The Oscars have officially confirmed that “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” will be performed at the March 12 ceremony by singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, who will be making their Oscars stage debuts.
The cross-cultural hit is nominated in the Original Song category alongside “This Is A Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman” and “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther.” . : Wakanda Forever”, all of which are part of the performances scheduled for the 95th annual ceremony.
“Naatu Naatu” was composed by M.M. Keeravaani, who co-wrote the number with lyrics by Chandrabose. The pair have already said Variety that they are modifying the song for the Oscars performance, which will include Indian singers and dancers from the Los Angeles area.
David Byrne, Stephanie Hsu and musical trio Son Lux were announced as performers on February 28 and will deliver a rendition of “This Is A Life,” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which is the night’s most nominated film. . .
“This Is A Life” was composed by Ryan Lott, Byrne and Mitski, with lyrics by Lott and Byrne. Byrne was the founding member, lead singer and guitarist of the critically acclaimed band Talking Heads. He previously won an Oscar for the original score for the 1987 film “The Last Emperor,” which starred Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su.
Hsu is nominated for Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Her other credits include ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ series, an upcoming appearance in Rian Johnson’s ‘Poker Face’ opposite Natasha Lyonne, an appearance in the upcoming Disney+ series ‘American Born Chinese’ and in the upcoming film ‘The Fall Guy”. alongside Ryan Gosling.
The experimental musical group Son Lux is the founder and leader Lott, Ian Chang and Rafiq Bhatia. The group is nominated for the original score of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”.
Meanwhile, actor and singer Sofia Carson and songwriter Diane Warren will perform “Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman.” It was the second nominated song announced after Rihanna was confirmed to perform her track from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
‘Applause’ marks Warren’s 14th career Oscar nomination, following such hits as ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing’ from ‘Armageddon’ (1998) and ‘Because You Loved Me’ from ‘Up Close and Personal’. . (1996). However, she has yet to win. Oscar winner Cher was tapped to present Warren with an honorary Oscar at the 2022 Governors Awards.
Sofia Carson and Diane Warren. (Javiera Eyzaguirre)
Javiera Eyzaguirre
Carson is a multi-platinum recording artist and released her self-titled debut album in 2022. Her film credits include ‘Purple Hearts’, which she also produced the soundtrack to, ‘Songbird’, ‘Feel the Beat’, ‘Descendants’. trilogy, and the upcoming “Carry On” movie.
Warren recently triumphed over fellow nominees Rihanna and Lady Gaga at the Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards, winning Outstanding Original Song.
The Oscars producers will continue to announce talent joining the show in the coming weeks. The only original song nominee that has yet to be confirmed for performance is “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick” (Lady Gaga and Bloodpop).
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95th Annual Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 12 at the Dolby Theater at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide. Molly McNearney, Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner are all executive producers for this year’s ceremony, with Weiss and Kirshner named as showrunners.
To see ranked predictions for each category, visit Variety Oscar Center.