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Billie Eilish and Finneas performed at the 2024 Academy Awards tonight (March 10). The O’Connell siblings appeared on a rotating hot pink stage at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre to perform their Oscar-nominated Barbie song “What Was I Made For?” Finneas accompanied his sister on piano, while an orchestra joined in behind them, bathed in pink light. Watch it happen below.
“What Was I Made For?” is nominated for Best Original Song this evening. The ballad will compete with fellow Barbie cut “I’m Just Ken,” performed by Ken himself (aka Ryan Gosling). Eilish and Finneas are also up against Becky G and her Flamin’ Hot track “The Fire Inside,” Jon Batiste’s “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony, and Osage Tribal Singers’ “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon.
Eilish and Finneas performed “What Was I Made For?” at the 2024 Grammy Awards last month. The single subsequently won Song of the Year that night, as well as Best Song Written for for Visual Media. The latter category was stacked with Barbie the Album artists; Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,” Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World,” and Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” competed with “What Was I Made For?” The outlier was Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up,” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By.
Though there was some controversy over the fact that neither Barbie director Greta Gerwig nor star Margot Robbie were nominated for Directing or Actress in a Leading Role, respectively, the film is up for multiple trophies.
Barbie and its various contributors are nominated for Best Picture, Actress in a Supporting Role (America Ferrera), Actor in a Supporting Role (Ryan Gosling), Costume Design (Jacqueline Durran), Best Original Song (“What Was I Made For?” and “I’m Just Ken”), Production Design (Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Gerwig and Noah Baumbach).
Follow all of Pitchfork’s coverage of the 2024 Academy Awards.
