All the feels! Billie Eilish moved the audience at the 2020 Academy Awards on Sunday, February 9, with her beautiful rendition of “Yesterday” by The Beatles.
The five-time Grammy winner, 18, took the stage with her brother, Finneas O’Connell, to pay tribute to the Hollywood stars who passed away over the past year. The “In Memoriam” segment of the 92nd annual Oscars honored a number of late celebrities, including Kobe Bryant, Rip Torn, Agnes Varda, Danny Aiello, Doris Day, Rutger Hauer, Peter Fonda, John Singleton and Kirk Douglas.
The sibling duo opted for a sparse acoustic version of the classic ballad, with the 22-year-old producer accompanying his sister on piano. Before arriving at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles in a Chanel suit, Eilish hinted at the special meaning behind her song choice for the emotional memorial.
“Honored to be performing during the In Memoriam segment for the Oscars tonight covering a song I’ve always loved. Watch with us,” the California native wrote in an Instagram Story.
While hundreds of fans quickly rushed to social media to congratulate the “Bad Guy” singer on an “angelic” performance, others lightly poked fun at her young age, wondering how well she really knew the legendary British foursome.
“Who had to tell Billie Eilish who the Beatles are?” one Twitter user said during her performance.
E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt put a more positive spin on Eilish’s youth, tweeting, “Billie Eilish just turned millions of kids on to the Beatles.”
In January, the “Ocean Eyes” songstress made history by becoming the youngest artist to win all four major categories at the Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Album of the Year, and Record of the Year. Before making her Academy Awards debut, Eilish confirmed that she’ll be recording the theme song for the upcoming James Bond film No Time to Die, breaking yet another record.
The “Everything I Wanted” singer told Billy Porter on the red carpet before the Oscars that the song was “already done” ahead of the spy film’s April 2020 release.
“It’s crazy, dude,” she told the 50-year-old Broadway legend. “It’s a life goal, for sure.”
