Billie Eilish releases new song 'What Was I Made For?' from upcoming Barbie movie
The song and video are out now
Last updated 21st Jul 2023
Billie Eilish has released a new single. Titled 'What Was I Made For?', the song will feature on the soundtrack of the highly-anticipated Barbie movie.
In addition to the song's release, the official music video for 'What Was I Made For?' is also available to watch now. Posting about the song's release on Instagram, Billie said: 'What Was I Made For?” our barbie song (& video) is out now.
'in january greta showed me and finneas a handful of some unfinished scenes from the film; we had nooooo idea what to expect at ALLL... we were so deeeeeply moved.. that the next day we were writing and COULDNT shut up about it lolll andddddddddd ended up writing almost the entire song that night. to be real with you this all seemed to happen in a time when i really needed it. i’m so so thankful for that.
'this video makes me cryyyyy.. it means so much to me and i hope it will mean just as much to you. don’t have much to say other than that, i think it will speak for itself :’’’’) enjoy.' (sic)
The 21-year-old 'Happier Than Ever' hitmaker previously took to Instagram to share the news of the song's release with fans. Posting a photo of a hand-drawn Barbie logo with the song's title, Billie wrote: 'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! 🧸🎀🩰💗“What Was I Made For?” COMING OUT JULY 13TH AT 7AM PT. !!!!!!!! 🙈🥰
'WE MADE THIS SONG FOR BARBIE AND IT MEANS THE ABSOLUTE WORRRRLLLD TO ME. THIS MOVIE IS GONNA CHANGE UR LIVES AND HOPEFULLY THE SONG WILL TOO. GET READY TO SOB💐👀🌸🥹🫧💞 @FINNEAS.' (sic)
Billie joins artists including Dua Lipa, Ice Spice and Haim on the film's soundtrack. The film's lead single, Dua Lipa's 'Dance The Night', has already been released along with a music video.
The upcoming Barbie movie is due to be released on 21st July and stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. The film's star-studded cast also features Will Ferrell, Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa and Helen Mirren.
Billie released her second album 'Happier Than Ever' back in 2021, which was followed up in 2022 by the 'Guitar Songs' EP. 'Guitar Songs' consisted of two tracks - 'The 30th' and 'TV.'
Is there a music video for 'What Was I Made For?'
Yes, the official music video is available to watch now. You can check it out below.
Take a look at Billie Eilish's incredible career so far:
Early life
The US songstress was born on 18th December 2001 to Maggie Baird and Patrick O'Connell. Before Maggie Baird became Billie's momager, travelling on every tour with her, she was a ground-breaking actress and screenwriter. Coming from a famous family, Billie was always destined for fame!
2015: 'Ocen Eyes'
Releasing her first track to Soundcloud would have been a gamble for other singers, however the singer-songwriter released 'Ocean Eyes' herself, at the age of 14 in 2015. A definite 'bad guy' move, as it allowed her to have autonomy over her work and career. The track has since been certified 5x Platinum in the UK.
2017: Debut EP
Billie released her debut EP 'Don't Smile At Me' in 2017 at the age of 16, to critical acclaim. For her first album, the success was unprecedented. Following suit, her breakthrough hit 'When The Party's Over' entered the Top 40 in both the UK and US, proving that her success was only going to exceed from here.
2018: First tour
The 'Lovely' singer blew up and grew up in 2018! This was the year that saw the singer-songwriter embark on her 2018 tour. Billie boasted almost 75 million Instagram followers and 52 million monthly listeners, growing her fanbase organically after that first Soundcloud release. The singer's young fans also saw her as a role model, paving the way for young women as an activist for LGBTQIA+ rights, feminism and mental health.
2019: Debut album and Coachella performance
Unsurprisingly, the US singer-songwriter scored a Number 1 position in charts around the world with her debut album 'When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?' in April 2019. Billie broke a Guinness World Record for being the youngest woman at Number 1 on the UK album charts, and for having the most simultaneous US Hot 100 entries by a female. The album consists of HUGE tracks such as 'Bad Guy', 'Xanny', 'You Should See Me in a Crown', 'When the Party's Over' and 'Bury a Friend'.
2019 was also the year that saw Billie's iconic Coachella performance. As well as being the year she cemented herself as a fashion icon, she wore head-to-toe Louis Vuitton and burst onto our TV screens in a Calvin Klein ad 'I Speak My Truth in #MyCalvins', sporting her iconic baggy look and opening up about why, saying: "I never want anyone to know everything about me. I mean, that's why I wear big, baggy clothes. Nobody can have an opinion, because they haven't seen what's underneath."
2020: The GRAMMY Awards milestone and Bond theme
In 2020, our favourite 'bad guy' became the first artist since 1981 to do a full sweep at the GRAMMY Awards, winning all four major awards and being the youngest to win them at the age of 18 - making history yet again! Billie won Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for 'bad guy', Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year for 'When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?' and Best New Artist.
2020 was Billie's year as the star also joined the Bond hall of fame! The US singer-songwriter became the youngest artist to be chosen to lend her voice for a Bond film, working with her brother Finneas and esteemed movie soundtrack genius Hans Zimmer. Her theme song 'No Time To Die' hit Number 1 in the UK, as well as featuring on the 2020 Bond film. This placed Billie alongside worldwide superstars Adele and Sam Smith who have been initiated into the Bond elite too. Impressive!
2021: New album, documentary and fragrance
Billie released her second album 'Happier Than Ever' on Friday 30th July 2021, featuring singles 'My Future', 'Therefore I Am', 'Your Power', 'Lost Cause', and 'NDA'. Her Disney+ documentary - Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles - was released in September 2021.
Billie delighted her fans in October 2021, revealing she would be releasing her very own fragrance called Eilish - fast forward to today, and she now has three fragrances! Billie Eilish's first perfume, called 'Eilish', officially went on sale on 10th November 2021. Billie later revealed in September 2022 that she would be releasing her second perfume Eilish No. 2. It was then on 28th September 2023 that she announced Eilish No. 3 - a limited edition perfume that served as the last of the Eilish collection.
2022: Glastonbury Festival headline slot and 'Happier Than Ever, The World Tour'
Not only did Billie headline the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival in 2022, she became the youngest female to ever do so. Performing an exhilarating 20-song set full of hits, she opened with 'bury a friend', as well as singing the likes of 'Therefore I Am', 'Oxytocin' and 'when the party's over' before ending with 'Happier Than Ever'.
Fitting in around her Glastonbury performance, Billie kicked off her world tour in the US and brought her amazing shows to the UK and Ireland in June. She played 13 dates across Belfast, London, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and Dublin.
2023: 'What Was I Made For?'
In July 2023, Billie released a new track called 'What Was I Made For?', which features on the soundtrack of the Barbie movie. It was later nominated for a Golden Globe, with Billie winning both Song of the Year and Best Song Written For Visual Media at the 2024 GRAMMY Awards.
2024: Third album and Olympics Closing Ceremony performance
The singer's third album 'Hit Me Hard and Soft' was released in May 2024, containing singles 'Birds of a Feather', 'Chihiro' and 'Wildflower'. It went to Number 1 around the world including in the UK, US, Australia, Canada and Ireland to name but a few, and was certified Platinum in the UK just six months later, receiving a 2x Platinum certification in January 2026.
On 11th August, Billie Eilish performed at the Closing Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Before the event, there were several rumours circulating that the singer would be performing, along with The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Snoop Dogg. Despite the rumours, nothing was confirmed until the day that it took place.
2025: GRAMMYs performance and bringing her tour to the UK
On 2nd February 2025, Billie took to the stage at the 67th annual GRAMMY Awards to entertain the star-studded audience with a performance of 'Birds of a Feather'. She was nominated for seven awards, but unfortunately did not take any home.
Billie brought her 'Hit Me Hard and Soft' tour to the UK and Ireland in July 2025, visiting Glasgow, London, Manchester and Dublin.
2026: 10th GRAMMY win and the 'Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour' concert film
Billie took home her 10th GRAMMY Award win at the 2026 ceremony, picking up Song of the Year for 'Wildflower' which was also nominated for Record of the Year. She used her acceptance speech to encourage acceptance of diversity: "As grateful as I feel, I honestly don't feel like I need to say anything but that … No one is illegal on stolen land. I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting. Our voices really do matter and the people matter."
Also in 2026, Billie released her concert film for her 'Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour', which was co-directed by renowned director James Cameron and released in cinemas on 8th May 2026. It's now available to stream on Prime Video.
Now read:
Billie Eilish: Get to know the 'Happier Than Ever' singer
Billie Eilish's career story so far 🎶
Dua Lipa releases 'Dance The Night' from upcoming Barbie film 💅