Music superstars Beyonce, Jay-Z and Ariana Grande all lead the race to best original song as Oscars’ 2022 music shortlists are revealed.
The music shortlists for Oscar consideration, announced Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, might just be the most star-studded lineup in history. Nearly all of the 15 songs on the list for potential nomination have been written or recorded by pop superstars, and the approximately 375 members of Oscar’s music branch are going to have a difficult time paring the list down to five best-song nominees. The most interesting matchup involves spouses Jay-Z (cited for his song “Guns Go Bang” from “The Harder They Fall,” Jay-Z also served as the film’s producer) and Beyoncé (for her “Be Alive” from “King Richard”). Three songs on the shortlist are by past Oscar winners: H.E.R., last year’s reigning victor for “Fight for You,” has “Automatic Woman” from “Bruised” in contention; “La La Land” songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are co-writers of “The Anonymous Ones” from “Dear Evan Hansen”; and Jennifer Hudson is one of the writers on “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from the Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect.” Hudson could potentially be in the running for Best Actress come nominations morning. James Bond theme “No Time to Die” — already a Grammy winner for writers Billie Eilish and Finneas — is a likely lock for a nomination. Songs from animated movies are always serious contenders, and this year they include Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto” and U2’s “Your Song Saved My Life” from “Sing 2.
