Karen O Reacts to Oscar Nomination for ‘Her’: ‘Holy Smokes!’
This morning Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O earned her first-ever Oscar nomination for “Moon Song,” the tune she penned for Spike Jonze’s acclaimed film Her. Needless to say, she was shocked. “Holy smokes. I had zero clue! To say this was unexpected is an understatement,” she tells Rolling Stone. “It’s wild because ‘The Moon Song’ was written and recorded in the most humble of circumstances; at my dining room table, a few paces away from the couch I read the script for Her for the first time.”
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This isn’t the first time Karen O has collaboration with Jonze — she also wrote the music for his 2009 adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are. “The song was 10 years in the making according to Spike and testament to a beautiful friendship and creative chemistry we’ve shared over the years. I hope everyone and their sister, mother, father and uncle goes out to see Spike’s inspired heartfelt film. And thanks Spike for making my very real phobia of ever having to be in a position to give an acceptance speech at a major award show a reality.”
So how did she celebrate? “I called Spike and my parents just so it could sink in a little bit and then I put on Nina Simone’s cover of ‘I Shall be Released’ and sang along, it’s such a soulful uplifting rendition and always makes me feel so good.”
Listen to “Moon Song”: