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Published: Thursday, 23 January 2025 at 15:17 PM
And the Oscar goes to… Music nominees for the 97th Academy Awards revealed
It’s the film industry’s biggest night of the year and many an actor, director, editor and writer will be dusting off their finest attire and preparing acceptance speeches for the 97th Academy Awards, which take place at Ovation Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on Sunday 2 March. Composers and songwriters will also be readying themselves, with a host of musical artists just revealed to have secured nominations.
- Who has won the most Oscars for film music?
- How many female and non-binary composers have won Oscars?
The announcement of this year’s Oscar nominees follows hot on the heels of those revealed for this year’s EE BAFTA Film Awards, which are bestowed by the British Film Academy. The Oscars are the awards given by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as voted for by its many members, all artisans in the industry.
It’s 90 years since the very first Oscars for music were given out at the 7th Academy Awards on 27 February 1935. The Oscar for Best Original Score has gone through a few changes and retitles over the years, with awards given in the past for Best Original Adapted Score, Best Original Musical or Comedy Score and Best Original Dramatic Score. These days there is just one scoring prize, and one for Best Original Song.
Who has been nominated for Best Original Score at the Oscars?
German composer Volker Bertelmann secures a third Oscar nomination, this time for his intense and gripping music for Conclave. Bertelmann (aka Hauschka) took home the Oscar for All Quiet on the Western Front two years ago. Might he do it again?
He faces tough competition from British composer Daniel Blumberg, who has crafted a multifaceted score for The Brutalist – one of the film’s ten nominations. It’s a first nomination for Blumberg, but not for American composer Kris Bowers, who is nominated for The Wild Robot. Bowers is already an Oscar winner, just not for music. He won the award for Best Documentary Short Film last year as co-director of The Last Repair Shop, and was nominated in the same category for 2020’s A Concerto is a Conversation.
Joining them, and continuing the mirror image (so far) of the BAFTA nominations, are Clément Ducol and Camille for their work on the musical drama Emilia Pérez. That’s where the BAFTA similarities end, though, as there is sadly no nomination for Robin Carolan’s brilliant score for Nosferatu, instead John Powell and Stephen Schwartz are nominated for Wicked. Schwartz composed the original musical and worked closely with Powell, who created the score for the film. Will Powell and Schwartz fly in and make the others green with envy? Time will tell…
The nominees at a glance
Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers
Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol and Camille
Wicked – John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
Who has been nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars?
There are no original songs in Wicked, but plenty in Emilia Pérez, which has secured two nominations in the Original Song category – ‘El Mal’ and ‘Mi Camino’, composed by Clément Ducol and Camille, with lyrics by them and director Jacques Audiard.
Legendary songwriter Diane Warren (who tragically lost her home in the recent LA wildfires) received her 16th nomination for ‘The Journey’ from The Six Triple Eight – will it be 16th time lucky for Warren?
Sing Sing’s ‘Like a Bird’, written by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada, is also nominated, alongside a nomination for Elton John. The recent Disney-plus documentary Elton John: Never Too Late features one new song in its soundtrack, aptly titled ‘Never Too Late’. Written by Elton John with Bernie Taupin, Andrew Watt and Brandi Carlile, it might well mean a third Oscar for the British legend who shared an Oscar with Taupin in 2020 for Rocketman’s ‘I’m Gonna Love Me Again’ and with Tim Rice in 1995 for The Lion King’s ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’.
The nominees at a glance
‘El Mal’ and ‘Mi Camino’ from Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
‘The Journey’ from The Six Triple Eight – Diane Warren
‘Like a Bird’ from Sing Sing – Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
‘Never Too Late’ from Elton John: Never Too Late by Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Brandi Carlile and Andrew Watt
The 97th Academy Awards take place at Ovation Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on Sunday 2 March. UK viewers can watch live on ITV1 and ITVX