In July, Billie Eilish released “What Was I Made For?,” her contribution to the Barbie movie soundtrack. The song was a success, as it was well-received and managed a No. 14 peak on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Immediately before coming up with that tune, though, Eilish was apparently concerned that she might be done for as a songwriter.
In a Hollywood Reporter feature published today (November 16), Eilish sat down for a roundtable conversation with Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Julia Michaels, Jon Batiste, and Cynthia Erivo. During the chat, she spoke about her and brother/collaborator Finneas’ mindset before coming up with their Barbie song, saying:
“I thank God for [Barbie director Greta Gerwig], man. I honestly was concerned that it was over for me. I’ve got to be honest with you. She saved me, really, honestly. Getting that request, it was like a FaceTime, it brought us both out of it, and immediately we were inspired and wrote so much more after that. Especially when it came out, I was like, ‘Aye yai yai.’ It was like somebody reading your diary or something.”
She also noted, “We’d been trying and it wasn’t doing what it usually would do in me. I was honestly like, ‘Damn, maybe I hit my peak and I don’t know how to write anymore?’”
Check out more from the conversation here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.