After not bothering to watch the Oscars in my 16 years of living, I decided to finally give this year’s 97th Annual Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre, a shot solely to view the star-studded lineup of singers set to perform for that night.
The first performance was by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, notable for their roles as Elphaba and Glinda in the movie musical “Wicked.” Erivo was nominated Best Actress in a Leading Role and Grande Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Their section started with a dark stage and a sole rainbow beam hovering over with Grande singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland in an ethereal, princess-like manner. Her vocal riffs and breathy singing fit the song perfectly as it was not used too much to the point where it was overbearing. The orchestra supporting Grande was prominent but did not overpower her voice as the combination of the two sounded straight out of a Disney movie.
Next, Grande exited the stage to make room for Erivo, who emerged with confidence singing “Home” by Diana Ross. Her voice was incredibly powerful, but simultaneously sounded smooth and controlled. As Erivo began to belt the higher notes and perfectly hit every single one, the audience started to pick up, and so did I. It is clear that Erivo is a natural performer and has so much passion in her art.
Finally, Grande rejoined as they started to sing “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked,” one of the most recognizable songs from the musical. The chemistry in the duo’s voices and body language blended together flawlessly and made their show such a satisfying watch. However, the real showstopper was Erivo’s vocal finale. I am not lying when I say I got goosebumps watching her pour out her soul and vocalizations into her singing. Being able to nail two consecutively high note songs live is an impressive feat, proven by the standing ovation given to the duo. I have yet to watch “Wicked,” but if Erivo and Grande’s talent in the musical matched even a fraction of their Oscars performance, it is a wonder they did not win an individual Academy Award.
Once a few Academy Awards were announced, American rapper and singer Queen Latifah performed a Quincy Jones Tribute by singing “Ease on Down the Road” by Diana Ross and Michael Jackson from the 1978 musical “The Wiz”. With R&B music and background dancers dressed as students, she sang in a lower, fast-paced manner. Queen Latifah’s voice is richer and more powerful than the original cover but still portrayed the same upbeat vibe. Though I have never watched “The Wiz”, Queen Latifah was still fun to watch as everyone at the Oscars including the dancers and audience seemed to be enjoying it, too.
The next show seemed as if the producers decided to carelessly pick who would perform out of a hat. American rapper and singer Doja Cat, Thai rapper and singer Lisa and British singer-songwriter RAYE got together for a James Bond Musical Tribute, and in my opinion, the most entertaining performance to watch. From the opening dance that mimicked a gala with dancers dressed in red and men in suits to the orchestra playing the “James Bond Theme,” a thrilling and suspenseful mood was portrayed. Lisa then descended down from the air by wires, covering “Live and Let Die” by Wings. This rendition of the song was more melodic and haunting which I think is an interesting fit for Lisa’s style of singing. However, her voice sounded weaker and less confident than every other performer as her vocals seemed pitchy to me at times.
As the dancers left, Doja Cat, layered in strings of diamonds, rose from a platform singing “Diamonds Are Forever” by Shirley Bassey. I had never heard her perform a song under the vocalism or jazz categories which reminded me of how well-rounded of a singer she is. Her section of the tribute was relatively short but the strength of her voice as she sang the last high notes stood out to me.
Lastly, RAYE got one of the more challenging songs to sing with “Skyfall” by Adele. She did a fantastic job holding emotion in her voice as it looked like RAYE was actually experiencing the grief and dread the lyrics gave. Though I feel that Adele’s voice was more stable throughout the song, RAYE still hit all the notes exceptionally and was a good choice to close out the tribute.
These performances overall more than surpassed my expectations, ranging from astounding voices to elaborate dance routines. Maybe next year I will bother to tune in again to watch the 98th Academy Awards.
