The man who sat beside Billie Eilish at the Grammys originally had no idea who she was, but now says he's 'such a fan', Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore

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A British man who was seated next to Billie Eilish at the Grammys said he only discovered who she was just a few days before the event, but is now “such a fan.”

Terry George from Leeds was given the opportunity of a lifetime when he was chosen to be a seat-filler at music’s biggest night, then he struck gold again when he was put right next to the 18-year-old star.

“It was just serendipity really, I didn’t know that that was going to be where I would be sitting and on top of that I didn’t even know that she was going to be up there claiming those awards at the same time,” George told Insider.

But until recently, the Leeds businessman said he didn’t understand why Eilish was so big.

“When I heard the name over a year ago, I thought it was ‘Billie Irish’ and it was a standup comedian from [Ireland],” George told Insider.

George got snapped in the background of this image of Eilish and Erykah Badu.Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

After spending the night rubbing shoulders with the star – who took home five Grammys – and even engaging in a celebatory dance with both her and and her brother/producer Finneas O’Connell, he now fully supports her.

“The amount of young people who have been messaging me and saying ‘I can’t believe you’ve touched Billie Eilish, you’ve met her, you’ve been next to her,’ they’re absolutely in awe of me,” he said.

“I’ve created a whole new fan base of young relatives and friends who all want to ask me about Billie Eilish, and she appeals so much to the generation of today. I didn’t realize she was so big and now I’m such a fan.”

He added that she “seemed very, very ordinary, very grounded and quite chuckly.”

The British seat-filler also said she looked very overwhelmed with her awards, which included album of the year.