The Oscars are changing their tune again in 2026. After the Academy scrapped live performances of the Best Original Song nominees at last year's ceremony, this year's telecast will bring music back to the stage, but in a more limited way. Instead of showcasing all five nominated songs live, the 98th Academy Awards will feature performances of only two: Golden from KPop Demon Hunters and I Lied to You from Sinners.
That makes the music strategy one of the clearest creative shifts heading into Hollywood's biggest night. The Academy has confirmed the ceremony will air live on Sunday, March 15, from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, with Conan O'Brien returning as host. While the telecast is restoring a live musical component, it is also stepping away from the long-running format in which every Best Original Song nominee got its moment onstage.
The change stands out even more because the 2025 Oscars went in the opposite direction. Last year's show eliminated live performances of the nominated songs altogether, ending what Reuters described as a decades-old Oscars tradition. Instead, the ceremony leaned on music inspired by films and tribute-style staging rather than performances tied directly to the Best Original Song race.
Now, the Academy appears to be searching for a middle ground. The five nominated songs this year are Dear Me from Diane Warren: Relentless, Golden from KPop Demon Hunters, I Lied to You from Sinners, Sweet Dreams Of Joy from Viva Verdi!, and Train Dreams from Train Dreams.
Since only Golden and I Lied to You will be performed during the live gala, the other nominees are expected to be recognized through produced introduction packages instead of full live numbers, said the Academy.
For music fans, that is both a return and a retreat. The Oscars are once again acknowledging that songs matter to the emotional rhythm of the show, but they are doing so selectively. That choice gives producers more control over pacing at a time when awards broadcasts remain under pressure to move faster and hold television audiences. At the same time, it risks frustrating viewers who see the song category as one of the few places where the Oscars can still generate genuinely electric live moments. That conclusion is an inference based on the Academy's confirmed format change and the recent backlash to dropping performances entirely in 2025.
It also reflects how much the category itself has changed. This year's two performance picks are tied to films with strong cultural momentum. Sinners has emerged as the nominations leader, and Golden has become one of the breakout songs in the race, giving the show two selections that are easier to sell as must-watch television. In other words, the Oscars appear to be treating Best Original Song less like a full showcase and more like a curated programming decision.
The result is a ceremony that is not abandoning music, but redefining its role. For decades, song performances helped turn the Oscars into a broader pop culture event, one where film, live television and music collided in real time. In 2026, the Academy is restoring part of that formula while keeping a tighter grip on what makes the final cut. Whether that feels like a smart evolution or a scaled-back compromise will likely depend on what happens once the spotlight hits the stage
Best Original Song nominees
"Dear Me" from Diane Warren: Relentless
Music and lyric by Diane Warren.
"Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters
Music and lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park.
"I Lied to You" from Sinners
Music and lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson.
"Sweet Dreams Of Joy" from Viva Verdi!
Music and lyric by Nicholas Pike.
"Train Dreams" from Train Dreams
Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner, lyric by Nick Cave.
Best Original Score nominees
Jerskin Fendrix for Bugonia
Alexandre Desplat for Frankenstein
Max Richter for Hamnet
Jonny Greenwood for One Battle After Another
Ludwig Göransson for Sinners
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