Actor-singer Ryan Gosling set the Oscar stage on fire with his electrifying performance of the song I’m Just Ken from Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, earning a standing ovation from the audience at the 96th Academy Awards on Monday (IST).
Clad in a shimmery pink suit and matching gloves, Gosling kicked off his performance sitting in the audience behind his Barbie co-star Margot Robbie. Channeling his “kenergy”, Gosling then made his way to the stage, where he was joined by guitarist Mark Ronson and a bunch of background dancers sporting black pantsuits.
Gosling was accompanied by his fellow Kens — played by Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans and Kingsley Ben-Adir — in the movie on stage. The highlight of the live show was when Gosling stepped into the audience seating area and held up the microphone to his Barbie co-stars Margot Robbie, America Ferrara and Gerwig, who all sang along to the powerful chorus of the song. Gosling also shared a reunion moment with his La La Land co-star Emma Stone, who sang a few lines along with him.
Just like Gosling, Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell received a standing ovation for their moving performance of their Barbie song What Was I Made For. With Finneas on the piano, Billie enthralled the audience with her soul-stirring vocals and hard-hitting lyrics. The duo was supported by a string orchestra on a pink-themed Dolby stage.
Another highlight of the Oscar performances was the Scott George-led live concert with Osage tribal singers gathering around a tribal drum and churning out a soulful rendition of the song Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People) from Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. George, who emerged as the first Native American to land an Oscar nomination for best original song for Wahzhazhe, was beaten by Billie Eilish and Finneas’s What Was I Made For in the best song category.
The Oscars celebrated romance from movies of the past and present with Jon Batiste’s performance of It Never Went Away from American Symphony. Looking dapper in a white suit, Batiste sat at the piano and sang while scenes from movies like Shakespeare In Love, Brokeback Mountain and American Symphony played in the background.
With flames erupting on the screen behind her, Mamiii singer Becky G delivered a dynamic performance of the song The Fire Inside from the biographical film Flamin’ Hot. Becky, dressed in a black bralette and skirt ensemble, was joined by a group of girls in white shirts and red pants along with a woman-led choir and an orchestra.