RANKING THE BEST SONG PERFORMANCES AT THE OSCARS

Like many awards shows this past year, this weekend’s 93rd Academy Awards left much to be desired. However, luckily for music lovers, the Best Song performances managed to avoid the awkwardness and disorganization that plagued much of the evening. In case you missed the show, here are our rankings: 

5. Speak Now (One Night in Miami)

WRITERS: Sam Ashworth and Leslie Odom. Jr

PERFORMER: Leslie Odom Jr. 

Standing on the roof of the new Academy Museum in Los Angeles, CA, Tony-winner Leslie Odom Jr. gave a beautiful performance of “Speak Now,” from the end-credits of Regina King’s One Night in Miami. The Hollywood skyline served as a stunning backdrop to Odom Jr.’s presentation as he stood alone on a large circular stage surrounded by mist, powerfully pleading the listener to make their voices heard and fight for what is right, reiterating a major theme of the film. However, although the visuals were remarkable and Leslie Odom Jr.’s talent is undeniable, the performance lacked energy and ended up feeling monotonous compared to the other presentations of the evening, landing itself in last place. 

4. Io Sì (Seen) (The Life Ahead)

WRITERS: Diane Warren and Laura Pausini 

PERFORMER: Laura Pausini 

In fourth place sits Laura Pausini’s performance of the Italian song “Io Sì” from The Life Ahead. Pausini demonstrated incredible vocals throughout the sentimental and mellow piece, accompanied by Diane Warren on piano and a large orchestra surrounding the stage. In addition, this performance, also presented on the roof of the Academy Museum, was visually very impressive, with blue and red outfits and sets beautifully complementing a pink sunset. However, despite these promising characteristics, the performance fell flat and felt a little long, mostly due to the pitfalls of the song itself, which has been criticized for having generic and somewhat predictable sentiments. Furthermore, many of the lyrics were sung in English, taking away much of the charm of the original Italian song. 

3. Hear My Voice (The Trial of the Chicago Seven) 

WRITERS: Daniel Pembelton and Celeste

PERFORMER: Celeste

Although “Hear My Voice” has been criticized as a somewhat underwhelming theme for The Trial of the Chicago Seven, Celeste showed a different side to the song during her performance on Sunday night. Starting this rendition in a capella, the British singer-songwriter offered a stunning plea for the audience to “hear [her] voice, hear [her] dreams.” She was then joined by a beautiful piano instrumental and dozens of violinists, making good use of the (somewhat unusual) performance location on the roof of the Academy Museum and creating a beautiful atmosphere. Though at some points Celeste may not have seemed as comfortable on stage as the evening’s other singers and the song did become repetitive, her voice and the instrumental accompaniment carried the performance, earning it third position.  

2.Husavik (My Hometown) (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of the Fire Saga) 

WRITERS: Rickard Göransson, Fat Max Gsus, and Savan Kotecha

PERFORMERS: Molly Sandén, Rachel McAdams, Will Ferrell

Coming in an extremely close second is Husavik, from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of the Fire Saga. A powerful song about love and home, Husavik was the only Oscar nominated song that was actually performed during its movie, rather than during the closing credits. On Sunday, Swedish powerhouse Molly Sandén gave a stunning performance of “Husavik” on the other side of the globe, standing on a dock in front of an incredible Icelandic skyline (a setting similar to that seen in the Eurovision Song Contest movie). Accompanied by the sound of seagulls, Sandén performed alongside a children’s choir from Husavik and a variety of instrumentalists. Sandén clearly felt the lyrics deeply, and her vocals were almost unbelievable, with both literal and metaphorical fireworks accompanying her final high note. Offering a varied sound, an interesting setting, and an ensemble that really took you into the Icelandic mountains, Sandén and her accompaniment put together one of the most engaging performances of the Oscars. 

1. Fight for You (Judas and the Black Messiah) 

WRITERS: D’Mile, H.E.R., and Tiara Thomas

PERFORMER: H.E.R. 

Taking first place (and the Oscar for Best Song) is H.E.R.’s “Fight for You,” a smooth, upbeat song about being heard and calling for action. In an interesting shift away from the primarily solo performances of the evening, H.E.R. began the song surrounded by a dozen people singing, playing instruments, and dancing to the music, all wearing outfits on theme with Judas and the Black Messiah. The energy was infectious, and you could tell that H.E.R. was not just feeling the lyrics, but really enjoying her time on stage. In addition, the performance thematically fit in perfectly with the film, as the stage was used to display video footage of members of the Black Panther Party and their speeches, including Fred Hampton and Huey Percy Newton. Throughout the song, H.E.R. not only perfectly managed her role as a leader, singing and playing the drums beautifully, but also fit into the ensemble seamlessly when needed. This powerful performance of “Fight For You” presented a perfect blend of musical artistry and cinematic connection to Judas and the Black Messiah, adding a unique flare to this year’s Oscars performances and earning it first place. 

House Democrats Move to Investigate Live Nation’s Ticketing “Monopoly”

On Monday, a group of Democrats in the House of Representatives penned a letter urging President Joe Biden’s administration to revisit the 2010 merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation, claiming that this deal created a monopoly on the ticketing industry, “strangled competition, … and harmed consumers.” 

The letter, which was directed towards Attorney General Marrick Garland and Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, was written in the context of the Biden administration’s strong antitrust policies, which are viewed as even more aggressive than those in the Obama administration (which originally approved the contentious Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger). Five House Representatives came together on this initiative, with Representative Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) leading the charge, supported by Representative Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ, Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee), Representative David Cicilline (D-RI, Chair of the House Antitrust Subcommittee), Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL, Chair of the House Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee), and Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee). 

These authors began the correspondence by arguing that “Live Nation Entertainment … holds more than 80 percent of the venue ticket sales market” due to its “potentially unfair, deceptive, and anticompetitive practices.” The Representatives went on to criticize LNE’s grasp on not just the primary ticket sale industry, but also on the resale marketplace, specifically sharing concerns pertaining to the new “SafeTix” app, which was introduced to “ensure that tickets can only be resold or gifted within the Ticketmaster system.” 

The letter also condemned LNE for “mask[ing] its anticompetitive instincts under the guise of public health.” The House Representatives wrote that LiveNation took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to introduce new measures that were advertised as promoting safety in concert venues, but which actually served to prevent resale and competition. For example, the authors claimed that LNE’s new ticket transfer technology, which was branded as making “entry safer,” is actually a power grab, requiring almost all event attendees to be registered with Ticketmaster and disabling the resale of tickets. 

Live Nation already came under fire in 2019 for violating its merger restrictions by combining “ticket, promotion, concert and management business” and threatening to withhold concerts from venues using other ticketing agents, prompting the DOJ to bind LNE to its consent decree for 5 years beyond its expiration in 2020. However, in this week’s letter, the House Representatives argued that this extension was not enough to protect the ticketing industry from Live Nation’s “anticompetitive behavior,” and insisted that the Biden administration further investigates LNE’s practices in order to effectively protect consumers. 

This letter follows an unquestionably devastating year for LNE. With almost all concerts canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Live Nation’s revenue dropped 98% and 95% in the second and third quarters last year, respectively. However, LNE is beginning to recover, thanks to both its January purchase of the live streaming platform Veeps and the high US vaccination rate, which suggests the second half of 2021 will witness a return to in-person live events. 

Lil Nas X “Montero”: A Music Marketing Masterclass

Lil Nas X has dominated the music news cycle this past week thanks to the controversy surrounding the new music video for his song “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).” The song, whose title is a nod to both the “Old Town Road” singer’s real name (Montero Lamar Hill) and the famous gay love story Call Me By Your Name, tells the story of a closeted man that Lil Nas X fell in love with last summer, and has been called a “ceberation of queer sexuality.” Its video, however, which follows Lil Nas X through a world of biblical imagery and ends with the 21 year-old star giving Satan a lap dance, has received less than positive feedback from conservative audiences.

The fantastical, “unabashedly queer” music video begins in the land of Montero, where Lil Nas X walks around the Garden of Eden and proclaims that he is in a place where he does not have to hide who he is anymore. He then ventures throughout the setting, meets an erotic snake (representing the villain of Genesis), faces judgement from dozens of mystical representations of himself, and is ultimately killed and sent to heaven. Once in heaven, Lil Nas X descends to hell on a stripper pole, where he “harnesses his sexuality to seduce the devil,” gives Satan a lap dance, and then kills him and takes his crown for himself. 

The video’s mix of sacred, sexual, and queer imagery has upset many prominent conservatives across the nation including Candace Owens, who said that Lil Nas X is “keeping black America behind,” and former US Marine Matthew Betley, who described the video as “sick and depraved and an attempt to destroy our society.” Fox News unsurprisingly joined the conversation, instigating the homophobic discourse that Lil Nas X was corrupting children and destroying the country. 

The conservative backlash only increased with the announcement of Lil Nas X’s “Satan Shoes.” The sneakers, which are custom Nike Air Max 97s, have “Luke 10:18” printed on the side (the biblical passage discussing Satan’s descent from Heaven) and claim to contain a drop of human blood in the midsoles. Priced at $1,018 each, all 666 pairs of these exclusive shoes sold out in less than a minute. Although Nike has sued the MSCHF Product Studio due to trademark infringement, every pair was sold and believed to be shipped before Nike could prevent it. 

Conservatives saw these shoes as further evidence that Lil Nas X is seeking to manipulate children with his “satanic behavior.” Dakota Governor Kristi Noem tweeted about the sneakers, saying “Our kids are being told that this kind of product is, not only okay, it’s ‘exclusive.’ But do you know what’s more exclusive? Their God-given eternal soul.” Tennessee pastor Greg Locke also joined in, calling the shoes “a bunch of demonism, devilism, and psychotic wickedness,” and many other American Christians have claimed they are in “a fight for the soul of the nation” against people like Lil Nas X. 

While this intense Christian moral panic is aggressive, it was not unexpected. On March 26, the release date of “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” Lil Nas X tweeted a letter to his 14 year old self discussing his new song, saying that the release is “very scary for [him]” and that he knows “people will be angry.” Clearly prepared for this negative backlash, the singer took to Twitter after the song’s release to fire back at critics. He responded to governor Kristi Noem’s complaints, saying “ur a whole governor and u on here tweeting about some damn shoes. do ur job!” and shot back at rapper Joyner Lucas’ comments that the Montero video is not child appropriate by tweeting “I literally sing about adultery in old town road. u decided to let your child listen. blame yourself.” He also posted a fake apology Youtube video, which cut to the music video’s lap dancing clip, and released a “censored” music video, which showed a public toilet with the caption “Montero but ur in the bathroom of hell while lil nas is giving satan a lap dance in the other room.” 

In addition to sharing these amusing clap-backs, Lil Nas X has also been using social media to seriously discuss the importance of “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” and its implications on the music industry and queer culture. Upon its release, the singer said he intended for this song to push the idea that people should “stay the fuck out of other people’s lives and stop dictating who they should be,” and on Twitter last week, he said to his conservative critics: I spent my entire teenage years hating myself because of the [things] y’all preached would happen to me because i was gay. So i hope u are mad, stay mad, feel the same anger you teach us to have towards ourselves. 

i hope my haters are sad. i hope they are crying. i want your tears to fill my grammy cup. 🏹🤍

— nope 🏹 (@LilNasX) April 5, 2021

While the backlash sparked by his new song was not pretty, it was a key part of Lil Nas X’s brilliant marketing strategy. He knew that his music and video would generate controversy, so he took advantage of the negative responses as a way to place his music in the spotlight and maintain relevance. Once the backlash peaked, he further fanned the flames by tweeting at his critics, releasing the “Satan Shoes,” sharing memes, and retweeting videos from his TikTok dance challenge (#PoleDanceToHell). Thanks to attention drawn to “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” by the widespread conservative outrage, the song debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and received almost 47 million US streams within its release week. It was even featured on a recent SNL sketch, in which an actor portraying Lil Nas X gave God a lap dance. 

Upon its release, Lil Nas X said that he hoped “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) would “open doors for many other queer people to simply exist,” and since then, he has undeniably succeeded in moving the discourse surrounding religious and sexual identities in a more progressive direction. The only question is: what will he release next?