People.com Entertainment Music Billie Eilish on Why She Used to 'Sit in the Car and Cry' to 'Mr. Brightside' by The Killers Billie Eilish's brother and producing partner Finneas O'Connell calls the song "such an important piece of music to us" on iHeartRadio ALTer EGO By Jen Juneau Jen Juneau Twitter Jen Juneau is a digital news writer for PEOPLE. A '90s teen and horror film connoisseur, she started at the brand in 2016, after a decade of working as a technical writer and then moonlighting as a journalist beginning in 2013. Originally from New Orleans, Jen grew up both in NOLA and Florida and eventually attended the University of Central Florida in Orlando (still her home base!), where she earned a bachelor's in English/technical communication, with a minor in magazine journalism. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 28, 2021 10:00 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell are opening up about how The Killers have influenced them, both personally and professionally. PEOPLE can share an exclusive clip of the siblings and musical partners performing "Therefore I Am" during the upcoming 2021 iHeartRadio ALTer EGO, as well as a conversation between Eilish, 19, and O'Connell, 23, about the Brandon Flowers-led rock band (which will also be a part of the event). "The Killers is a band that I think we both sort of view as a childhood favorite — especially Hot Fuss, the album, because 'Mr. Brightside' on it is just such an important piece of music to us," Finneas says. Adds Eilish of the "classic" 2003 track, "I mean, there was a lot of times when I would just sit in the car and cry to 'Mr. Brightside' even though nothing in my life, at all, was that situation." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Billie Eilish (L); The Killers' "Mr. Brightside" music video. Steve Granitz/WireImage Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell. Scrub-a-Dub: The Killers' Brandon Flowers Washes Hands to "Mr. Brightside" amid Coronavirus Pandemic She goes on to say that the song is an example of "music that makes you feel heard even if what you feel heard for isn't even how you feel, if that makes sense." "I love it. Love The Killers," raves the "Bad Guy" hitmaker. Eilish and The Killers are among a dozen musical acts that will be featured during Thursday's ALTer EGO event, which was also include "iconic" performances from Coldplay, Muse, Weezer, The Black Keys and Beck. Rounding out the lineup are Blink-182, Mumford & Sons, Twenty One Pilots, Cage the Elephant and the Foo Fighters, the latter of whom will kick off the show. Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday. Get a taste of the podcast below. RELATED VIDEO: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell Perform at 2021 iHeartRadio ALTer EGO The Killers made headlines in November 2019 when Flowers, 39, brought 17-year-old Jayson Verebay on stage in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after spotting the young fan holding up a sign asking to play with the band. As the crowd erupted in cheers, the teenager took Ronnie Vannucci Jr.'s spot behind the drums to join in for The Killers' hit song "For Reasons Unknown." The sweet moment, which was captured by Rolling Stone editor Tim Chan and shared to Twitter, saw the crowd go wild and chant Jason's name as he rocked out on stage with the famous band. In an interview with Rolling Stone after his impressive performance, Jayson admitted that his "heart was pounding" and he "was actually shaking" when he ventured onto the stage. "It was the most mind-boggling experience ever," he added. The 2021 iHeartRadio ALTer EGO airs Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on LiveXLive.com and will broadcast across more than 80 Alternative and Rock iHeartRadio stations.