Pregnant Rihanna Will Lift You Up at the 2023 Oscars With a Performance
Rihanna is back to work, work, work, work, work.
Hot off her epic Super Bowl performance, the pregnant star is set to once again wow audiences with a performance at the 2023 Oscars, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, on March 12. On her set list: "Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever which earned the singer her first Academy Award nomination. (Click here to see all the nominations).
Joining Rihanna in the Best Original Song category are Diane Warren for "Applause" from Tell It Like a Woman; Lady Gaga with "Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick; NTR and Ram Charan's "Naatu Naatu" from RRR; and Son Lux, Mitski and David Byrne for "This Is a Life" from Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The "Umbrella" singer's nomination is one of the five earned by the Marvel film, which also includes Angela Bassett for Best Supporting Actress. Everything Everywhere All At Once enters the night with the most nominations with 11—including Best Picture and acting nods for stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu.
Following closely behind are All Quiet on the Western Front and The Banshees of Inisherin with nine nominations apiece.
And when it comes to Rihanna's first single in six years, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler shared his gratitude for the Grammy Winner's contribution.
"I'll say this, I didn't get Rihanna to do anything," he told Entertainment Tonight in October 2022. "I don't think anybody can get her to do anything, she's a person who marches to the beat of her own drum. I'm just thankful that she wanted to contribute to this, and I'll be forever grateful and not just to her, but all the other fantastic musicians that are on the soundtrack."
But the "Needed Me" artist is far from the only first-time nominees to grace the Dolby Theatre red carpet for the ceremony. In fact, the entire Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is made up of new nominees: Austin Butler (Elvis) and Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Bill Nighy (Living) and Paul Mescal (Aftersun).
Prepare to be lifted by Rihanna's performance at the 2023 Oscars, which airs March 12 on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
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