Billie Eilish and eight other music artists have made the TIME100, an annual list of the year’s most influential people.
Eilish, 19, is included in the “Pioneers” section. “Billie Eilish is a unique soul, with a voice, style and attitude all unapologetically her own,” reads a tribute by Megan Thee Stallion, who recalled meeting the singer at the Grammys.
“She was so real and laid-back, even though her personality is so big. She is a rare spirit who speaks from her heart with no pretenses. I knew I had found a kindred spirit that night. One who is strong, but still learning and still growing. A woman who stands up for herself and advocates for women everywhere.”
Britney Spears and Dolly Parton are recognized on the TIME100 as “Icons” and Timbaland, Swizz Beatz and Angélique Kidjo are “Titans.”
In a piece on Spears, Paris Hilton commends the pop star for surviving “more than a decade of trauma and abuse from her conservatorship.” She wrote: “Despite the darkness that has surrounded her life, Britney embodies joy and shares the light of her beautiful heart, forever the superstar. So we stand by her and root for her as she turns pain into purpose, her unwavering spirit stronger than ever.”
J Balvin penned a tribute to Bad Bunny, who is included in the “Artists” section of the TIME100 and Darius Rucker wrote about country singer Kane Brown.
Kid Cudi praised Lil Nas X for being true to himself. “What he’s doing is what we need right now. To have a gay man in hip-hop doing his thing, crushing records – that is huge for us and for Black excellence.
“The way he’s unafraid to make people uncomfortable is so rock ’n’ roll. He’s a true rock star.”
Cudi referred to his offer to collaborate with Lil Nas X on a track. “When we do our song together,” he wrote, “however trippy the video is, let’s get sexy with it.”