After winning Best Original Song with “What Was I Made For?” Billie Eilish took to the stage at the Oscars 2024 with FINNEAS for a tender, orchestra-infused performance of their summer smash hit. Released in July 2022, Billie’s stripped-down ballad was unstoppable last year after its release as a Barbie movie single, and her Oscars win only strengthened its legacy, making Billie Eilish the youngest two-time Oscar winner on Earth.
The duo’s performance was just as legendary. On a Barbie pink stage with only a piano and a microphone, Billie (age 22) and multi-instrumentalist brother FINNEAS (26) commanded all attention onto their music. Their stage design was as artfully sparse as their angelic song; delicate and hyper-focused on the art, before an orchestra of strings fleshed out the cinematic allure of their purposefully restrained sound.
Eilish’s outfit continued to defy the cultural norm of female pop singers, stunning in a black tweed suit and diverting the spotlight onto her voice alone. The official music video for “What Was I Made For” surged with over 125m YouTube views, connecting Billie’s ethereal voice to millions of fans tuned into her track’s existential message. Critics describe her vocal technique as whispering, while fans view it as pure control, symbolising perfectionism and the challenge of unattainable Barbie beauty standards.
Billie Eilish and FINNEAS turned pop music on its head back in 2019 with Billie’s debut album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” which earned her first US #1 with the meme hit “Bad Guy.” Acclaimed for her unique brand of DIY bedroom pop, LA-born Billie and songwriter-producer Finneas O’Connell handcrafted a sound that’s quirky, dark and sweetly addictive, topped off by Eilish’s signature vocal style.
Finneas O’Connell is perhaps best known as Billie Eilish’s older brother and long-term musical collaborator, but he is also an accomplished singer-songwriter, producer, and actor in his own right. He has worked with Nicki Minaj, Tate McRae, Kid Cudi, Demi Lovato, Halsey, Selena Gomez, and Justin Bieber (alongside Eilish and his own solo project, FINNEAS), and has picked up over 10 Grammy Awards in the process. Finneas is also the youngest star to win the Grammy Award for Non-Classical Producer of the Year, cementing his name in pop music history.
Since its July 2023 release, “What Was I Made For?” has won two Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Song Written For Visual Media, as well as the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, among 19 other award show wins. At the Oscars 2024, Billie’s UK #1 single beat lead actor Ryan Gosling’s own Barbie soundtrack hit, “I’m Just Ken,” to win the award for Best Original Song.
With over 6.1m views on their Oscars performance alone, this is still rife with momentum. Make sure you don’t miss their performance above!
Check out more from the extraordinary artist, Billie Eilish. You can follow her on her YouTube Channel, like her page on Facebook, and keep up to date with her on Instagram. Explore her music and more on her official Website. Tune in to hear her mesmerizing music, and as her achievements continue to grow, you surely will not want to miss out.