Oscars 2026: A Lengthy But Golden Night With Stellar Musical Performances

It was a long and arduous journey, but One Battle After Another, an apt descriptor for what was the lengthy awards campaign this year, came away as a big winner at the 2026 Oscars in taking home Best Picture and Best Directing honors, giving acclaimed filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson his long-overdue statuettes.

His victories were some of the highlights of Hollywood’s biggest night, but such moments were far and few between in a lengthy, nearly four-hour telecast that at times felt rote.

Thankfully, two live performances injected the crowd and broadcast with a rush of adrenaline and reminded audiences of music’s influence on the visual medium and how one art can elevate the other to create a transcendental experience.

One such experience was the pierce the veil sequence in Best Picture nominee Sinners. The brief but powerful visual journey into the history of Black music was one of the most talked-about film sequences of the year, and producers of the broadcast made the smart decision in recreating that scene live on stage.

And it was just as memorable on stage as it was on film. Miles Caton, the musician and actor who starred alongside Best Actor winner Michael B. Jordan, graced the Dolby Theatre stage with the acoustic guitar from the film to perform the Oscar-nominated song “I Lied To You,” and he wasn’t alone. Shaboozey, Saadiq, Brittany Howard, Buddy Guy, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Bobby, Rush, Eric Gales and some of the actors from the standout film were onstage to deliver a blistering performance fusing blues, rock and dance.

The production was simply stunning, taking us back to the juke joint from the film with Black dancers onstage as Saadiq, who co-wrote the song, got the party started playing the electric guitar before giving way to Caton, whose talent as a musician was on full display. The camera moved as much as the dancers, weaving in between bodies and surprising viewers at home to reveal a set full of star-studded, talented musicians representing various genres and eras.

It was a celebration of the past and present, with the performance incorporating rock and hip-hop, with DJ D-Nice, who graced the cover of Pollstar in 2020, behind the turntables, and underlining the significance of the blues and Black culture in music and the U.S. As the Sinners did on the big screen, the Oscars took viewers for a ride through the history of rock and roll.

The set also recognized the art of ballet with retired African American dancer Misty Copeland pirouetting onstage and showing Timothée Chalamet, who recently stated that “no one cares” about ballet and opera.

Chalamet, who was roasted by host Conan O’Brien for his comment, did give a standing ovation to the performance, as did everyone else, because it was one of the best segments the ceremony has ever produced.

Sinners may not have taken home the biggest awards, including Best Original Song, but it still managed to win the evening by showing its immediate cultural relevance and impact through its music and visuals.

Another big winner was the genre of K-pop, which was represented by the uber-popular animated Netflix film Kpop Demon Hunters. The film’s inspired animation, standout music and inspiring story that celebrates Korean culture couldn’t be ignored by Oscar voters, giving the movie the Best Animated Feature award and the smash hit track “Golden” the Best Original Song honor.

Though the segment was shortened, the performance from EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami still managed to seal the Honmoon with a standout rendition of the ridiculously catchy “Golden.” A slew of Korean dancers graced the stage before the singers appeared to get the K-pop party started, with the Dolby Theatre crowd bopping light sticks illuminating the venue.

The show also featured a brief appearance by the legendary Barbara Streisand, who honored the late Robert Redford, her co-star in 1973’s The Way We Were, by singing a few bars of the film’s song during a touching in memoriam segment.

Amid such times of world conflicts and political division, the Oscars rightly leaned into Black and Asian performers to deliver a message of unity, and the performers didn’t let that opportunity go to waste, showcasing their talents while reminding people that it took a diverse group of people to build this country and its culture.

Even on a night celebrating movies, it was music that conveyed that message. Filmmaker Chris Appelhans said it best after winning for Kpop Demon Hunters: “Music and stories have this power to connect us as humans across culture and borders. So, I just want a moment to say to all the young filmmakers, artists, musicians in all corners of the globe—tell your story, sing in your voice. I promise you the world is waiting.”