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“What Was I Made For?” is Billie Eilish’s take on the Barbie mythos

Eilish’s addition to the soundtrack for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie comes with a music video that doubles as a sly commentary on pop stardom.

July 13, 2023

Billie Eilish has shared her contribution to the soundtrack for Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie. The existentially titled "What Was I Made For?" was written by Eilish and her brother Finneas, and produced in his Los Angeles home. This dour ballad is a stark departure from the other Barbie singles, doubling as a sly commentary on pop stars "created" for the profit of record labels — a well she drew from on her last album, Happier Than Ever.

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The Eilish-directed music video captures this same ennui, as the singer pulls miniature, doll-sized versions of her own outfits out of a box. Other songs released from the Barbie soundtrack include Charli XCX's "Speed Drive," Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj's "Barbie World," and Dua Lipa's "Dance The Night." Haim, Tame Impala, Lizzo, and PinkPantheress are also set to appear on the full album, which comes out on July 21 to coincide with the movie's nationwide theatrical release.