One of the last big mysteries of the 91st Oscars has finally been revealed. After weeks of trying to convince him to participate, Kendrick Lamar and SZA will not perform the Best Original Song nominated “All the Stars” from Best Picture nominee “Black Panther” on the telecast this Sunday. Moreover, no other artist will perform the song in their place. It’s yet another disappointing piece of news for an Oscars ceremony that increasingly seems cursed…?
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According to reports, Lamar is in final preparations for his next album and could not pull together a performance that would adequately represent the song in the timeframe. It’s worth noting this was also the reasoning behind him not performing the Grammy-nominated song on that broadcast earlier this month. Neither SZA nor any of the other Best Song nominees believed another artist should perform in Lamar’s place. It’s a strange decision on Lamar’s part. Usually nominated musical artists don’t participate because they are either on tour or for health reasons, but not taking part is not unprecedented. It’s also worth noting there were unsubstantiated reports The Academy even enlisted Disney CEO Bob Iger to try and convince Lamar to perform during the ceremony.
It will be slightly awkward, but the four other nominated songs will be performed live. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper will sing “Shallow” from “A Star is Born,” Jennifer Hudson will perform “I’ll Fight” from “RBG,” Bette Midler will sing “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns” and Gillian Welch and David Rowlings will perform “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.”
Missing out on Lamar’s participation had to be a major disappointment for ABC and the Academy. “All the Stars” is one of four nominations for Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster hit and hit no. 7 on Billboard’s top 100 chart. It was the top single off “Black Panther: The Album” which went to no. 1 on Billboard’s top 200 album chart and was certified platinum in the United States.
The 91st Academy Awards will be handed out live this Sunday at 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET on ABC.
