The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has confirmed that only two of this year’s best original song nominees will be performed live during the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, citing time constraints and broader structural changes to the telecast, according to Variety.
In a letter sent to all music nominees and that was obtained exclusively by Variety, the Academy emphasised that the best original song category will remain fully integrated into the broadcast, even as live performances are limited to “Golden” from the animated musical “KPop Demon Hunters” and “I Lied to You” from the vampire drama “Sinners.”
The remaining nominees in the category will not have their honored songs performed live. Those include 17-time nominee Diane Warren’s “Dear Me” from her documentary “Diane Warren: Relentless,” Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner’s title song from “Train Dreams” and “Sweet Dreams of Joy” by Nicholas Pike from “Viva Verdi!”
According to Variety, the letter was signed by executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, along with producer Taryn Hurd.
“This year, the best original song nominees are being treated with the same care, storytelling focus and intention as the other awards categories — all of which will be included on the show,” the letter reads.
According to the Academy, each nominated song will be introduced through a custom-produced segment built from footage of the film it was written for, with the goal of grounding each song in its cinematic context. Where appropriate, those packages may also incorporate behind-the-scenes material offering insight into the songwriting process and creative intent.
The producing team also noted that nominees will receive additional promotional support across its official social media platforms, pointing to recent Spotify collaborations and the nominations announcement as examples of that outreach.
According to sources familiar with the planning, staging live performances for all five best original song nominees would add approximately 25 minutes to the telecast, a significant chunk of time for a show that is contractually set to run three hours and 30 minutes. With 24 competitive categories to present, including the newly added casting Oscar, mounting five full musical numbers would inevitably come at the expense of other major moments already planned for the broadcast. This kind of runtime constraint will be eased once the Oscars transition off broadcast television and on YouTube beginning in 2029.
“Given the limited time within the broadcast, the addition of our casting Oscar and a desire to create a fast-paced, entertaining and cohesive show, the live performance focus will be concentrated on two musical moments this year, ‘Sinners’ and ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’” the letter states.
The performances will be framed as segments designed to honor how music helped those stories resonate worldwide. The remaining nominees will be recognized through the bespoke film-based packages rather than live musical numbers.
The letter closes by underscoring the Academy’s intent to honor all nominees on the broadcast. “Your work is an integral part of our cinematic ecosystem, and we so look forward to honoring it on the show.”