Billie Eilish's brother Finneas responds after native tribe comments on her 'stolen land' Grammys speech
Topics: Billie Eilish, Grammys, Politics, Celebrity, Music
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Jeff Kravitz
Topics: Billie Eilish, Grammys, Politics, Celebrity, Music
Billie Eilish's brother, Finneas O'Connell, is speaking out on his younger sister's behalf in the wake of the backlash she's receiving for turning her Grammy's speech political on Sunday night.
A host of celebrities addressed the immigration issues going on in America at the moment at the music awards last weekend, with Eilish being one of them.
Going up on stage to accept the award for Song of the Year for her track 'WILDFLOWER', the singer told the audience: "No one is illegal on stolen land. And yeah, it’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now.
"I feel really hopeful in this room and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting and our voices really do matter and the people matter and erm, F*ck ICE."
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An opinion piece has since been posted to USA Today that suggests celebs like Eilish should 'stay away from politics'.
And many were quick to point out online how Eilish's $3 million LA mansion is built on the ancestral land of the native American Tongva tribe - who have gone on to issue a statement on the matter.
A spokesperson for the tribe said to the Daily Mail: "We appreciate the opportunity to provide clarity regarding the recent comments made by Billie Eilish.
"As the First People of the greater Los Angeles basin, we do understand that her home is situated in our ancestral land. Eilish has not contacted our tribe directly regarding her property, we do value the instance when public figures provide visibility to the true history of this country."
The tribe said that it has contacted Eilish's team to 'express our appreciation for her comments' made on Sunday evening and that it hopes that 'the tribe can explicitly be referenced to ensure the public understands that the greater Los Angeles basin remains Gabrieleno Tongva territory' in the future.
Reacting to the backlash on Threads, O'Connell has since hit back and penned: "You just can’t do both. You can’t say it doesn’t matter what musicians or celebrities say or think but then talk about it for days. You’re out here making it matter.
"I’ll keep speaking up, especially if it keeps bothering you."
A handful of others have rushed to defend stars like Eilish and Bad Bunny, who spoke up about at ICE at the Grammys.
"I and millions of others appreciate your talent and appreciate you speaking up," one person wrote in favor of famous people addressing current affairs.
They added: "With a huge platform comes a big responsibility and both you and your sister are using it honorably. We thank you."
A second wrote: "I don’t understand how people STILL think this is about 'political views' and not decency/morality/human rights issues."
"The idea that artists haven’t been political since art began is just… clueless," insisted someone else.