Billie Eilish Partners With Fender Play Foundation to Give Ukuleles to 2,500 Children
Billie Eilish is giving back to the neighborhood where she grew up and fell in love with music. The Grammy Award-winning teen sensation has joined Fender Play Foundation in a project to provide schoolchildren in Highland Park, Los Angeles, with ukuleles. Here’s more on Eilish’s partnership and what she hopes to accomplish with it.
Billie Eilish learned to play ukulele at a young age
Eilish’s musical journey began when she was a young child. The “Bad Guy” singer revealed during a Carpool Karaoke drive with James Corden (seen below) that she learned ukulele at 6 years old. Additionally, she revealed the first song she practiced on the instrument: “I Will” by the Beatles.
Eilish has also featured ukulele tracks in her albums, including songs like “Party Favor” from her don’t smile at me EP and “8” from her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?.
In 2020, Eilish partnered with Fender to create her own signature ukulele. In a promotional video for the project, the teen said she often turned to the ukulele when she was younger to write songs.
“It used to be where I could write everything…I think the ukulele brings a different feeling to every song,” she said. “You know, it inspires a different kind of writing.”
Billie Eilish’s new partnership will give ukuleles to school children in her LA hometown
Now, Eilish will pass the opportunity to create music with ukuleles to young kids in Highland Park. As The Eastsider reported, she and Fender Play Foundation will give Fender California Coast Series Seaside Ukuleles to about 2,500 kids in local elementary schools. They will donate the ukuleles to the schools over the next three years. The program, which began on Aug. 16, will kickstart other Fender Play Foundation initiatives to teach the instrument to Highland Park schoolchildren.
Eilish, who helped create and fund the program, said she wanted to “give back” to Highland Park.
“Music changed my life, and it’s an incredible feeling to be able to give back to my hometown and provide other kids with the very instrument that made me fall in love with songwriting in the first place,” the singer said in a statement, according to The Eastsider. “Through this program, I hope we can help inspire the next generation of creatives.”
‘Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles’ premieres on Disney+ in September
The partnership with Fender Play Foundation comes just weeks before the premiere of Eilish’s new concert experience, Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles. The unique film, which launches on Disney+ on Sept. 3, will see the singer perform a concert in the city where she got her start.
“A self-reflection about growth…I definitely romanticize Los Angeles,” Eilish said in the Disney+ teaser video.
In a statement, Eilish said it’s an “honor” to work with Disney, according to Pitchfork.
“Disney is incredibly iconic, so to collaborate on something like this is a huge honor,” the singer said. “To be able to present my album in this way and dedicate it to the city that I love and grew up in is so exciting to me. I hope you love it.”
Eilish’s sophomore album, Happier Than Ever, is available now.
