Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell took their "Barbie" ballad "What Was I Made For?" to the Dolby Theatre stagein Los Angeles and not only scored a major win — best original song — but also became the two youngest two-time winners in Oscar history at 22 and 26, respectively.
The siblings won the same award last year for “No Time to Die,” the title song for the 2022 James Bond film. Last month, their "Barbie" hit scooped up trophies for song of the year and best song written for visual mediaat the Grammy Awards.
Eilish began her acceptance speech by revealing she "had a nightmare" about that exact moment, and then proceeded to thank her dance and chorus teachers, joking to one of them, "You didn't like me, but you were good at your job!"
Eilish dedicated her award to "everyone that was affected by the movie and how incredible it is."
In the pair's performance on the Oscars stage, the simple song began with an understated backdrop, as if Eilish and O'Connell were in a recording studio, before the pastel-lit curtain rose to show the audience behind them.
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With more than a few nods to the “Barbie” pink motifin the background, O’Connell sat at an upright piano, and Eilish, clad in an oversized black blazer and pencil skirt, kept her eyes closed and her voice barely above a whisper as she unraveled the emotional ballad. A rising curtain revealed an orchestra as Eilish clasped the mic stand with her left hand and O’Connell dutifully played the song’s melancholy melody.
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As she wound down the song to its last pensive note, Eilish smiled toward her brother. The audience’s ovation prompted a hug between the siblings as the camera cut to a teary-eyed Kate McKinnon (aka “Weird Barbie”) and much of the cheering “Barbie” team.
Other nominees for this year's Best Original Song award included:
- "The Fire Inside" from "Flamin' Hot" (music and lyrics by Diane Warren)
- "I'm Just Ken" from "Barbie" (Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt)
- "It Never Went Away" from "American Symphony" (Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson)
- "Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)" from "Killers of the Flower Moon" (Scott George)
Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri
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