Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas became first-time Oscar winners Sunday night when “No Time To Die” was named Best Original Song.
“You guys, oh my gosh. This is so unbelievable. I could scream,” Eilish said upon accepting the golden statue.
“No Time To Die” – from the 007 flick of the same name – is the third Bond theme, after Adele’s “Skyfall” in 2013 and Sam Smith’s “Writing’s On The Wall” in 2016, to win an Oscar. At 20, Eilish is the second-youngest winner of the category, behind Markéta Irglová, who was four days shy of her 20th birthday when she won in 2008 for "Falling Away" from Once.
Earlier this month, “No Time to Die” won Best Song at the Critics Choice Awards. In February it was named Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and, last year, it won a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
The song beat out “Be Alive,” written by Dixson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter for the end credits of the biopic King Richard; Van Morrison’s “Down To Joy” from Belfast; Lin-Manuel Miranda's “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto; and "Somehow You Do," written by Diane Warren for Four Good Days.
The Oscar for Original Song goes to songwriters. Voters in the academy's music branch considered 84 eligible songs this year.
All but “Down To Joy” were performed during the 94th Academy Awards broadcast (Morrison blamed his tour schedule).
Beyoncé opened the show with a performance pre-taped at a public tennis court in Compton, California that featured daughter Blue Ivy dancing.
Inside the Dolby Theater, Sebastián Yatra performed “Dos Oruguitas,” Reba McEntire was backed by the Oscars band – which included Travis Barker on drums and Sheila E on percussion – for “Somehow You Do” and Eilish and Finneas performed “No Time To Die.”
Megan Thee Stallion, Luis Fonsi and Becky G joined the cast of the animated film Encanto for a live performance of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” The song wasn’t nominated for an Oscar because Miranda submitted “Dos Oruguitas” instead. (The deadline for consideration was Nov. 1 and “Bruno” didn’t become a hit until after Encanto premiered on Nov. 24.)
Musician Questlove and singer Ariana DeBose were Oscar winners in non-music categories – he as director of Summer of Soul (or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (Best Documentary Feature) and she for her role as Anita in West Side Story (Best Supporting Actress).
Presenters at the Oscars included Lady Gaga with Liza Minnelli, Diddy and Canada’s Shawn Mendes (who was paired with Diana Ross' daughter Tracee Ellis Ross.