During the seventh annual Hitmakers brunch hosted by Variety, which acknowledged the creative forces behind the 25 biggest singles of 2023, the Film Song of the Year Award was bestowed upon Billie Eilish and her brother/collaborator Finneas for their Barbie ballad, “What Was I Made For.” The event unfolded at NYA West in Los Angeles on Saturday. Eilish, a repeat honoree, donned a blue satin Dodgers jacket, possibly in homage to the category’s presenter, Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s songwriting partner. While her acceptance speech was brief, Eilish shared more on the red carpet, confirming her recent revelation in Variety’s “Power of Women” issue.
In her November cover story, Eilish had expressed to Variety journalist Katcy Stephan, “I’ve never really felt like I could relate to girls very well. I love them so much. I love them as people. I’m attracted to them as people. I’m attracted to them for real. … I’m physically attracted to them. But I’m also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence.”
When asked by Variety correspondent Tiana DeNicola on the red carpet if she had intended to come out as queer in the Variety profile, Eilish gigglingly responded, “No, I didn’t! But I kind of thought, wasn’t it obvious? I didn’t realize people didn’t know! I just don’t really believe in [coming out]. I’m just like, why can’t we just exist? I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I just didn’t talk about it.”
Although Eilish was recently romantically linked to Jesse Rutherford, the Neighbourhood’s frontman, she has hinted at her fluid sexuality before, notably in her “Lost Cause” music video. The video, with its slumber party theme, prompted discussions among fans about queerbaiting, while others congratulated her for seemingly coming out at that time. In June 2021, shortly after the premiere of the “Lost Cause” video, Eilish posted a behind-the-scenes photo from the shoot on Instagram with the caption “i love girls.”
The Hitmakers ceremony also featured a memorable segment centered on Barbie, with surprise presenter Ryan Gosling introducing this year’s Soundtrack Award recipient, super-producer Mark Ronson. Gosling jokingly referred to “Kenergy” as a term he invented on a press junket to avoid questions. He playfully applied the term to Ronson, calling him “a man who has been Kenning with extreme Kenergy since before there was a word for it.”
