What were Billie Eilish and Finneas O鈥機onnell made for? Winning awards, apparently. The sibling duo鈥檚 鈥淏arbie鈥� blockbuster ballad 鈥淲hat Was I Made For?鈥� won for best original song on Sunday night.
In doing so, Eilish, 22, has become the two career Oscars.
That beats a very old record set by Luise Rainer, who won her second best actress Oscar at 28 in 1938.
The second youngest is now Eilish鈥檚 26-year-old brother and co-writer Finneas. The pair won their first Oscar for 鈥淣o Time to Die鈥� in 2021.
Hilary Swank and Jodie Foster 鈥� a best supporting actor nominee this year 鈥� are the only others to win two before 30.
鈥淭hank you so much to the Academy. I feel like, I just didn鈥檛 think this would happen,鈥� Eilish started her speech. 鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful for this song and for this movie and the way that it made me feel. And this goes out to everyone who was affected by the movie and how incredible it is. And I want to thank my team and my parents. I love you guys so much.鈥�
She continued, 鈥淚 want to thank my best friend Zoe for playing Barbies with me growing up, and being by my side forever,鈥� and was met with laughs from the audience. 鈥淚 want to thank my, like, dance teachers growing up. I want to thank my choir teachers. Miss Brigham, thanks for believing in me. Mrs. T, you didn鈥檛 like me, but you were good at your job.鈥�
Eilish and Finneas beat out another 鈥淏arbie鈥� cut, 鈥淚鈥檓 Just Ken,鈥� as performed by Ryan Gosling and written by Mark Ronson and his creative partner Andrew Wyatt. Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson鈥檚 鈥淚t Never Went Away鈥� from 鈥淎merican Symphony,鈥� Diane Warren鈥檚 鈥淭he Fire Inside鈥� from 鈥淔lamin鈥� Hot鈥� and Scott George鈥檚 鈥淲ahzhazhe (A Song For My People)鈥� from 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon鈥� rounded out the category.
Eilish and O鈥機onnell are . In fact, they鈥檙e now two for two. Previously, they for their James Bond theme 鈥淣o Time to Die鈥� in 2021. That year, they beat out some impressive names, including Beyonc茅, Van Morrison, Lin-Manuel Miranda and once again, Warren.
In the months leading up to the Academy Awards, 鈥淲hat Was I Made For?鈥� has raked in numerous trophies: In 2024 alone, they鈥檝e won for best original song and Not bad for a song written about an 11.5-inch-tall plastic doll.
鈥淲hat Was I Made For?鈥� debuted at No. 34 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, eventually peaking at No. 14.
In the 鈥淏arbie鈥� film, 鈥淲hat Was I Made For?鈥� plays a key role 鈥� an instrumental version of the song pops up like a leitmotif, soundtracking introspective, existential moments for its protagonist. Eilish鈥檚 voice isn鈥檛 heard until the final scene, but at that point, the audience is well-prepared for its emotional impact.
Clearly, the duo excel at making music for movies. Before 鈥淏arbie鈥� and Bond, three songs they wrote made it on soundtrack, pulling heavily from the likes of (asterisk)NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.
In another music category, won the Academy Award for original score for his work on 鈥淥ppenheimer.鈥� It is his second Oscar and third nomination, having previously won in the category in 2019 for 鈥淏lack Panther.鈥�
In doing so, G枚ransson beat John Williams (鈥淚ndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny鈥�) and three first-time nominees, Jerskin Fendrix (鈥淧oor Things鈥�) Laura Karpman (鈥淎merican Fiction鈥�) and the late Robbie Robertson (鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon鈥�).
鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� is 鈥檚 own adaptation of Martin J. Sherwin and Kai Bird鈥檚 Pulitzer Prize-winning 2005 book 鈥淎merican Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,鈥� chronicling the Manhattan Project and its fallout.
鈥淐hristopher Nolan, it was your idea to use violin in the score, and it allowed me to work and collaborate with my wonderful wife and acclaimed violinist Serena G枚ransson. We (were) recording at night and we were rushing to go home to put our kids, Apollo, Romeo, to bed. But the result of that was amazing,鈥� he said in his speech.
鈥淎nd to my parents up there, thank you for giving me guitars and drum machines instead of video games. Thank you,鈥� he concluded.
The film starring 鈥渋s poised between the shock and aftershock of the terrible revelation, as one character calls it, of a divine power,鈥� AP film writer Jake Coyle . Naturally, the score accomplishes something similar: G枚ransson composing from a first-person perspective for the first time, using his characteristic plays with rhythm and tempo to make one man鈥檚 history-altering endeavors feel larger than life.
鈥淭o be recognized on this score especially, it was a very personal score,鈥� G枚ransson told The Associated Press when the nominations were announced in January. 鈥淚t was also obviously extremely challenging to achieve these emotions and to tell the story of this complicated man鈥檚 feelings, his ambition and what he鈥檚 going through in his journey and from his perspective because the only way to do that is, I鈥檝e had to go to some to some uncomfortable places.鈥�
He added that 鈥渢he way that Chris Nolan uses music in his storytelling is so unique and special and inspiring.鈥�
鈥淪o, give all the music awards to Nolan and his collaborators,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 just very grateful to be working with him, and this is our second film together.鈥�
Their first film together was the 2020 time-bending thriller
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Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
