On March 10, Billie Eilish made history after winning the Academy Award for “Best Original Song”; Eilish is now the youngest artist to win an Oscar two times. Her history-making feat came after taking away the award for her ballad “What Was I Made For?” that appeared in 2023 blockbuster Barbie. She pairs this win with her win in the same category in 2021 for her song “No Time to Die” made for the James Bond film.
Eilish accepted the award alongside her brother, Finneas, who helped co-write the hit song. Her acceptance speech sparked both tears and smiles from the audience and viewers at home. She earned the light-hearted laughs of those in the audience when she walked on stage, staring wide-eyed towards the crowd in disbelief, saying “I had a nightmare about this last night.” Eilish then began the typical acceptance speech model by thanking those who impacted her. She even noticeably got teary-eyed as she thanked the song and movie themselves for “how it made [her] feel.” This quote refers back to her Grammy acceptance speech for “Song of the Year” when Eilish admitted how writing her hit ballad got her through a tough time in her life. Other notable moments from Eilish’s speech were when she thanked her best friend Zoe for playing Barbies with her growing up, and when she thanked her choir teachers, one of whom “didn’t like [Billie], but [they] were good at [their] job!”
In just the short four year span since her breakout year in 2020, Eilish has made a name for herself as one of today’s top artists. This year alone, Billie not only has an Academy Award to her name, but four Grammys: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, and Best Music Video – all for “What Was I Made For?”[.] At just 22-years-old, Billie has become one of the most successful artists of this decade. With Billie’s career just starting, fans are sure to be excited for what’s next to come, and the many awards to follow.