Two talented artists made history on Sunday night (March 10) after becoming the youngest two-time Best Song Oscar winners. Who achieved this incredible honor? The answer may surprise you. Then again, maybe it won’t.
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Billie Eilish and her older brother Finneas O’Connell took home the Best Song Oscar for their contribution to the Barbie movie. This was their second win in that category—”What Was I Made For?” won this year, while they previously won in 2022 for their title Bond song “No Time to Die.”
This new win makes the sibling pair the youngest two-time Best Song winners in the history of the Oscars. Eilish, at 22, is the official youngest, while O’Connell, at 26, is the second youngest dual winner.
Eilish and O’Connell have previously won numerous awards for the heartfelt, tender ballad. They won a Golden Globe and two Grammys, including Song of the Year, as well as Society of Composers & Lyricists honors and the Chairman’s Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Additionally, it has won at numerous U.S. film festivals, and is nominated at festivals abroad.
Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell Deliver Breathtaking Performance of “What Was I Made For?” at Oscars
Along with their record-making Oscars win, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell performed their hit during the 96th Academy Awards. Eilish sang the heart-wrenching song accompanied by her brother on piano, and the room fell silent, captivated by her breathy, emotional vocals.
Before her performance, Eilish spoke to the Los Angeles Times about her nerves. “I just don’t want to break anything. I don’t want to stumble. I don’t want to spill anything,” she admitted. “[When] the Grammys is like your homie’s party and we’re here and I know you guys, I love it. It’s friends, it’s whatever. The Oscars is the coolest kids. What do the cool kids do at the table? I don’t know. It’s very intimidating. Performing at the Oscars, which I’ve done now twice: Terrifying. Horribly terrifying. But in a great way. I love it.”
During the performance, she didn’t give any hints that she was nervous. She and her brother performed the beautiful, haunting song with poise and skill, as they have at past award shows. Fans watching heaped praise on Eilish and O’Connell, writing on social media, “I love Billie like that’s talent and this song is poignant yet so simple,” and “Billie Eilish & [Finneas] are the truth. Generational talent.”
