Nearly a decade<\/span> ago, Billie Eilish, then 13 years old, put \u201cOcean Eyes\u201d on SoundCloud and catapulted to global superstardom.<\/p>\n It was the kind of ascent aspiring singers dream of, propelled by a platform that at the time wasn\u2019t known for unearthing pop stars. But if you ask her now, even Eilish, now 24, doesn\u2019t know if someone else could replicate her success. \u201cOh my god!\u201d she says when asked where the next Billie Eilish might be discovered. \u201cI have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n Photograph: Darrell Jackson<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n These days it\u2019s common for new artists to share their music on SoundCloud, but back then it was still relatively new. \u201cI\u2019m very curious to see what the future holds,\u201d Eilish says. \u201cI don\u2019t know where the next whoever is gonna come from. I can\u2019t wait to see them and I can\u2019t wait to cheerleader them, whoever it may be.\u201d<\/p>\n If they ever come. Ten years ago artists could build followings, like Eilish did, through livestreams, Instagram posts, and videos on social media. In 2026, the landscape looks very different. Everyone seems to know, or claims to know, how to beat the algorithms to get streams and views, but very little of it feels authentic, especially in a world full of AI slop. Eilish and her fans grew up online, but they may not want to hang out there the way they once did.<\/p>\n Eilish, to be clear, still believes true talent can break through the noise. Art, she says, should be \u201cattainable for everyone\u201d and the internet, while messy, enables that. \u201cThere\u2019s all sorts of technologies now where it seems like we\u2019re all doomed, but we\u2019re not,\u201d Eilish tells WIRED. \u201cIf we keep making real stuff, real art made by humans\u2014live music, live audiences\u2014I don\u2019t see that ever dying.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69fd1d788b114be62c50072c\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/BI-Billie-Eilish-BTS-Culture-DSCF3597.jpg\"\/)
<\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n