The 95th Academy Awards, held Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, celebrated the best films and filmmakers of the past year — as well as the best original songs penned for the silver screen.
As is tradition, the nominees for Best Original Song were performed during the ceremony, giving the audience a break from both the acceptance speeches and host Jimmy Kimmel. This included a sausage-fingered performance of “This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All At Once, which led nominations with 11, while Rihanna paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s “Lift Me Up.”
Lady Gaga gave a bare performance of Top Gun: Maverick‘s “Hold My Hand,” while Sofia Carson and Diane Warren shared the stage for “Applause” from Tell It Like A Woman.
However, the the Oscar for Best Original Song ultimately went to RRR‘s “Naatu Naatu,” which lit up the stage with a delightful dance performance. “Naatu Naatu” lyricist Chandrabose and composer M.M. Keeravani accepted the award together, the latter sticking to the theme by singing a parody of The Carpenters’ “Top of the World.”
Here are the Oscar performances of 2023’s Best Original Song nominees: