The Academy confirmed Thursday that Rihanna will perform at the 95th Academy Awards on March 12.
The singer, fresh from doing the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, will sing “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is up for Best Original Song.
It is the first nomination for Rihanna (who shares it with several songwriters, including Tems).
Her appearance at the Oscars should not come as a surprise – traditionally, the artists who recorded the nominated songs perform on the show.
Also nominated is Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick, ”Naatu Naatu" from RRR, "This Is A Life" from Everything Everywhere All at Once (co-written by David Byrne of Talking Heads) and "Applause" from Tell It Like a Woman.
The frontrunner is “Naatu Naatu,” which has won Best Original Song at the 80th Golden Globe Awards and at the Critics Choice Awards. Written by M.M. Keeravani and Chandrabose, the Telugu-language song features the vocals of Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava (though it’s performed by actors Ram Charan and N. T. Rama Rao Jr. in the film).
The five nominated songs were chosen from a shortlist of 15 that was unveiled in December. According to the Academy, 81 songs were eligible this year.
The 95th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will air on CTV (whose parent company owns this website).