Bringing fresh, heavenly renditions to Saturday Night Live was Billie Eilish.
Just two days before turning 22, the 21-year-old singer of “Happier Than Ever” hit the stage to perform the songs “What Was I Made For?” as well as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” on December 18.
Seven-time Grammy winner Greta Gerwig, who directed the film, and host and Barbie star Kate McKinnon introduced the seven-time Grammy winner as she began her first performance of her hit ballad from the Barbie film. She sang the melody while her brother Finneas played the piano.
The stage was completely covered in bright pink during the performance, and the singer was wearing a light pink collared shirt and a ponytail, so there were plenty of references to the movie throughout.
She also added a scene from the Barbie movie, where the song is accompanied by images and videos of women. It did, however, have a unique SNL twist—it featured old pictures of the female cast members of the show when they were younger. A young Maya Rudolph, Punkie Johnson, Ego Nwodim, McKinnon, and other celebrities were featured in this video collage.
The song is up for five Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It was recently nominated for a Golden Globe. Eilish, who previously won an Oscar for her performance as the James Bond theme song “No Time to Die” in the 2021 film of the same name, may receive a nomination for her Barbie track at the 2024 Academy Awards.
The SNL band joined the singer for a heartfelt performance of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which she performed alongside her brother on the piano once more. With New York City serving as the backdrop, the stage was transformed into a Christmas wonderland to correspond with the song.
The “Lovely” singer wore her red and black ombre hair down and a bright red vest over a white button-up shirt for this performance. Snowflake-adorned Christmas sweaters were worn by Finneas and the other members of the band.
Poinsettias, red lights, and variously decorated Christmas trees with lights were used to create a holiday atmosphere on the stage and illuminate the performers. Fake snow even started to fall across the stage halfway through the song.
She even had the opportunity to dress up in overalls, a blonde wig, and false braces on her teeth right before the show ended to play opposite McKinnon in a sketch about cat adoption. While showcasing the cute cats to the audience, the two got to play off one another, even forcing the other to go against their characters.
In the last four years, this is Eilish’s third appearance as a musical guest on SNL.
In September 2019, Eilish made her stage debut on the sketch comedy show, performing her hits “I Love You” and “Bad Guy,” which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, with her brother Finneas. Eilish returned in December 2021 to host the sketch comedy program and to perform the songs “Male Fantasy” and “Happier Than Ever” from her Happier Than Ever, her sophomore album.