Billie Eilish used her acceptance speech at the Wall Street Journal Magazine’s 2025 Innovator Awards in New York City to challenge the world’s richest people to share their wealth for the greater good.
The nine-time Grammy winner received the Music Innovator Award on Wednesday, Oct. 29, and was introduced by late-night host Stephen Colbert. Before she took the stage, Colbert announced that Eilish had raised $11.5 million through her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour for organizations tackling food insecurity and climate change.
“People need empathy and help in our country,” Eilish said. “If you have money, it would be great to use it for good things and give it to some people that need it. Love you all, but there’s a few people in here that have a lot more money than me. If you are a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but give your money away, shorties.”
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According to Billboard, Eilish’s donation will go to her Changemaker Program, which supports hunger and environmental initiatives. Her tour also promotes sustainability by offering plant-based food options, using biodegradable confetti, creating merchandise from recycled materials, and encouraging fans to bring reusable bottles and use public transportation.
Speaking in an interview with WSJ Magazine published the same day, the 23-year-old singer criticized industries that fail to prioritize sustainability. “You can literally make all the same s–t with sustainable materials, and people just aren’t doing it,” she said. “Everyone can actually do it. It’s just that mostly they don’t.”
Eilish has long pushed for eco-conscious practices in music, telling Billboard in 2024 that she was frustrated by artists producing “40 different vinyl packages” just to drive sales.