Finneas O'Connell


Finneas Baird O'Connell, known mononymously as FINNEAS, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has written and produced music for various artists including his sister, singer Billie Eilish. He won five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Producer of the Year, Non-Classical and the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for his work on Eilish's debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?.
Finneas has released several singles as a solo artist, and his debut EP, Blood Harmony, was released on October 4, 2019. The EP includes "Let's Fall in Love for the Night"; it is Finneas' most successful song to date, peaking at number 17 on the US Billboard Alternative Songs. As an actor, Finneas starred in the 2013 independent film Life Inside Out. He is also known for his role as Alistair in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee.

Early life

Finneas was born in Los Angeles to actress and screenwriter Maggie Baird and actor Patrick O'Connell, both of whom are also musicians. Finneas is of Irish and Scottish descent. In 2010, at age 12, he took a songwriting class with his mother, and began writing and producing songs, purchasing Logic Pro.

Career

Songwriting and producing

Finneas is most famously known for his collaboration and work with his little sister Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell, he has said his experience playing characters helped in writing music for his sister Billie Eilish, as he writes from her perspective and for her vocal range. He stated: “Being able to hear an artist and emulate them has been a huge part of being successful as a producer and co-writer". When he writes for his sister, he wants to "write a song that I think she’ll relate to and enjoy singing and empathise with the lyrics and make her own", and when he writes with her he tries to "help her tell whatever story she’s trying to tell, bounce ideas off of her, listen to her ideas."
Finneas had written and produced the song "Ocean Eyes" originally for his band, and gave it to Eilish when her dance teacher asked them to write a song for a choreography. They posted the song on SoundCloud, garnering praise from various websites. Finneas's manager reached out to him in November 2015 to talk about Eilish's potential. Finneas then helped Eilish sign to the A&R company Platoon. He co-wrote and produced Eilish's debut EP Don't Smile at Me, which peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard 200. Finneas also co-wrote and produced Eilish's debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, which debuted atop the US and UK charts. He won the 2020 Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical; Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Eilish's "Bad Guy"; and Album of the Year and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
He produced the 2019 single "Lose You to Love Me" by Selena Gomez, which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and two tracks on the 2019 album Romance by Camila Cabello. He also produced "Moral of the Story" by Ashe, and collaborated with John Legend on an unreleased song.

Solo music career

Finneas is the lead singer and songwriter of the band The Slightlys, which played the Warped Tour in 2015. His first solo single, "New Girl", was released in 2016. The music video for the single was released in 2019, was directed by Emma Sydney Menzies, and stars Finneas and Yasmine Vega. He released the single "I'm in Love Without You" in 2017, and eight singles in 2018: "Break My Heart Again", "Heaven", "Life Moves On", "Landmine", "Hollywood Forever", "College", "Luck Pusher", and "Let's Fall in Love for the Night". At the beginning of 2019, Finneas played his first, sold-out, headline shows in New York and Los Angeles.
His debut EP, Blood Harmony, was released on October 4, 2019. The EP's first single "I Lost a Friend" was released on June 25, 2019, the second single "Shelter" was released on August 22, 2019, and the third single "I Don't Miss You At All" on September 20, 2019. In October 2019, he embarked on his first headlining tour, in five cities in the US, in addition to a performance at Austin City Limits.

Acting

In 2011, Finneas played a student in the comedy film Bad Teacher. In 2013, he co-starred in Life Inside Out, written by and starring his mother Maggie Baird. He had recurring guest roles on Modern Family and Aquarius, and played Alistair in the final season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee in 2015.

Personal life

Finneas is based in Los Angeles. He has been in a relationship with YouTuber Claudia Sulewski since September 2018. His single "Claudia" was written after the night they met.
Both Finneas and Billie have synesthesia.

Discography

EPs

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

Music videos

Appearances

Songwriting and production credits

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2011Bad TeacherSpencer
2013Life Inside OutShane
2013TomorrowTomShort
2013–2014Modern FamilyRonnie Jr.2 episodes
2014happySADhappyAndrewShort
2015GleeAlistair4 episodes
2015AquariusEarnest Boy2 episodes
2018Confessions of a Teenage Jesus JerkTom

Awards and nominations