The 2023 Academy Awards featured performances of all five nominations in the Best Original Song category this year – with Rihanna, Lady Gaga, David Byrne and more among those who delivered renditions of their respective songs onstage.
Rihanna performed her Black Panther: Wakanda Forever song ‘Lift Me Up’. The song, which was released in October last year, marked Rihanna’s first solo single since her 2016 album Anti. Watch her performance below.
Rihanna Performs ‘Lift Me Up’ at the 2023 Oscars
Lady Gaga performed a stripped-back version of her Top Gun: Maverick single ‘Hold My Hand’. Before the performance, she gave a brief introduction to explain the song and its themes, shouting out its co-writer and co-producer BloodPop.
“It’s deeply personal for me, and I think that we all need each other. We need a lot of love to walk through this life, and we all need a hero sometimes,” Gaga said. “There’s heroes all around us in unassuming places, but you might find that you can be your own hero even if you feel broken inside.” Watch the performance and introduction below.
David Byrne and Son Lux, meanwhile, performed their Everything Everywhere All at Once track ‘This Is a Life’. Stephanie Hsu – who appears as protagonist Evelyn’s daughter Joy and Alphaverse version Jobu Tupaki in the film – filled in for Mitski, who appears on the studio recording.
For the performance, Byrne’s hands had the prosthetic ‘hot dog’ fingers that feature in one of the many universes of Everything Everywhere All at Once. Watch that performance below.
Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava performed ‘Naatu Naatu’ from RRR, which they sing together on the film’s soundtrack. ‘Naatu Naatu’ went on to be crowned Best Original Song at this year’s ceremony.
For their performance, Sipligunj and Bhairava sung the track while a slew of dancers surrounding them them reenacted the accompanying choreography from the film. M. M. Keeravani, who composed the music for the song, served as the musical director for the performance.
Sofia Carson, earlier in the evening, sang her Diane Warren-penned song ‘Applause’, from Tell It Like a Woman. For the Oscars performance, Warren joined Carson on piano, with a string section also backing them up.
In addition to Best Original Song, other audio categories at this year’s Oscars included Best Original Score – which went to Volker Bertelmann for All Quiet on the Western Front – and Best Sound, which went to Top Gun: Maverick.
Further Reading
Rihanna, Lady Gaga, & Mitski Up For Best Original Song At The Academy Awards
Watch Rihanna Perform a Career-Spanning Medley of Hits During Super Bowl Halftime Show
Lady Gaga Confirmed To Appear In Upcoming Joker Sequel
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