The 2022 Academy Awards are less than three months away. Shortlists for ten of the show’s categories were recently revealed, including the one for Best Original Song. Members of the music branch voted to reduce the initial group of 84 songs to the 15 that appear on the shortlist. Among those who made the cut are Jay-Z and Beyonce, the former for “Guns Go Bang,” his collaboration with Kid Cudi, the latter for her single “Be Alive.”
Beyonce’s “Be Alive” appears in King Richard, which features Will Smith as the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. Jay-Z’s “Guns Go Bang,” on the other hand, appears in The Harder They Fall, which he helped to executive produce. The song also marks Cudi’s second appearance on the shortlist, as “Just Look Up” from Don’t Look Up, his collaboration with Ariana Grande, is on the list, too. If he’s nominated, he would be the first songwriter in 36 years to be nominated multiple times with songs from two different films.
Also on shortlist are Billie Eilish and Finneas’ “No Time To Die,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Dos Oruguitas,” HER’s “Bruised Woman,” Diane Warren’s “Somehow You Do,” Jennifer Hudson’s “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home),” U2’s “Your Song Saved My Life,” and more.
You can view the full 2022 Oscars shortlist here.