Lady Gaga will not perform her “Top Gun: Maverick” epic ballad, “Hold My Hand,” on Sunday’s live Oscars telecast on ABC, according to show producer Glenn Weiss.
Depending on the term, the song will be included in the clips for “Top Gun: Maverick” and while Gaga intended to be available for the big movie night, her shooting schedule for Todd Phillips’ “Joker: Folie à Deux” won’t allow her to attend this year’s ceremony.
The last time Gaga performed at the Oscars (in 2020, with “A Star Is Born” co-star Bradley Cooper putting the bee in everyone’s hood), she won an Academy Award for co-writing the high-octane song. “Shallow,” and was also nominated for Best Actress that same night. But a win for Best Original Song could happen again this year on Hollywood’s big night.
Ironically, fellow Oscar nominee Diane Warren, who co-wrote the song that landed Gaga, will perform. first Oscar nominated, moving “Til it Happens to You” from the sexual assault documentary “The Hunting Ground” in 2015.
If Gaga were to win for her contribution to “Maverick,” she’d share the award with blockbuster producer BloodPop (who’s worked with everyone from Madonna to Vampire Weekend) and it would be her second Oscar in just four years.
“Maverick” is now the only film nominated in the Best Original Song category not to feature a live sung performance. The other artists previously announced for the 2023 Oscars ceremony include Rihanna (for the song “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”), David Byrne and Son Lux (with Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu) performing ” This Is a Life”. from “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Sofia Carson and Diane Warren performing “Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman,” plus the “RRR” earworm “Naatu Naatu,” with artists yet to be determined.
The 95th Academy Awards will take place Sunday at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and will air on ABC at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.
