Billie Eilish has dropped a 49-second snippet of Chihiro, the third track from her eagerly awaited third studio album Hit Me Hard and Soft, via a medium more and more artists are resorting to to spread the word about their releases: Fortnite.
It’s been confirmed that Chihiro will be included as a Jam Track in Fortnite Festival 3, the Fortnite spinoff that sees players play along with music from a host of different artists.
The new 49-second snippet follows a shorter clip that was revealed recently on Zane Lowe’s Apple Music show, and features the pop star’s unmistakable vocals atop a mid-tempo synthwave line; evidence perhaps that the rest of Hit Me Hard and Soft will follow the same musical trajectory?
And for fans of both Billie Eilish and Fortnite, Eilish will be a playable skin via the Fortnite Festival shop. The skin sees Eilish in a basketball jersey adorned with the word “Billie”, and players can also use Flaming Hi-Hats Drums and a Red Guitar.
And if the 49-second snippet has you all excited, there’s not much longer to wait; Hit Me Hard and Soft arrives everywhere on 17 May.
Billie Eilish joins a host of other music stars who have become affiliated with Fortnite Festival in some way. Lady Gaga, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, and even Queens of the Stone Age and Weezer have all featured.
Elsewhere, Fortnite’s community experience continues to cross over into the music world. Back in March, heavy metal giants Avenged Sevenfold announced Season Pass, a Fortnite-style system that rewards fans for interacting with the band: streaming music, buying merch, attending shows, for example.
And speaking to MusicTech shortly after it was announced, lead singer M. Shadows discussed the band’s motives to create the new fan experience, employing the blockchain to do so. “We’re taking power away from corporate networks, and saying, ‘No, we’re gonna reward our fans, not you,’” he said.
