Watch Janelle Monáe, Billie Eilish and More Perform at the 92nd Academy Awards
Images courtesy of ABC
After Sunday night’s Oscars, there’s still plenty to be abuzz about—whether it was the historic act of Parasite sweeping, the continuous snubbing of women directors, the rambling acceptance speeches (cow rights!) and yes, of course, Eminem’s surprise Oscars performance. But there’s something unique and thought-provoking about most of the performances at the 92nd installment of the awards ceremony, and the most striking aspects of each performance will be highlighted below (with videos!) You can also check out the full list of Oscars winners here.
Janelle Monáe’s opening number
The ceremony began by recognizing some of the films that didn’t get many (or any) Oscar nods at all. Monáe appeared onstage in a replica of Mr. Roger’s iconic TV show set, performing a rendition of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” evoking the Marielle Heller film starring Tom Hanks, It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. The rest of Monáe’s performance referenced Ari Aster’s daytime horror film Midsommar, Jordan Peele’s political thriller Us, the Eddie Murphy-starring Netflix film Dolemite Is My Name and the biopic of fellow performer Elton John, Rocketman. She even engaged various front-row Oscar attendees in a call-and-response bit that seemed a little awkward, but at least she shouted out all of the women who were snubbed this year.
Idina Menzel performing “Into the Unknown” from Frozen II
While her Uncut Gems co-stars got zero recognition at this year’s awards, Menzel was still able to give a riveting performance of “Into the Unknown” from Frozen II, with support from the singers and voice actors of Elsa in different languages. Thai-, Russian-, Spanish- and Polish-language singers were among the multitude of women who gave voice to the character of Elsa all over the world—while all clad in snowy-white gowns.
Cynthia Erivo Performing “Stand Up” from Harriet
While some questioned the validity of having a British actress play Harriet Tubman, the talent exuding from Erivo’s very existence is more than enough to justify casting her. Especially when it comes to the original song for the film, “Stand Up,” it’s clear that the Grammy-, Tony- and Emmy-winning actress has the chops to perfectly convey strong emotions just through the power of her vocals, with the gospel choir backing Erivo also adding to the huge sound of the song. Ending the performance with a portrait of Tubman also made for a sincerely tear-jerking moment.
Chrissy Metz performing “I’m Standing With You” from Breakthrough