Global pop star Billie Eilish booked to play Xcel Energy Center

Ross Raihala, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read

May 21—Unlikely pop star Billie Eilish will return to the road next year for a massive world tour that stops at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center on March 15.

Tickets, at prices to be announced, go on sale at noon May 28 through Ticketmaster. Members of Ticketmaster's Verified Fan program have access to a pre-sale that starts at noon May 26.

Eilish, who'll be just 20 when she plays the X, was born into an entertainment family, as both her parents are actors and musicians. Eilish and her older brother Finneas were both homeschooled and encouraged by their parents to explore songwriting. She penned her first song, inspired by the zombie TV series "The Walking Dead," at age 11.

In 2015, Eilish released the song "Ocean Eyes" online and soon earned record label interest. The song later went triple platinum in the States and found success around the world. She has since issued two dozen singles, many finding a similar reception, including "Bad Guy," "Everything I Wanted," "Therefore I Am" and her James Bond theme "No Time to Die."

Eilish has also turned heads with her distinct style of baggy, ill-fitting clothes in often garish colors. With her new single "Your Power" and upcoming sophomore album, "Happier Than Ever" (due out July 30), Eilish has moved her image in the Old Hollywood bombshell direction. She recently appeared on the cover of British Vogue clad in lingerie and a corset.

Despite her odd, downbeat songs and whispered (and/or mumbled) vocals, Eilish has also been embraced by the music industry. At last year's Grammy Awards, Eilish became the youngest (and second ever after Christopher Cross in 1981) to win the four major categories — best new artist and record, album and song of the year — on the same night.

Eilish made her Twin Cities concert debut in April 2018 when she sold out 7th Street Entry. The following summer, she pulled off the same feat in the much-larger Armory. She was three dates into a sold-out arena tour in March 2020 when she was forced the cancel the worldwide outing due to the pandemic.