Billie Eilish Breaks, Mends Our Hearts With ‘The Only Exception’ Paramore Cover

When it comes to covers, Billie Eilish tends to make an exception for tracks that are especially heart-shattering. During her Hit Me Hard and Soft show in Paris on Tuesday, the singer-songwriter delivered an exquisite cover of Paramore‘s “The Only Exception.”

Eilish sang the band’s standout single from their 2009 album Brand New Eyes while sitting on a stool at the center of the stage, with the audience singing along to the chorus. In 2023, Eilish joined Paramore during their North American tour stop in Los Angeles for “All I Wanted.” The year prior, Hayley Williams and Eilish performed together at Coachella — Williams brought an acoustic rendition of Paramore’s “Misery Business” during Eilish’s headlining set, and also provided background vocals on Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” at the fest.

During a 2020 interview with Zane Lowe, Williams talked about her admiration for Eilish. “We got a head start on the culture that is the internet now, and the fast-paced life that artists and people are living,” she said. “If I were Billie Eilish today — and granted she’s on a rocket that’s going so much higher than I would have ever even dreamed for Paramore — if that were me I would be insane and [struggle]. I am so happy there’s someone like her who has great, really cool family around her.”

Last month, Eilish covered “Creep” by Radiohead — who Eilish and her brother-producer Finneas have credited as one of their musical inspirations for the album — during her show in Amsterdam.

After concluding her European trek at the end of July, Eilish will play two shows in Japan in mid-August, before returning to the United States in mid-October. The nine-time Grammy winner will play a trio of shows in Miami, followed by stops in Charlotte, North Carolina; Long Island, New York; New Orleans; Austin; Phoenix; and San Francisco.

From Rolling Stone US.