It’s possible three of the biggest female music stars on the planet will take the stage at the Oscars next year after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released its shortlist for best original song. Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Swift’s “Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing, and Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick, all made the cut.
The three stars had previously been nominated for Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards in the same category for the same songs. These would be the first Oscar nominations for Rihanna and Swift and the fourth for Gaga, who was previously nominated in this category for “Til It Happens to You” from The Hunting Ground (2015) and “Shallow” from A Star Is Born (2018), which won the award. She was also nominated for best actress for the latter film.
Other songs on the short list include Selena Gomez’s “My Mind & Me” from the documentary about her; the Weeknd tune “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from the new “Avatar” sequel; and “New Body Rhumba,” the tune that LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy wrote for “White Noise.”
Also on the list is the “Spirited” ditty “Good Afternoon” from the songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. They’re familiar names to Oscar voters: In 2017, they won best original song for “City of Stars” from “La La Land.” A nomination next month would be their fourth in this category.
In all, the academy released shortlists for 10 categories — including visual effects, score, sound, and hair and makeup — in advance of the nominations on Jan. 24. Here’s a complete list of the 15 songs that were shortlisted for best original song. For the rest of the categories, go to oscars.org.
“Time”
Drake, Giveon Evans, Jahaan Akil Sweet, Daniel Pemberton
Amsterdam, 20th Century Studios
“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)”
The Weeknd, Steve Angello Josefsson, Sebastian Ingrosso, Axel Hedfords, Simon Franglen
Avatar: The Way of Water, 20th Century Studios
“Lift Me Up”
Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, Rhianna, Tems
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Studios
“This Is a Life”
David Byrne, Ryan Lott, Mitski
Everything Everywhere All at Once, A24
“Ciao Papa”
Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Netflix
“Til You’re Home”
Rita Wilson
A Man Called Otto, Sony Pictures
“Naatu Naatu”
Kala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani, Rahul Sipligunj
RRR, Variance Films
“My Mind & Me”
Amy Allen, Jonathan Bellion, Selena Gomez, Jordan K Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Michael Pollack
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, Apple Original Films
“Good Afternoon”
Khiyon Hursey, Sukari Jones, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Mark Sonnenblick
Spirited, Apple Originals
“Applause”
Diane Warren
Tell It Like a Woman, Samuel Goldwyn Films
“Stand Up”
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, Jazmine Sullivan
Till, Orion/United Artists Releasing
“Hold My Hand”
BloodPop (Michael Tucker), Lady Gaga
Top Gun: Maverick, Paramount Pictures
“Dust & Ash”
J. Ralph
The Voice of Dust and Ash, Matilda Productions
“Carolina”
Taylor Swift
Where the Crawdads Sing, Sony Pictures
“New Body Rhumba”
Pat Mahoney, James Murphy, Nancy Whang
White Noise, Netflix
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