Billie Eilish & Finneas Win Best Original Song Oscar With ‘What Was I Made For?’
Winning is something that Billie Eilish and Finneas were made for. The duo won the Oscar for best original song for their Barbie soundtrack hit “What Was I Made For?” at the 2024 Academy Awards on Sunday (March 10).
“I had a nightmare about this last night,” the 22-year-old pop star joked after accepting the award from Wicked costars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo alongside her brother/producer. “Thank you so much to the Academy. I just didn’t think this would happen, I was not expecting this. I feel so incredibly lucky and honored.”
“I’m grateful for this song and this movie and the way that it made me feel,” she continued, making sure to thank director Greta Gerwig for the opportunity to contribute to the film. “This goes out to everyone that was affected by the movie and how incredible it is.”
The win marks the brother-sister duo’s second Oscar victory. The pair previously won in the same category at the 2022 ceremony with “No Time to Die,” which was written for the James Bond film of the same name.
As a nominee in the best original song category, Eilish and Finneas also delivered a live performance of “What Was I Made For?” The delicate track, released in July 2023, peaked the following month at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune also won best original song at the Golden Globes, as well as song of the year and best song written for visual media at the Grammys.
The other tracks that received a nod in the Oscars’ best original song category this year and had their turn on the stage were “I’m Just Ken” — also from Barbie — performed by Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson with a surprise appearance from Guns N’ Roses’ Slash on guitar; “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot, performed by Becky G; “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony, performed by Jon Batiste; and “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon, performed by Scott George and The Osage Singers.
The 2024 Academy Awards were hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, who helmed the ceremony for the fourth time. The show was held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, and aired live on ABC.
Anna Chan
Billboard