With 10 GRAMMYs, two Oscars and countless hits with superstars, FINNEAS has become one of the most remarkable producers of his time. But he credits most of that to good fortune.

"I've had such a lucky career trajectory — I have more success than I ever thought I would," he tells GRAMMY.com over a phone call. 

But one doesn't get this far without true skill. The singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer has gained momentous success and has a unique ability to shape emotions into sound, whether he's scoring a new film or working with high-profile artists — mainly his sister, pop superstar Billie Eilish. Honing in on these experiences has helped FINNEAS expand as an artist in his own right, as he turns to collaboration of his own on his sophomore solo album, For Cryin' Out Loud!. 

Coming three years after his 2021 debut album, Optimist, For Cryin' Out Loud! is a creative departure from his previous project. While the former was produced and written by FINNEAS himself, he worked with close friends to elevate his second record — and as a result, he sounds more confident than ever before.

The album features an adventurous sonic landscape, with funky guitar riffs, boisterous horns and infectious melodies across its 10 tracks. The bolder sound matches his assured vocal delivery, making For Cryin' Out Loud! feel like the product of everything he has learned — and been working towards — since he was a teen.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, the 27-year-old grew up around creativity. Raised by actor-musician parents, FINNEAS was immersed in the industry from a young age. Though his interest in songwriting was prompted by a class he took with his mom at age 12, he suggests that his production skills came naturally. From the beginning, his mantra has been simple: "There's no right or wrong way to produce a song," he asserts. "If there's any reason for people to pay attention, it's for being yourself and sharing your unique viewpoint."

As he honed his perspective, FINNEAS served as the lead singer and songwriter for his high school alt-rock band, the Slightlys. And while he jokes that they "begged people to come listen to us," the group offered FINNEAS his first taste of success: Along with winning several local Battle of the Bands competitions, they even earned a performance slot at Warped Tour in 2015. 

The most fortuitous thing about the Slightlys, though, ended up being a song they never released — but FINNEAS' then-unknown sister Billie did. After he penned a minimalist pop song called "Ocean Eyes" for the band, he decided it would be a better fit for Billie's voice. Little did either of them know, it would be the beginning of a fruitful — and wildly successful — partnership.

The song instantly gained traction on SoundCloud, prompting FINNEAS to start using his songwriting and production power to fuel Eilish's career. Along with being the sole producer for Eilish's debut EP, 2017's dont smile at me, he served as her sole co-writer on all eight tracks, a formula that has continued to prove successful for Eilish's entire career thus far. But as things were booming for Billie, FINNEAS was simultaneously crafting his own breadth of work.

In 2016, FINNEAS began his solo venture by releasing a string of romantic indie-pop songs. His debut single, the lustful "New Girl," features bluesy instrumentals and seductive vocals; 2017's "I'm In Love Without You" offered a more electro-pop-infused sound. As he continued to find his own musical identity, it quickly became clear that his early music would lean into the more bare-bones side of his creativity: breathy vocals, lush strings and rich piano chords.

The next year proved to be pivotal for FINNEAS, both as Eilish's collaborator and as an artist in his own right. As Eilish's career continued to rapidly rise thanks to "you should see me in a crown" and "when the party's over" — the latter of which was penned by FINNEAS himself — he also released eight tracks of his own, two of his biggest songs to date, "Break My Heart Again" and "Let's Fall in Love for the Night."

But it was 2019 that solidified FINNEAS as a force to be reckoned with. Along with co-producing and co-writing all of Eilish's debut album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, he also released his debut EP, Blood Harmony, and scored hits as a songwriter/producer for the likes of Selena Gomez ("Lose You To Love Me"), JP Saxe and Julia Michaels ("If The World Was Ending"), and Ashe ("Moral of the Story"). From the hyper-modern beats of Eilish's album, to the tender balladry of his co-written smashes, to the experimental sounds on his own project, FINNEAS demonstrated that there's no style that he can't master — and in 2020, his talents were rewarded in major fashion. 

FINNEAS took home six GRAMMYs at the 2020 ceremony, mostly thanks to his work on WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? Perhaps the most significant win, though, was his award for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical, which made him the youngest recipient of the honor at just 22 years old.

As he continued creating with Eilish and expanding his superstar collaborator list — including Justin Bieber, Halsey and Demi Lovato — he also carried on crafting his own music. Just months he celebrated another release with Eilish, 2021's Happier Than Ever, FINNEAS unveiled his debut album, Optimist.

The project doubled down on the modern-sounding aesthetic of Blood Harmony, presenting an effortless adult contemporary spin on the sound he crafted with Eilish — but keeping the lyrical moody extremities. In contrast to its name, Optimist was brooding and edgy, accompanied by thoughts of grief, existentialism and the warped lens of fame; it was likely a product of his isolated creation process, as he wrote and produced all 13 tracks solo.

While FINNEAS was proud of his debut, he says that the album's creation was "a fairly lonely process." And, even despite all of his achievements with Eilish and other stars, "I didn't necessarily have the self-confidence to bring people in."

With that in mind, he pushed his creativity and collaborative efforts further in 2022 and 2023. He wrote and composed music for films — most notably, Pixar's Turning Red in 2022 and a GRAMMY-winning track for Greta Gerwig's Barbie in 2023, both alongside Eilish — and worked with Tate McRae ("I Still Say Goodnight") and Nicki Minaj ("Are You Gone Already"). After wrapping production on Eilish's third album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,at the end of 2023, he went back to his solo work — but this time, not so solo. "The main goal in this [next project] was, how can I make this a more exciting, fun experience for myself?," he says.

To create For Cryin' Out Loud!, FINNEAS invited a close group of peers to record live studio sessions, including Aron Forbes, Ricky Gourmet, Lucy Healey, and Miles Morris of the rock band Bad Suns. Almost completely opposite of Optimist, of the 10 tracks on For Cryin' Out Loud!, only one is solely composed and written by FINNEAS (opener "Starf—er").

In turn, For Cryin' Out Loud! features a much bigger soundscape than his previous work. Songs like "Cleats" and "Lotus Eater" feature hazy synths and strong drums that make room for hypnotic humming and chantable choruses. Yet, he didn't entirely move away from his more downtempo beginnings; "Little Window" and "Same Old Story," offer intimate sounds across the album's largely anthemic feel.

One of the album's most poignant tracks is "Family Feud," which calls back to the themes of Optimist — but this time, it's a tribute to his sister. Over soft strings, he croons about the pair's close bond and Eilish's struggles with fame: "And you're only 22/ And the world is watching you/ Judging everything you do." 

Even in the album's more somber moments, FINNEAS exudes a new level of self-confidence on For Cryin' Out Loud!. And he's eager to show that to fans around the world: FINNEAS will perform three intimate U.S. shows in October, and already has international dates set for the top of 2025. As for where he'll go from here with his solo work, time will tell — but it certainly seems like he's no longer limiting himself to solo sessions: "I've written a better album by breaking my own set of rules."