Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell are now two-time Academy Award winners –– following their latest win for “What Was I Made For?” from the soundtrack of the Barbie movie.
During their acceptance speech, Eilish expressed her gratitude towards the Academy and to director Greta Gerwig, who enlisted the sibling duo to create the heartfelt track for the blockbuster film. “I’m so thankful for this song and for this movie, and the way that it made me feel. And this goes out to everyone who was affected by the movie and how incredible it is. And I want to thank my team and my parents. I love you guys so much”, she stated.
“I want to thank my best friend, Zoe, for playing Barbies with me growing up and being by my side forever. I want to thank my dance teachers growing up. I also want to thank my choir teachers,” she concluded –– adding that one of them “didn’t like me, but you were good at your job!”
The renowned sibling duo beat the likes of the other nominees in the Best Original Song category, which include Ryan Gosling, Mark Ronson, and Andrew Wyatt’s “I’m Just Ken” (Barbie), Becky G’s “The Fire Inside” (Flamin’ Hot), Jon Batiste’s “It Never Went Away” (American Symphony), and the Osage Tribal Singers’ “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” (Killers of the Flower Moon).
On the Best Original Score front, Ludwig Göransson took home the Academy Award for his musical work on Best Picture winner Oppenheimer, which competed against Laura Karpman’s American Fiction, Jerskin Fendrix’s Poor Things, John Williams’ Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and the late Robbie Robertson’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
During the ceremony, Eilish and O’Connell performed their Oscar-winning track in a heartfelt rendition with a live orchestra, which garnered a collective amazement from the crowd –– including attendees such as Ariana Grande. Other live performances during the 96th Academy Awards included a showstopping performance of “I’m Just Ken”, and Becky G’s “The Fire Inside” among others.
Earlier this year, the duoe also won Best Original Song at the 2024 Golden Globes, yet lost to Gosling, Mark Ronson, and Andrew Wyatt’s I’m Just Ken at the 2024 Critics Choice Awards. Though at least now, this award marks Eilish and O’Connell’s second Academy Award alongside their win to the title track to 2021’s No Time To Die.
Listen to Billie Eilish’s Oscar-winning track “What Was I Made For?” below: