Who is performing at the 2023 Oscars? Rihanna and her ‘Wakanda Forever’ hit, Sofia Carson, Lenny Kravitz, and more

The Oscars ceremony is one of the most anticipated events on the yearly calendar for the movie and TV industries, with the telecast attracting millions of viewers. Because of this, performing at the Oscars is an honor many performers dream of.

But who will be getting this honor in 2023? Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming ceremony. 

Best Original Song performances 

As is tradition, many songs nominated for the Best Original Song award will be performed live at the ceremony. So far, it’s been confirmed that Rihanna will be performing “Lift Me Up” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, Sofia Carson and Diane Warren will team up for Tell It Like a Woman’s breakout song “Applause,” and Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava will delight audiences with a performance of “Naatu Naatu” from viral smash-hit RRR. 

Everything Everywhere All at Once’s main song, “This Is a Life” will also be performed. However, while the movie version is performed by Ryan Lott, David Byrne, and Mitski, the latter can’t attend the Oscars ceremony, so her place will be taken by Stephanie Hsu, who played Joy Wang in the film. 

Lady Gaga and BloodPop’s song from Top Gun: Maverick, “Hold My Hand,” has also been nominated. But it hasn’t been confirmed if Lady Gaga will perform at the ceremony as the star is currently filming Joker: Folie à Deux, and thus may be unable to put aside the time to organize a performance. However, the fact a substitute hasn’t been announced means there is an outside chance that the singer could pull something out of the bag, especially as Gaga is famous for her ability to surprise audiences.

Lenny Kravitz

While not nominated for an award, Lenny Kravitz has been announced as the musician for the “In Memoriam” segment. This segment honors those the industry has lost over the past year, showing photos and clips of them in action as the featured musician performs a ballad. However, we don’t know what song Kravitz will play during this segment. 

Other performers

It won’t just be musicians performing at the ceremony. Jimmy Kimmel will host the show for the third year, putting his comedic spin on the ceremony’s traditions. 

A famous and varied group of celebrities will be taking to the stage to hand out awards, including Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Samuel L. Jackson, Deepika Padukone, Questlove, Zoe Saldaña, and Donnie Yen. It has also been announced that Ariana DeBose will present the Best Supporting Actor award, and Troy Kotsur will hand out the Best Supporting Actress award.