Rihanna And Lady Gaga Deliver Rousing Performances At The 2023 Oscars

Rihanna and Lady Gaga were among the musical guests at the 2023 Oscars last night (March 12), giving rousing performances of their nominated songs.

The pop icons were in the running for Best Original Song at this year’s awards show for “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick, respectively.

Sofia Carson and Diane Warren were also nominated for “Applause” from Tell It Like A Woman, while RRR’s “Naatu Naatu” and David Byrne, Son Lux, and Mitski’s “This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All At Once rounded out the category.

Before the winner was announced, each nominee performed their song at the ceremony, which took place at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre and was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. Carson and Warren were the first to take the stage, with Warren backing the US singer. During the performance, Carson shared a message with those watching: “To each and every woman in this room – and to every woman in the world – give yourself some applause.”

Later, Lady Gaga made an unannounced appearance, appearing on stage in a simple t-shirt and ripped jeans. “I wrote this song with my friend BloodPop for the film Top Gun: Maverick in my studio basement,” she said by way of introduction. “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. 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.”

Rihanna was the last of the five nominees to perform, giving a powerful performance of “Lift Me Up” from a podium in front of the musicians accompanying her. After the song was done, the audience at the Dolby Theatre gave her a standing ovation.

RRR’s “Naatu Naatu” won the award for Best Original Song, making it the first Indian song to win in the category.

In the Best Original Score category, meanwhile, All Quiet On The Western Front took home the trophy. It was nominated alongside scores from movies including Babylon, The Fabelmans, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and The Banshees Of Inisherin.

Elsewhere, Lenny Kravitz soundtracked the In Memoriam section of the show. He paid tribute to those from the film industry who died in the last 12 months with a performance of his 2004 song “Calling All Angels.”

Rihanna’s performance at the Oscars 2023 was only her second in six years, following her triumphant Super Bowl Halftime Show last month.

Gaga is currently filming her appearance in the Joker sequel, Joker Folie à Deux. Her role is yet to be confirmed, but the star is expected to portray Harley Quinn in the movie.

View the full list of 2023 Oscars winners on the Academy’s website.