At just 22 years of age, Billie Eilish is on the cusp of becoming the youngest person in history to win two Academy Awards. With wins for “What Was I Made For?” at the Golden Globes, the Hollywood Music in Media, and the Society of Composers and Lyricists plus Grammys for Best Song Written for Visual Media and Song of the Year, Eilish and her brother Finneas have steamrolled their way through awards season. A second Oscar seems all but assured at this point.
Is there a case to be made for fellow Barbie nominee “I’m Just Ken” pulling off an upset win at the last minute? Well, the track earned the lion’s share of wins with the critics including a victory at the Critics Choice Awards. And, like Eilish and Finneas, songwriters Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt have won here before (“Shallow” from A Star is Born in 2018). But the track doesn’t have the gravitas of its Barbie compatriot and we’ll just have to settle with getting to see Ryan Gosling perform the track live as our consolation prize.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG PREDICTIONS:
1. “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas from Barbie (Warner Bros.) – CCA, GG, HMMA, SCL
2. “I’m Just Ken” by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt from Barbie (Warner Bros.) – CCA, GG, HMMA, SCL
3. “It Never Went Away” by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson from American Symphony (Netflix) – SCL
4. “The Fire Inside” by Diane Warren from Flamin’ Hot (Disney) – HMMA, SCL
5. “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” by Scott George from Killers of the Flower Moon (Paramount Pictures / Apple Original Films)
Will win: “What Was I Made For?”
Should win: “I’m Just Ken”
Possible shocker: “The Fire Inside”