The 2021 Oscars are slated to take place on April 25th (after being postponed last year) and the shortlisted music nominees were announced today. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are twice shortlisted for their work Mank and their collaboration with Jon Batiste on Soul. These include Janelle Monáe, Mary J. Blige, HER, Ludwig Göransson, Christina Aguilera, Alexandre Desplat, Robert Glasper and Sacha Baron Cohen. The full shortlists can be found below.
John Legend and Diane Warren both have two entries in the list of original titles. The Legends are from the films Giving Voice and Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, and Warrens are from The Life Ahead and The One and Only Ivan. Legend previously won an Oscar for Selma’s “Fame”. Warren did not win an Oscar, but was nominated eleven times.
New rules for Oscar nominations require that films that debuted on streaming services are now eligible. A new set of eligibility criteria for the best original score allows scores in which “at least 60 percent” of the music is new.
At last year’s Oscars, Parasite won the best picture, Hildur Guðnadóttir the best original for Joker and Elton John the best original. The show featured appearances by Janelle Monáe, Eminem, Randy Newman, Elton John, Cynthia Erivo and Billie Eilish.
Read “7 must-have recordings from Hildur Guðnadóttir, who just made history at the Oscars.”
Best Original Song:
Janelle Monáe: “Turntables” by All In: The fight for democracy
Mary J. Blige: “See What You Did” from Belly of the Beast
Sacha Baron Cohen: “Wuhan Flu” from Borat Subsequent film: Handover of astonishing bribe to the American regime to support the once glorious nation of Kazakhstan
Will Ferrell and My Marianne: “Husavik” from the Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
John Legend: “Never Break” by Giving Voice
Forest Whitaker & Anika Noni Rose: “Make It Work” by Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
HER: “Fight For You” by Judas and the Black Messiah
Laura Pausini: “Lo Sì (seen)” ahead of life (La Vita Davanti a Se)
Emile Mosseri and Han Ye-ri: “Rain Song” by Minari
Robert Glasper: “Show me your soul” from Mr. Soul!
Christina Aguilera: “Loyal Brave True” by Mulan
Charlie Puth: “Free” from The One and Only Ivan
Leslie Odom Jr .: “Speak Now” from One Night in Miami …
Abraham Marder: “Green” from Sound of Metal
Celeste: Hear my voice from the Chicago 7 trial
Best original score:
Ammonite (Hauschka and Dustin O’Halloran)
Blizzard of Souls (Lolita Ritmanis)
Da 5 Bloods (Terence Blanchard)
The Invisible Man (Benjamin Wallfisch)
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (John Debney)
Life Before Us (Gabriel Yared)
The Little Things (Thomas Newman)
Mank (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)
The midnight sky (Alexandre Desplat)
Minari (Emile Mosseri)
Mulan (Harry Gregson-Williams)
News of the World (James Newton Howard)
Soul (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste)
Teaching (Ludwig Göransson)
The Chicago 7 Trial (Daniel Pemberton)
