The 98th Academy Awards, set to air live on March 15, 2026, will break with recent tradition by featuring live performances of only two of the five nominees in the Best Original Song category during the telecast, according to official notices sent to music nominees and multiple news reports.
In a letter distributed to the five songwriters and productions, Academy producers Raj Kapoor, Katy Mullan and Taryn Hurd explained that due to time constraints within the roughly 3½-hour broadcast and structural changes to the show — including the addition of a new casting award — the live performances will be limited to “Golden” from the animated musical KPop Demon Hunters and “I Lied to You” from the vampire drama Sinners.
The three other Best Original Song nominees — Diane Warren’s “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless, Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner’s title song from Train Dreams and Nicholas Pike’s “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi! — will not be performed live on the Oscars stage. Instead, each will be introduced through tailored packages that incorporate footage from their respective films with possible behind-the-scenes context, as the Academy stressed every nominee will remain part of the broadcast despite the absence of live performances.
This decision marks a notable shift from past ceremonies that typically showcased more or all of the original song contenders live, and it has already sparked reactions throughout the film and music communities as attention turns toward Oscar night.
