Billie Eilish’s brother and producer Finneas explains why he prefers recording at home to being in a “fancy-ass” studio
“It takes them a f**king hour to get the aux cord working”

Since Billie Eilish swept the Grammy Awards last week, attention has refocused on the fact that all her music so far has been recorded with her brother, Finneas, at their family home in LA.
This appears to have come as a surprise to some - which, in this day and age, is actually kind of surprising in itself - prompting Finneas to take to Twitter to explain why he prefers working in his own space.
“People act like recording billie’s album in my bedroom was difficult but in reality, every time I’m in a fancy ass studio it takes them a fucking hour to get the aux cord working,” he said.
The implication, of course, is that being around your own gear in a place that you feel comfortable often yields better results than putting yourself in an environment that’s alien to you. His words provide further reassurance, if it was required, that getting into a ‘pro’ studio is no longer necessary if you want to make a record.
Whether the massive success of his sister’s debut album will lead Finneas to reevaluate his recording setup in the future remains to be seen, but taking the DIY approach certainly hasn’t held him back so far.
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.


I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.
“I have an original 909 – every time I try to use it I feel like I’m ruining it”: House hero Riva Starr on his studio essentials and his love of analogue synths
“I’m looking forward to breaking it in on stage”: Mustard will be headlining at Coachella tonight with a very exclusive Native Instruments Maschine MK3, and there’s custom yellow Kontrol S49 MIDI keyboard, too