In a surprise announcement, The Academy has revealed that Billie Eilish will perform during the 2020 Academy Awards telecast on Feb. 9. Eilish just won five Grammy Awards on Sunday night including Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year. Eilish is also singing the title track for the next James Bond film, “No Time To Die,” which hits theaters in April.
The Academy has not revealed in what capacity Eilish will be performing during the telecast. Questlove was already announced as a musical performer, but many thought he would be involved in the “In Memoriam” segment. It’s quite possible Eilish is opening the show with some sort of tribute. That may be why the Academy denotes it as “special.”
It’s also unclear if Eilish was always in producer Lynette Howell Taylor and Stephanie Allain‘s plans for the ceremony or if the decision to recruit her was made after presumptive nominee Beyonce was snubbed in the Best Original Song category.
Whether Eilish’s popularity can translate into ratings remains to be seen. The 2020 Grammy Award telecast slipped 7% from last year to an all-time low despite Eilish, Ariana Grande and Lizzo performing. It’s also strange since Lizzo, a multiple Grammy award winner who also exploded over the past year, appeared in the box office hit “Hustlers.”
Last week The Academy announced that all five nominees for Best Original Song will perform live during the show. Those performers include Elton John, Idina Menzel, Randy Newman, Chrissy Metz and Cynthia Erivo.
The 2020 Academy Awards will air live on ABC on Sunday, Feb. 9 beginning at 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET.
