, offering a window onto our present historical moment, exposing both the vulnerabilities of life in the digital age as well as some potential for disruptive transformations.


Last updated on 20/03/2026 08:50:03 AM