Lady Gaga and Rihanna aren't the only pop stars nominated for Best Original Song Oscars

An indie pop-rock favorite found herself among the 2023 Oscar nominees next to A-list music superstars like Rihanna and Lady Gaga.

Singer-songwriter Mitski earned a surprise nomination for her contributions to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert's multiverse epic Everything Everywhere All at Once, with the 32-year-old's song "This Is a Life" joining a crowded Best Original Song category roster alongside Gaga's Top Gun: Maverick hit "Hold My Hand" and Rihanna's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever tune "Lift Me Up."

Lady Gaga/YouTube; Mark Horton/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Lady Gaga, Mitski, and Rihanna are all 2023 Oscar nominees.

Mitski shares the nomination with fellow songwriters Ryan Lott of experimental band Son Lux and the legendary David Byrne, a past Oscar winner for his contributions to The Last Emperor (1987) soundtrack, which won Best Original Score.

To date, Mitski — who was born in Japan — has released six full-length albums, including 2022's Laurel Hell, which became her highest-charting album in the United States when it peaked at No. 5 on the American charts. Barack Obama also included her 2021 song "The Only Heartbreaker" on his annual year-end list of best music.

While Gaga and Rihanna's songs both charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 49 and No. 2, respectively, after accompanying blockbuster films to theaters, "This Is a Life" seemingly picked up steam thanks to collective support for the Michelle Yeoh-starring film. The movie quietly became distributor A24's highest-grossing project in early 2022 ahead of garnering major precursor accolades in the run-up to Tuesday's Oscar nominations. The film ultimately led the overall nominations tally, appearing in 11 total categories (including Best Picture, Best Director, and four acting nominations for its cast).

Other Best Original Song nominees this year include a diverse array of artists, from perennial nominee (and 2023 Honorary Award recipient) Diane Warren's "Applause" in Tell It Like a Woman to M. M. Keeravani and Chandrabose's front-running contender "Naatu Naatu" from the Tollywood smash RRR.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler was also nominated for writing "Lift Me Up" with Rihanna and Nigerian recording artist Tems. Gaga's longtime production partner BloodPop — who worked with her on Joanne and Chromatica — landed a nod with Gaga for "Hold My Hand," too.

The 95th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 12, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC, with returning host Jimmy Kimmel.

Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best films.

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