Rihanna received a standing ovation for her performance of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever song ‘Lift Me Up’ at the Oscars 2023 tonight (March 12).
The annual awards show is taking place at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre, where each of the Best Original Song nominees is performing their nominated track.
READ MORE: Here are all the winners at the Oscars 2023
Rihanna’s performance was introduced by Wakanda Forever star Danai Gurira, who used the moment to pay tribute to late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. “His powerful artistry, his magnetism and incomparable humanity left a mark on our hearts,” she said. “Chadwick embodied the Wakanda king T’Challa, the one chosen to lift, to protect, to keep us safe.
“His legacy will live on for future generations. As we say in Wakanda, thank you, King. Nominated tonight for Original Song performing ‘Lift Me Up’, royalty in her own right, Rihanna.”
Watch @Rihanna’s full performance of “Lift Me Up” at the #Oscars pic.twitter.com/dl9jRmtreG
— RihannaDaily.com (@RihannaDaily) March 13, 2023
Rihanna then took to the stage on a podium, where she performed ‘Lift Me Up’ with a live band. When she finished the performance – only her second in six years following her Super Bowl Halftime Show – the audience in the venue gave her a standing ovation. Watch footage of the moment above.
Other performances tonight have come from Lady Gaga, who delivered an emotional performance of ‘Hold My Hand’, and David Byrne, Son Lux and Stephanie Hsu. The latter trio performed Everything Everywhere All At Once’s ‘This Is A Life’, with Byrne wearing the movie’s infamous hot dog fingers.
Elsewhere at the Oscars 2023, an “uncomfortable” red carpet interview with Hugh Grant has gone viral online after the star gave concise answers and appeared to raise his eyebrows at presenter Ashley Graham. Jimmy Kimmel also addressed last year’s Will Smith slap in his opening monologue.
Ke Huy Quan reflected on his journey to his first Oscar as he won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Everything Everywhere All At Once. The movie was the most nominated of the year, with 11 nods going into the ceremony, and, at the time of writing, has won three trophies. As well as Quan’s win, Jamie Lee Curtis claimed Best Supporting Actress and the Daniels won Best Original Screenplay. Keep up with all of the winners as they’re announced here.
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