Something about TikTok is that the inside jokes run deep, making it so that there are certain things that seem borderline unexplainable to people who aren’t chronically scrolling. But it’s worth a try.
Billie Eilish’s new song, “What Was I Made For,” started going viral the minute it debuted in the Barbie movie. People have been making videos of their friendships, flashbacks from their childhood, and even singing covers on every corner of the internet.
One particular creator has one the award for the most iconic cover of an emotional song, and that is singer and comedian Queenzzielocthevoice. She often duets pianists and singers to offer up her own covers of iconic songs like Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” and Lana Del Ray’s “Young and Beautiful.”
Her initial video alone became an inside joke all across the internet. So much so that, after it went viral, she continued to capitalize on her unique sound and continued to add layers and more covers to her feed. Viewers quickly became obsessed, even earning Queenzzielocthevoice the attention of Billie Eilish herself.
The “What Was I Made For,” singer started by leaving a comment on one of Queenzzielocthevoice’s covers. To which she responded, “hi Billie love it.” Billie’s notice of the song snowballed from there, to the point where she even referenced the unmistakable cover while performing in concert, particularly the line “Although enjoyment” which is Queenzzielocthevoice’s take on Billie’s lyrics.
People who are knee-deep in this parasocial trend can’t stop commenting, sharing, and riffing off the trend. They have joked about Instagram Reel users discovering the deep and complicated history of this particular moment on the internet several years in the future. Others are questioning how you could even explain it at all. “You simply could not, also the people without TikTok are not worthy of knowing.”
Billie Eilish herself has actually referenced the song in multiple videos across TikTok, and other video creators have picked up their own covers of Queenzzielocthevoice’s version of the song. Even the girl whose original video was duetted, has created a duet-able version of this cover.
It isn’t often that an internet trend runs deep enough to extend outside the For You Page, but it’s certainly a special moment when it does. It only happens once in a blue moon, so here’s hoping that Queenzzielocthevoice’s iconic cover makes its way into more Billie Eilish shows and maybe even a collab (please, Billie?).