Sting, Justin Timberlake to Perform at 2017 Oscars
Oscars producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd announced that all five Best Original Song nominees will be performed at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, The Wrap reports. The decision to include performances of all five nominated tracks marks a change from the 2016 ceremony, when only three of the songs were included.
Justin Timberlake will perform “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” the No. One hit from the film Trolls. Sting will also make an appearance to play “The Empty Chair,” a song he wrote with J. Ralph and sang for the documentary Jim: The James Foley Story. Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced the main character in the animated movie Moana, will sing “How Far I’ll Go” with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote and produced the song. (Cravalho and Alessia Cara each recorded a version of this; both cuts appear on the Moana soundtrack.)
The other two Best Original Song nominees will be performed by John Legend. He is stepping in as a high-powered pinch hitter for Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, who sang “City of Stars” and “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” in La La Land. Legend is well acquainted with these songs – he also had a part in La La Land, playing a jazz singer who enjoys some crossover success.
The Oscars take place Sunday, February 26th.