It’s official – Beyoncé will headline the 2022 Academy Awards on Sunday (March 20). According to Deadline, she also secured a nod for Best Original Song with her track “Be Alive” from the King Richard soundtrack.
It is not yet clear if Queen Bey’s performance will follow last year’s format of taking place during the pre-show. However, it is rumored that a tennis court in Compton may be the backdrop for the performance. This would be in line with the theme of King Richard, which is a biopic of tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams, as well as their father, Richard.
The film secured Will Smith his first ever Golden Globe award earlier this year for Best Performance By An Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama.
The 40-year-old singer scored her first Oscar nomination for the track, co-written by Dixson. If she wins, it will add yet another plaque for the legend, who has already won the most Grammy Awards (28) by a female singer in history. Beyoncé has been called an “evolution” of Michael Jackson by her husband, JAY-Z, who himself has 22 Grammys.
Beyoncé’s infamous Coachella performance was recently parodied in Tyler Perry’s A Madea Homecoming, which debuted at No. 1 on Netflix. He says that he sent her a clip for her approval, which she delightfully gave. Fans are speculating that some new music will potentially drop following the performance after nearly a four-year hiatus. Next month marks the 6th anniversary of Lemonade, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and became the best-selling album of 2016.
Also confirmed in the Best Original Song category is Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas with “No Time To Die.” Billie recently made headlines for her comments on Astroworld, prompting a swift response by Kanye West, who will headline this year’s Coachella. See the category’s other nominees below.
Sean “Diddy” Combs was recently confirmed as a presenter, joining Halle Bailey, Chris Rock, Lupita Nyong’o, and Daniel Kaluuya amongst others. The 94th Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theater and will broadcast on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.