Melancholia in Billie Eilish’s Album Happier Than Ever (2021)

Kautsarriva, Qeisza Nazwa (2025) Melancholia in Billie Eilish’s Album Happier Than Ever (2021). Sarjana thesis, UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung.

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Abstract

Melancholia is a psychological condition characterized by profound sadness, loss of interest in the external world, and a tendency to blame oneself. In the context of popular culture, particularly music, melancholia often serves as a channel for expressing inner pain and unresolved identity conflicts. This study examines the representation of melancholia in the lyrics of Billie Eilish's album Happier Than Ever (2021) through Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic approach. The method used is descriptive qualitative with a mimetic approach, which positions literary works as a reflection of psychological reality. Data are analyzed based on Freud's six main characteristics of melancholia: painful sadness, withdrawal from the external world, loss of the capacity to love, decreased self-esteem, self-torture, and delusional expectations of punishment. The results show that the lyrics in this album convey the unconscious experience of loss, inner struggle, and hidden trauma experienced by the narrator. Themes such as alienation, helplessness, and resistance to social norms also emerge as forms of melancholy expression. Thus, this album can be understood not only as a personal musical expression but also as a contemporary literary narrative depicting the emotional state of the younger generation in the digital age. This research confirms that popular music deserves to be studied as a literary text containing psychological depth and social meaning.

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