Happier Than Ever is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, released on July 30, 2021, by Darkroom and Interscope Records. Eilish co-wrote the album with her brother and frequent collaborator Finneas O’Connell, who also produced the album and played every instrument. Self-reflection during the COVID-19 pandemic served as the primary inspiration for the record.
Primarily a downtempo pop album, Happier Than Ever features sparse, jazz-influenced electropop arrangements set to meditative tempos, marking a departure from the upbeat, trap-driven sound of her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). The album consists of torch songs reflecting on the challenges of fame, drawing heavily from Eilish’s rise to stardom and its associated drawbacks. Upon release, it garnered widespread critical acclaim for its restrained production and insightful lyrics. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, the album and its title track received a total of seven nominations, including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year.
Seven singles were released to promote the album: “My Future,” “Therefore I Am,” “Your Power,” “Lost Cause,” “NDA,” the title track, and “Male Fantasy.” The first three singles all peaked in the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100, with “Therefore I Am” reaching number two, “My Future” at number six, and “Your Power” at number 10. Happier Than Ever debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it Eilish’s second number-one album in the United States and topping the charts in 27 other countries. Eilish performed the album’s tracks in the Disney+ concert film Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, released on September 3, 2021. To further promote the album, Eilish launched her sixth concert tour, Happier Than Ever, The World Tour, which began on February 3, 2022, and concluded on April 2, 2023.
