According to Deadline, Kendrick Lamar and SZA will not be performing their Oscar-Nominated song “All The Stars” during Sunday’s Academy Award telecast.
Per the site, the Pulitzer Prize-winning MC has been heard at work and focusing on creating new music abroad. Due to his schedule, creating a stage performance that would do “justice” to the stand-out track from Black Panther would be difficult to achieve.
“As such, the mutual decision between all parties, Lamar’s camp and Oscars, was to forego a performance of the song on Sunday,” the site says of the nixed performance. “None of the other nominees, i.e. SZA, wanted to perform the song live without Lamar. ‘All the Stars’ is a complex, nuanced, beautiful song, and not having Lamar perform it, didn’t make sense.” Due to his schedule, Lamar did not appear at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards earlier this month.
In the past for ‘Best Original Song’ performances, the Academy would pair musicians to perform covers of the nominated tracks. However, “All The Stars” is a song that not just anyone can perform.
The performers that will be singing on the telecast include Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper for A Star Is Born‘s “Shallow,” and Bette Midler for “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from Mary Poppins Returns.
