Everyone’s buzzing about the news that one of Gen Z’s most beloved icons, Billie Eilish, is making her way from the recording studio to the small screen—but is she really, or is this just another rumor?
After hinting at her involvement on social media, Eilish attended the premiere for the new Amazon Prime series Swarm, and fans were more than certain that she would be making an appearance in the series. So is Billie Eilish in Swarm or what? Let’s take a look at the timeline.
Billie Eilish starts dropping hints
Eilish has been a mischievous menace on social media for a while now, and it seems that she has carried that over to posts about Swarm, the new Amazon Prime series co-created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers.
Eilish commented on Amazon Prime Video’s promo for the show, replying with a “;)” on one post, which fans were quick to notice. But this isn’t the first time that she has (not so subtly) posted about the series. On her Instagram Story, she shared behind-the-scenes pics from shooting, and tbh, it makes us very excited.
Her appearance in Swarm wouldn’t really be a surprise as she appeared on stage with Glover (a.k.a. Childish Gambino) to perform “Redbone” and “Happier Than Ever” in December, presumably after filming of the show had wrapped. It seems the two are fond of each other and we love to see it.
Billie Eilish attends the premiere for Swarm and the reviews roll in
On Wednesday, March 15, Billie attended the red carpet premiere for the show, which drops on Prime Video on March 17. She was captured being silly and posing for the cameras, even throwing devil horns to paparazzi while grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
Reviews of Swarm also began dropping from big publications including Variety, Time, and Rolling Stone, all of which praised the show—notably episode 4, which features multiple famous faces, including Paris Jackson. Rolling Stone‘s review says Eilish “does outstanding work in the fourth episode.”
Dana Abercrombie, an entertainment editor at various outlets, tweeted, “If #BillieEilish decided to focus on acting, she could be one of the greatest. She’s THAT good in #SwarmOnPrime. Haunting, & hypnotic, you’ll willingly follow her into the deepest & darkest parts of the world. The scene between her and Dominique Fishback is raw and honest #SWARM.”
What is Swarm about?
On Prime, the description says simply, “Murder. Sex. Music. This is not a work of fiction.” But if that doesn’t entice you enough, then multiple publications have described it as a look at the toxicity of fan culture.
The show stars Dominique Fishback (The Deuce) as Dre, a diehard fan of pop sensation Ni’Jah, who just dropped a surprise visual album, released a concert film called The Festival, and has fans who call themselves The Swarm. Sound familiar? The show is based on the queen herself, Beyoncé, and her devout fanbase, the BeyHive. The show is somewhat self-aware too; each episode begins with the disclaimer: “This is not a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is intentional.”
During a Q&A following the series’ premiere at SXSW, Nabers revealed that a certain “pop star who shall not be named” has seen the series, though she declined to elaborate further. Nabers did, however, offer some insight into why each episode begins with that disclaimer. “Every episode deals with real news stories, real events, or internet rumors that have happened,” Nabers said, “and we have put our wonderful women in the center of those stories.”
Who stars in Swarm?
The cast of Swarm is wild, because it seems that there aren’t many characters who star in more than one episode, but some of the main cast members are:
- Dominique Fishback as Dre
- Chloe Bailey as Marissa
- Nirine S. Brown as Ni’Jah
- Karen Rodriguez as Erica
Guest stars include Kiersey Clemons, Rory Culkin, Stephen Glover, Heather Simms, and Damson Idris.
Is there a trailer for Swarm?
Yes, there is. It looks so good, and we can’t wait to see it.
(featured image: Gregg DeGuire, FilmMagic)
