Oscar Sunday was a night filled with glitz, glam, and old Hollywood style. Stars from all over Hollywood gathered at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards to celebrate Hollywood’s best movies, speeches, and fashion. Sure, Joaquin Phoenix won the best actor while the best picture went to “Parasite,” (we’re definitely fans)!!! But we believe the performances of this year’s event stole the entire show. The ceremony leaned heavily on musical performances by Elton John, Billie Eilish, Janelle Monáe, Cynthia Erivo and, the one and only, Eminem. While some of these musical performances were commendable in their own way, others were better left in the ghost of Oscars past.
We’ve gathered the best musical moments from the Oscars 2020 for you. So let’s get into it! Here are the best music moments from the 92nd Academy Awards!
The night started off with an unusual yet unique number by Janelle Monáe to call out the films who were not nominated during this year’s Oscars. In her original piece that showcased an abundance of dancers, sparkles, and sass, the multitalented performer started by singing a version of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” from “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” while wearing a red sweater like the film’s protagonist, Mr. Rogers. She continued to vocalize songs from “Midsommar,” a horror flick starring Florence Pugh that received no nominations, Eddie Murphy’s comeback film, “Dolemite Is My Name,” Jordan Peele’s “Us,” and lastly, Lorene Scafaria’s “Hustler.” The 34-year-old sang, “The Oscars, it’s so white, it’s time to come alive.”
Cynthia Erivo gets a standing ovation from us for her mesmerizing performance of, ‘Stand Up.’ The incredibly talented vocalist perfectly delivered her own twist of her song from “Harriet.” She perfectly hit every note with her smooth and silky delivery as her presence owned the entire room. The gospel choir that accompanied her also added the perfect velvet touch as the performance embraced a historical yet not exploitative ambiance.
To some, Billie Eilish might have not seemed like a fit performer for the In Memoriam portion of the Oscars. However, the breathtaking performance that the young and trendy singer delivered gave many viewers goosebumps. Eilish performed her rendition of the Beatles’ classic song, ‘Yesterday,’ as the Oscars honored Hollywood personas who left us this past year. Her raspy and velvety tone captivated the theatre as photos of the late actors, directors, and producers were montaged on the screen behind her.
Elton John: ‘(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again’
We’re sure a lot of you can agree with us when we say that Elton John’s groovy Oscar performance transported us all back to 1972 Sunday night. The colorful and sparkly set marked a perfect hallmark to capture a small snip-it of John’s original movie about his life. The performance was anything but dull and embodied a classic rock ‘n’ roll twist. Although this song wasn’t as captivating as some of John’s other classic hits, it still has the ability to put listeners in a happy and energetic mood!
Eminem. At. The. Oscars. Yes, we were all in shock too when the 2020 Oscar-winning song from “8 Mile” was performed moments later on the Kodak stage by Eminem himself. One of the cons of not having a host during the show is that there isn’t anyone to fill you in on what’s gonna happen next! It was a bit strange since the song is completely unrelated to the Oscars telecast but the performance surely entertained the crowd. Some audience members were shown nodding their heads and singing along to the 2002 hit and there were also some unimpressed expressions as well. Movie stars had no idea what was going and were just as confused as we were watching from our living rooms. It definitely was a very unique yet interesting night!
On behalf of MusicPromoToday, we’d like to congratulate all the nominated and winning actors, actresses, directors, producers, and artists!
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