David Byrne and Stephanie Hsu performed their song “This is a Life” during the 95th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, March 13. The pair shared a moving rendition of their Best Original Song-nominated tune from Everything Everywhere All At Once. Both stars sported all-white outfits as they dueted the standout song from the soundtrack, after Ke Huy Quan won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in the movie.
MULTIFACETADA! Confira a performance de "This is a Life" de Stephanie Hsu e David Byrne no #Oscar pic.twitter.com/laC7JxVSsG
— Stephanie Hsu Brasil (@stephaniehsubr) March 13, 2023
Stephanie looked gorgeous in a flowing, white, frilly dress, which really added to the dreamy nature of the song. David sported an all-white jacket and slacks. The pair performed on a platform with Son Lux, who composed the score for the film, while dancers in similar all-white outfits performed beautiful choreography in front of them. Near the end of the song, David and Stephanie held hands and walked slightly forward on the stage before the song came to an end.
The song, which was originally performed alongside indie rock icon Mitski, isn’t the only musical nomination for Everything Everywhere All At Once. Experimental post-rock outfit Son Lux has also received a nomination for Best Original Score. Stephanie is also nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Those are only three of the eleven nominations that the film has racked up, including the coveted Best Picture nomination.
While Stephanie is not the original singer on the soundtrack, she’s still very fitting for the Oscar performance, because her background is actually in live theater. Before breaking into the big screen hit, she starred in the Broadway musicals Be More Chill and The Spongebob Musical as Christina Canigula and Karen The Computer, respectively. Besides her theatrical background, she also had a supporting role on the Amazon sitcom The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
If David wins, it won’t be his first Oscar ever. The Talking Heads frontman had taken home the Best Original Score award back in 1988 for his work on The Last Emperor, which was also his first time being nominated. In the past, David has also won two Grammy Awards, a Tony, and a Golden Globe. Stephanie is a first-time Oscar nominee.
With this being Stephanie’s first nomination, she shared a message of gratitude for the Academy in an Instagram post, when the nominations were announced. “Never did I ever think I would ever say or truly understand this: It is an HONOR just to be nominated,” she wrote. “I feel this today with my whole heart. Thank you to the Academy (<—also never thought I’d say that!!!) and thank you to every beloved human who has been rooting for me, for us.”
Stephanie was also nominated in the supporting actress category at the SAG Awards, and Everything Everywhere All At Once did win for Best Performance By A Cast. She joined her castmates Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan on stage to accept the award. She similarly wrote a thankful Instagram post. “Thank you SAG Awards for celebrating us and our bagel baby. Tears keep flowing, gratitude keeps growing. I love these humans to the edges of every multiverse and back. Congratulations and thank you. It is an honor just to be Asian (!!!) and a great privilege to be an Artist,” she wrote.
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