Lenny Kravitz to Perform In Memoriam Tribute at the Oscars

Four-time Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz has been tapped to deliver the “In Memoriam” performance at the 95th Oscars. Following the broadcast tribute, more than 200 filmmakers, artists and executives will feature in an extended photo gallery on A.frame, the Academy’s digital magazine.

Executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner and executive producer Molly McNearney announced the music icon’s participation.

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With a resume that includes 11 studio albums that have sold over 40 million copies worldwide, Kravitz has also appeared in various film and television projects such as “The Hunger Games,” “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” and “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.”

The producers will continue to announce talent joining the show in the lead-up to the ceremony.

Four Oscar-nominated song performances will feature in this year’s ceremony.

“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” will be performed at the ceremony on March 12 by singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, who will be making their on-stage Oscars debut.

The cross-cultural hit is nominated in the original song category alongside “This Is A Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman,” and “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” all of which are part of the scheduled performances for the 95th annual ceremony.

“Naatu Naatu” was composed by M.M. Keeravaani, who co-wrote the number with lyrics Chandrabose. The pair previously told Variety that they are modifying the song for the Oscars performance, including singers from India and dancers from the Los Angeles area.

David Byrne, Stephanie Hsu and music trio Son Lux were announced as performers on Feb. 28 and will deliver a rendition of “This Is A Life,” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which is the most-nominated film of the evening.

“This Is A Life” was composed by Ryan Lott, Byrne and Mitski, with lyrics by Lott and Byrne. Byrne was the founding member, lead singer and guitarist for the critically acclaimed band Talking Heads. He previously won an Oscar for the original score of the 1987 film “The Last Emperor,” in collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su.

Hsu is nominated for actress in a supporting role for her performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Her other credits include the series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” an upcoming appearance in Rian Johnson’s “Poker Face” opposite Natasha Lyonne, an appearance in the upcoming Disney+ series “American Born Chinese” and starring in the forthcoming film “The Fall Guy” alongside Ryan Gosling.

Experimental musical group Son Lux is founder and frontman Lott, Ian Chang and Rafiq Bhatia. The band is nominated for original score for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Meanwhile, actor and singer Sofia Carson and songwriter Diane Warren will perform “Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman.” This was the second nominated song announced after Rihanna was confirmed to perform her track from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

“Applause” marks Warren’s 14th career Oscar nomination, which comes after chart-topping hits such as “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” from “Armageddon” (1998) and “Because You Loved Me” from “Up Close and Personal” (1996). However, she has yet to win. Oscar-winner Cher was tapped to present Warren with an Honorary Oscar at the 2022 Governors Awards.

Carson is a multiplatinum recording artist and released her self-titled debut album in 2022. Her film credits include “Purple Hearts,” which she also executive produced wrote and performed the soundtrack, “Songbird,” “Feel the Beat,” the “Descendants” trilogy, and the upcoming film “Carry On.”

Warren triumphed recently over fellow nominees Rihanna and Lady Gaga at the Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards, winning outstanding original song.

The Oscars producers will continue to announce talent joining the show in the coming weeks. The only original song nominee that has yet to be confirmed for performance is “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick” (Lady Gaga and Bloodpop).

Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95th annual Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide. Molly McNearney, Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner are all executive producers for this year’s ceremony, with Weiss and Kirshner named showrunners.

To see the ranked predictions for each category, visit Variety’s Oscars Hub.

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