Haruskah Billie Eilish Tahu Van Halen?

Billie Eilish (Instagram @billieeilish)

JAKARTA - A video clip from Billie Eilish's meeting session to Jimmy Kimmel Live! which aired last week went viral when someone uploaded it to the Twitter universe. The up-and-coming singer was attacked by netizens after she was caught not knowing American rock band Van Halen.

Initially, Billie found out when Kimmel asked about Madonna. However, when asked about Van Halen, the 17-year-old singer seemed confused. "Who?" asked Eilish innocently.

Billie Eilish didn't know who Van Halen was, I'm sobbing. pic.twitter.com/tX6xrs7cIE

- Mack (@_Kenziepuff) November 29, 2019

Some feel, Eilish should know who Van Halen is, considering that they are a well-known rock band that is quite legendary. Some others understand Eilish's response because Van Halen is more than four decades old. At that time Eilish was not yet born into the world.

After going viral, Van Halen members also spoke up regarding this issue. Wolfgang, the bassist and son of Eddie Van Halen (guitar), wrote via his personal Twitter account;

“If you haven't heard @billieeilish, then listen. He is cool. If you haven't heard Van Halen yet, listen. They are cool too. Music should unite us, not divide us. Listen to what you want and don't criticize others for not knowing what you like. "

If you haven't heard of @billieeilish, go check her out. She's cool. If you haven't heard of @VanHalen, go check them out. They're cool too.Music is supposed to bring us together, not divide us. Listen to what you want and don't shame others for not knowing what you like.

- Wolf Van Halen (@WolfVanHalen) December 2, 2019

Exactly what Wolfgang said. Not all music matters are one frequency. There are many factors behind this, one of which is the inherent cultural transition of a person.

If you have parents who like to 'inherit' what they have - including music - it's not hard for anyone to hear songs that aren't from their generation. However, it's not just the parental factor. The band itself must also continue to work. If you only rely on old songs, maybe only the older generation knows them.

We take, for example, Weezer or Foo Fighters. They are still actively producing works and performing from one event to another. This is what makes them known by three generations at once. There are also bands that have succeeded in breaking through generations, The Beatles is one of them.

Apart from that, Word of Mouth (word of mouth) also has the ability to absorb new fans. Perhaps, not as many talk about Van Halen as massive as talking about Arctic Monkeys at this time. There is no party to blame in this incident. It just becomes a part of cultural culture. The popularity of one party does not mean that it can be felt by the other party.

Since Eilish was born into the world, Van Halen has only released one studio album. A Different Kind Of Truth (2012) marked the return of David Lee Roth after previously Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone became the band's vocalists. As a reunion album, you could say, not a single song from this album sticks to listeners' ears. Let alone new listeners, old listeners find it difficult to accept it.

We're not looking down on Van Halen. The band has tons of albums and hits that are loved by fans. Moreover, Eddie's guitar playing influenced many guitarists of the next era. The two-handed tapping technique popularized by Eddie in the song Eruption (1978) made the guitar world 'shake'. All guitarists adore Eddie, all rock fans love Van Halen. But, this is rock music - to be precise, the world of guitar. Don't force pop Eilish to find out about this. So unfair! Does Greta Van Fleet know Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, or Bette Midler?

At least, Eilish was honest enough to admit that he didn't know Van Halen. Unlike Faldo Maldini, who once said that Aerosmith was only known to people after his song I Don't Want to Miss A Thing became the soundtrack for the film Armageddon and entered the Billboard music charts. Okay, apple to apple doesn't really compare Eilish's case with Faldo's. But isn't it better to admit to not knowing than to pretend to know everything?

Anyway, the title above is of course not only intended for Billie Eilish, but also for all listeners of the current generation of music. Should you know the old generation musicians?