How did Billie Eilish win her 10th Grammy with a song from 2024?

Dubai: Billie Eilish added another Grammy to her growing collection on Sunday night. The 24-year-old won Song of the Year for Wildflower at the 2026 Grammy Awards ceremony.

She accepted the award alongside her brother Finneas O'Connell, who co-wrote and produced the track. The win marks their third Song of the Year Grammy together and their 10th Grammy overall as a duo.

Eilish delivered a heartfelt speech after receiving the honour. "Thank you so much. I can't believe this. Everyone else in this category is so amazing. I love you so much. I feel so honoured every time I get to be in this room," she began.

The Birds of a Feather singer expressed gratitude to fans and thanked her loved ones. She also used the platform to address recent ICE incidents, making her speech both emotional and powerful.

Wildflower is the fourth single from Eilish's third studio album "Hit Me Hard and Soft." She wrote it with Finneas, who also produced the track.

The song was originally released as part of the 2024 album but was re-released as a single last year. It also received a nomination for Record of the Year, though that award went to Kendrick Lamar.

This isn't the first time the sibling duo has claimed Song of the Year. They previously won in 2020 for Bad Guy and in 2024 for What Was I Made For?

Some fans were confused about Wildflower competing at the 2026 Grammys. After all, the song appeared on her album Hit Me Hard and Soft, which was released in May 2024 and already earned Grammy nominations at the 2025 ceremony.

Here's why it qualified: Wildflower was released as a single in February 2025. That falls within the eligibility period of August 31, 2024 to August 30, 2025 for the 2026 Grammy Awards.

The Recording Academy treats tracks and singles differently. A 'track' is released as part of an album. A 'single' is released separately.

According to official Grammy rules, a track from a previous year's album can compete again if it wasn't entered as a single the previous year and the album didn't win a Grammy in a performance category.

Since Hit Me Hard and Soft didn't win any awards at the 2025 Grammys, Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter took album of the year and Sabrina Carpenter's Short n' Sweet won best pop vocal album, that made Wildflower eligible.

After the nominations were announced, Eilish celebrated on Instagram: "Song of the year & record of the year for WILDFLOWER thank you @recordingacademy feeling so grateful."

Eilish faced serious competition in the Song of the Year category. Seven other tracks were nominated, representing different genres and global sounds.

Lady Gaga's Abracadabra brought dance pop energy to the mix. The track also won Best Dance/Pop Recording during the ceremony, giving Gaga her own moment to shine.

Doechii earned a nomination for Anxiety, showcasing her rising star power in the rap and R&B worlds.

Rosé and Bruno Mars collaborated on APT, bringing K-pop and pop together in a crossover hit that dominated charts worldwide.

Bad Bunny's DtMF represented Latin music in the category. While he didn't win Song of the Year, he took home Album of the Year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, making it a successful night overall.

Huntr/x's Golden earned recognition not just as a Song of the Year nominee but also won Best Song Written for Visual Media. The track came from the animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters.

Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA with Luther rounded out the nominees. While they didn't win Song of the Year, Luther claimed Record of the Year and Best Melodic Rap Performance, giving them a double win.

Sabrina Carpenter's Manchild also competed in the category, representing her breakout year in pop music.

The Grammys are the only peer-voted award in music. That means fellow musicians, producers, songwriters and other industry creators choose the winners, not the general public.

First, Recording Academy members and record labels submit artists in certain categories. These submissions are screened and vetted for eligibility.

Once approved, voting members help determine the final nominations. These members are vetted performers, songwriters, producers and other creators in the recording industry. They can only vote in their areas of expertise where they are considered peers.

Members can vote in up to 10 categories across three genre fields, plus six general field categories. Those general categories include Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Producer of the Year and Songwriter of the Year.

After nominees are announced, a final round of voting takes place. For this year's Grammys, that cycle ran from December 12 through January 5.

To become a voting member, you need two recommendations from music industry peers and proof of a primary career focus in music with certain verifiable credits. However, if you've been nominated for a Grammy within the past five years, the credit requirement is waived. Current year winners or nominees don't need recommendations at all.

The Song of the Year award specifically honours songwriting. It recognizes the writers and composers rather than the performers or producers, though in Eilish's case, she fills all those roles.

This differs from Record of the Year, which celebrates the overall recording and performance. That distinction explains why Wildflower won Song of the Year while Luther took Record of the Year.

Billie Eilish, at just 24, she's already won 10 Grammys alongside her brother.

Areeba Hashmi is a trainee at Gulf News.