NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 The are here, and its music categories reflect a wide range of talent.
The is represented for a 16th time for 鈥淭he Journey鈥 from 鈥淭he Six Triple Eight." Elton John, recently retired from live performance, is up for original song for 鈥淣ever Too Late,鈥 from the 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥 dominates in that category, with two of the five nominations and one for best score. That means three nominations for composer duo Cl茅ment Ducol and Camille. Thursday also marked the first Oscar nominations for Abraham Alexander and Black Pumas' Adrian Quesada, who composed 鈥淟ike A Bird鈥 for 鈥淪ing Sing."
from the original score category. In addition to 鈥淓milia P茅rez," those nominees include Daniel Blumberg for 鈥淭he Brutalist," Volker Bertelmann for 鈥淐onclave,鈥 John Powell and Stephen Schwartz for 鈥淲icked,鈥 and AP for 鈥淭he Wild Robot."
Take a look at how some of the Oscar music nominees reacted Thursday.
Diane W
arren, original song nod for 鈥淭he Journey鈥 from 鈥淭he Six Triple Eight鈥
鈥淭he Journey鈥 is 16th Oscar nomination. Could it make for her first win?
鈥淭he fact that I get another shot, you know, is awesome. I love it. It鈥檚 like the losing team that鈥檚 getting sent back,鈥 she joked to The Associated Press. "I don鈥檛 know anything about sports and stuff, but I guess (it鈥檚) like a Super Bowl, like a team that, you know, loses for decades. People root for them.
鈥淚 have sitting right over there,鈥 she gestures off to the side. 鈥淗e gets very lonely.鈥
As for that number, 16: 鈥淚 never did have a sweet 16,鈥 she jokes. 鈥淚 was 16 but probably I wasn't sweet.鈥 Not only that, but she's been nominated across five decades. 鈥淪ince I'm only 39, how did that happen?鈥
This year, like in past years, she held a 鈥渟leepless sleepover鈥 with friends in anticipation of the nomination announcement.
鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥 snags three music noms for Cl茅ment Ducol and Camille
The three nominations for the film's score and songs 鈥淓l Mal鈥 and 鈥淢i Camino鈥 are Ducol and Camille's first.
鈥淵ou go from anxiety to relief and you're filled up with energy and you need that," Camille said of her reaction to the news. 鈥淲e鈥檝e worked so much, and we鈥檝e worked so much for the campaign ... I feel very fulfilled and very happy for all the team.鈥
鈥淔or me, it represents something very important,鈥 she said of 鈥淚t's a very free, provocative and empathic, compassionate movie. And I really think this is what we need now.鈥
鈥淚t's totally incredible. I was like, 鈥榃hat?鈥 It鈥檚 three nominations. It鈥檚 huge,鈥 said Ducol. 鈥淲e were involved at the beginning of the construction of the story in music ... So everything is linked together, is woven together between the script, the screenplay, the songs. And so, we feel like it鈥檚 our story, our movie ... It's not just a musical or reflecting a story or reflecting action in the movie. The music and the songs, in this movie, is the script. It is the story."
鈥淣ever Too Late鈥 returns
Elton John to original song Oscar race
two Oscars prior to this nomination. Both were in the original song category: in 1994, he won for 鈥淐an You Feel the Love Tonight鈥 from 鈥淭he Lion King鈥 and in 2019 for "(I鈥檓 Gonna) Love Me Again鈥 from This is his fifth nomination.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an incredible honour to receive this nomination for 鈥楴ever Too Late,鈥 alongside my collaborators Brandi Carlile, Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt," he wrote in a statement. "Thank you to the Academy for this nomination and to everyone who helped bring this beautiful song to the world.鈥
Taupin, John's longtime lyricist, has been nominated and won once before, also for "(I鈥檓 Gonna) Love Me Again." This is his second nomination. 鈥淲hat makes this so special is that it was a collaborative effort that included three individuals who are dear to me, not just as a talented crew, but who have become a close-knit creative family,鈥 he said in a statement.
This is the first nomination for both and Andrew Watt.
鈥淚鈥檓 having a hard time fathoming, let alone explaining to anybody what it feels like to be Oscar nominated alongside my greatest heroes of all time for something so meaningful," Carlile said in a statement. "I honestly can鈥檛 imagine a higher honor.鈥
鈥淚 can鈥檛 express how grateful and excited I am to be nominated alongside these superstar songwriters and artists at this year鈥檚 Academy Awards," said Watt. "May the dream never end.鈥
鈥淟ike A Bird鈥
from
鈥淪ing Sing鈥 mints two first-time Oscar nominees
This the first nomination for both Alexander and Quesada.
Quesada was driving when he found out he is an Oscar nominee. 鈥淚 had just dropped my daughter off at school, and I got the first text. And I looked and saw the name, and I knew it was a friend who works in film. And I鈥檓 like, 鈥楳y God.' I just got chills,鈥 he recounts. 鈥淎be and I, who did the song, would have never imagined, you know, waking up to an Academy Award nomination.鈥
He says being nominated for a song in a moving film that is holds additional weight. 鈥淭here's 鈥 no pun intended 鈥 a bigger picture here with this film.鈥
Alexander was at home in Fort Worth, Texas, watching the live stream when he found out. 鈥淚 was on the couch this morning watching it, and I instantly started crying,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t feels surreal.鈥
He describes the nomination as 鈥渁 validation of my artistry, in a way.鈥 But in many other ways, 鈥淭he song is only a reflection of this film, and the film is truly a piece of art that helps.鈥
So, how will he celebrate? 鈥淚'm gonna eat pizza and ice cream!鈥 he laughs.
John Powell, original score nomination for 鈥淲icked鈥
This is Powell's second Oscar nomination, both in the original score category.
Powell, who evacuated his home and studio in the Pacific Palisades following and cannot yet return, thought the Academy delayed the nomination announcements even further, to next week. He's currently staying 鈥渋n my girlfriend鈥檚 mother鈥檚 backroom at the moment, on a pullout couch.
鈥淚t's such a weird time to be getting excited about something like this ... I quite happily slept in this morning and got a call from my agent, and I was like, 鈥榃hat the hell is she calling me for? What could be that urgent?鈥" he told The AP. 鈥淪he woke me up. And the poodles.
鈥淚t's a wonderful thing. It was a shock,鈥 he says of the nomination. 鈥淎t the moment, you have to understand, it could be to 鈥榞et the hell out.鈥 I mean, that's what we're all thinking.鈥
really accomplished what he likes to do in his work, 鈥渨hich is bring that joy to the cinema.鈥
Kris Bowers, original score nomination for 鈥淭he Wild Robot鈥
Bowers has been nominated twice before, in documentary categories, and won his first Oscar in 2023 for This is the composer's first nomination for original score.
鈥淚 feel like ever since I was a kid, this is the category that I would study and the space that I was always hoping to be welcomed into,鈥 he said. "I feel pretty honored.鈥
Working on the animated he says, was an opportunity to connect with a childhood dream. 鈥淲hen I was a kid, I actually wanted to be an animator just as much as I wanted to be a composer,鈥 he says, referencing Disney cartoons and 鈥淭om and Jerry.鈥 鈥淭hose cartoons that have no words were conveying a lot of the emotional storytelling with the music.鈥
His daughter was six months old when he started the project and had turned 2 by its end; he associates the project with those first years of parenthood.
But he also describes this moment in time as 鈥渂ittersweet,鈥 referring to the ongoing wildfires that have destroyed more than 14,000 structures and 鈥淲e have a lot of really close friends that that lost everything,鈥 he adds. Bowers evacuated for a week.
鈥淐onclave鈥 composer Volker Bertelmann celebrates with soup, polka and 50 Cent
Bertelmann has been nominated twice before and won for his score to in 2022. In 2016 he was nominated for the first time for original score for 鈥淟ion."
鈥淚 was cooking vegetable soup for my family because in Germany, we have quite (the) winter at the moment. It鈥檚 very cold,鈥 he said of the moment he found out about the nomination.
鈥淲e have already celebrated a bit, my wife and my kids ... I made the soup and then suddenly, you know, the news came in. We were just jumping around and put some music on. We danced a little bit. I love dancing when I鈥檓 celebrating.鈥
Their music of choice? 鈥淲e use a lot of let鈥檚 say traditional polkas and, you know, very interesting, weird, weird music that we dance to" 鈥 and
Daniel Blumberg, original score nomination for 鈥淭he Brutalist鈥
This is Blumberg's first Oscar nomination. He was having lunch in London with 鈥 director, producer and when he found out. 鈥淚t's been quite a surreal day,鈥 he said. The pair shared a hug when the news arrived.
鈥'The Brutalist' was always such an important project for me,鈥 he says, describing the team behind it as dedicated to making 鈥渟omething with urgency, to make something with no compromise.鈥
鈥淚 think we'll have a drink tonight,鈥 he says of his celebratory plans. 鈥淚鈥檇 love to go to Kent and have a drink with John Tilbury, who played piano. He鈥檚 in his 80s. And we always had vodka at lunch when we were working together ... I think that if I could choose a way of celebrating, I'd probably be going to John's cottage in Kent.鈥
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
