Billie Eilish & Finneas’ Delicate Performance of ‘What Was I Made For?’ Earns Standing Ovation at Oscars

Hannah Dailey and Anna Chan
·2 min read
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The mood of the 2024 Oscars turned a bit existential when Billie Eilish and Finneas took the Dolby Theatre stage in Los Angeles Sunday night (March 10), impressing the crowd with an angelic performance of their Barbie soundtrack hit “What Was I Made For?”

Dressed in an oversized black-and-white tweed jacket, white shirt, pink neck bow and long black skirt, the fresh-faced 22-year-old pop star turned in a delicate rendition of the song as Finneas accompanied her on the piano as the stage was bathed in Barbie-pink lighting. The nine-time Grammy winner’s soft, emotional vocals were highlighted by the sparse piano accompaniment, then elevated even more as an orchestra kicked in midsong.

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“Taking a drive, I was an ideal/ Looked so alive, turns out I’m not real,” Eilish sang. “Just something you paid for/ What was I made for?”

After the performance, Finneas turned from the piano and clapped for his sister, while the audience — including Barbie director Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie, America Ferrera and Kate McKinnon — gave her a standing ovation. Fellow pop superstar Ariana Grande, who is a 2024 Oscars presenter and dressed in Barbie pink (and also a nod to Glinda’s gown from Wicked, who Grande is portraying in the upcoming film adaptation), also got up on her feet to cheer the set.

The track is one of five best original song nominees this year, along with Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson’s fellow Barbie ballad “I’m Just Ken,” Becky G‘s “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot, Jon Batiste‘s “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony and Scott George and the Osage Singers’ “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon. Eilish and her brother previously won the category in 2022 for their James Bond franchise hit “No Time to Die.”

In February, the siblings won song of the year at the 2024 Grammys with “What Was I Made For?,” putting them in a rare class of artists to score major nominations for the same song from both the Recording Academy and the Oscars. “That was a crazy list of incredible people, incredible artists, incredible music,” Eilish said while accepting the award.

“I feel crazy right now,” she added at the time. “Thank you to my brother who’s my best friend in the world and makes me the person that I am today.”

Watch Billie Eilish and Finneas’ performance of “What Was I Made For?” below:

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