LOS ANGELES — Aron Forbes is a music director who just secured his first two Emmy nominations for his work in Billie Eilish’s documentary, “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.”
Forbes has been working with the superstar through her entire rise to fame but says he never could have imagined this.
Forbes just happened to create a new tune by accident while showing Spectrum News 1 what a music director does on any given Friday in his tucked-away Hollywood studio.
"You could build like a whole song with that," Forbes said as he saved his work.
It’s an ear so trained that Forbes has been nominated for two Emmy Awards, which he says never even crossed his mind. He was the music director and music mixer for Billie Eilish's coming-of-age documentary.
When his phone started blowing up the day he was nominated for the Outstanding Music Direction and Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Nonfiction Or Reality Program categories, Forbes couldn’t believe it.
"It’s really funny when you’re not even looking to achieve something, and then it happens," he said. "I was so shocked, and I’m still shocked because people spend their whole lives trying to hit this mark."
Forbes took it as a reminder: Keep doing the best work you can do without focusing on accolades. They come naturally if you put your best foot forward. Forbes explained that he spent countless hours putting his all into this project to meet his high standards, but really for Eilish and Finneas — two people he calls his best friends.
"When you care that much about the people involved, it just makes you want to reach even further, dig deeper," he said.
It’s a job requiring attention to detail that surpasses what most even consider. Forbes says he’s taking mental notes during every conversation he has with Eilish. From Tik Toks she mentions to YouTube videos, he uses it all to help him make decisions about her music.
"So I just take that little bit and go, 'Cool, I’m going to put that in the little filing cabinet,' so that when something comes across the table I can be like, 'Oh, I know she likes this thing, so she’ll probably like that too,'" he said.
Meticulous and thorough, together they create a sound so authentic that fans like Jasmine Posadas feel seen and connected to Eilish. Posadas moved to the Los Angeles area for college just days ago and says that as she embarks on this next chapter, Eilish’s album “Happier Than Ever” is the soundtrack of her life.
“I’m on this new adventure all alone, and it’s kind of, like, exciting," Posadas said. "And it just really feels like, that song, all her music makes me feel vulnerable."
In this pivotal moment, Posadas says Eilish’s lyrics resonate now more than ever. She says being at the Hollywood Bowl where Eilish filmed part of her documentary is surreal. She, too, is an aspiring singer and sitting in this space helps her channel Eilish's clarity and confidence.
Posadas is who Eilish makes music for, capturing the hearts of a generation with her unmistakable sound and a vulnerability Forbes is proud to work with, in life and in the film.
"It didn’t sugarcoat anything, she early on said, 'Don’t cut anything out of this. I want people to see me at my best and at my worst.' That’s important to her, so for me I was just like, 'OK, well, how can I musically contribute to that? How do I make sure that the music has an impact?'" Forbes said.
It’s a mission that already feels accomplished, Forbes said, with or without an Emmy win.
The Emmys premiere Sunday on CBS at 5 p.m.