Billie Eilish gave us one of the best songs from Barbie: The Album with “What Was I Made For?”, and its steady climb to the top of the UK Singles Chart is finally over. This moving ballad became Eilish’s second No. 1 single in the UK during a historic week for female performers.
“What Was I Made For?” was a part of Barbie: The Album’s historic success in the UK upon its debut, when it became the first soundtrack in history to simultaneously chart three songs within the top five. It now became Eilish’s second No. 1 single in the UK, following the success of the theme song from the last James Bond film No Time To Die.
“What Was I Made For?” is a part of “the summer of girl power” on the UK Singles Chart, which includes the top six songs from solo female performers for the first time in history. Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night”, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire”, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer”, Peggy Gou’s “(It Goes Like) Nanana”, and Rodrigo’s “Bad Idea Right” also made the cut.
Dr Jo Twist, chief executive of the British Phonographic Industry, said it feels great to see solo female artists make this historic achievement and expressed hope this marks the beginning of a new trend on the UK Singles Chart.
“This increased representation is something we hope becomes commonplace rather than exceptional. For now, it’s a milestone that we should celebrate, reflecting a year when the market has been dominated by women artists from the UK and globally representing multiple genres,” said Twist in a statement.
