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The Weeknd’s Oscars 2016 Performance Expected To Be Epic, And Here’s Why

By Antonio J. Newell
Published on: 10:47 PST, Feb 27, 2016

The Weeknd has been preparing for an extravagant Oscars weekend. His songs have been trending all year. And now, The Weeknd might take home an Oscar.

Many sources are hoping The Weeknd’s Oscars performance will hold up to the apparent hype surrounding it. While spectators have enjoyed The Weeknd’s songs at previous award shows, such as the Grammys and BRITs, this time, there’s a lot riding on The Weeknd’s performance.

According to the Oscars’ official Twitter page, the panel selected The Weeknd as one of 2016’s Oscar nominations for Best Original Song. In Fifty Shades of Grey, The Weeknd’s “Earned It” was selected from his repertoire of songs.

Once The Weeknd found out about the nominations, he was thrilled and thanked the Oscars panel for choosing one of his songs. The Weeknd described the feeling as “surreal.”

Billboard reports that, of the songs in Fifty Shades of Grey, “Earned It” — accompanied by the movie’s intense sexual nature — was the appropriate nomination for the category.

The Oscars‘ official site mentions its stance on music, as it pertains to movie fulfillment. In its statement, it asks: “What’s a movie without music?” And that’s a realistically outstanding question. Music can make or break a movie. Yet, the Oscars site mentions more that music affects, as follows.

“What’s a movie without music? The sounds and songs featured in our favorite films can make us break out in wide smiles as well as move us to tears. Several of the nominees for Best Original Song signed on to perform at the 2016 Oscars. Their acts will go down in long history of memorable Oscar music moments.”

However, the movie itself wasn’t nominated for any other Oscars, as notes Internet Movie Database (IMDb). From The Weeknd’s IMDb page, it mentions a personal quote about artistry and lyrical imagery. From this, The Weeknd states as follows.

“Why can’t I paint a vivid picture in my lyrics? Art is art. If you can create something that can make people feel, then you are an artist.”

So, not only is The Weeknd nominated to receive one of the Oscars — of all songs — he has to perform that which got him the nomination. For that reason alone, the “Earned It” artist has to come with “near-perfection,” no? According to Enstarz, The Weeknd is expected to be “electrifying.”

The Weeknd’s past performances were deemed satisfying. For instance, the Oscar-nominated artist was rumored to have Lauryn Hill accompany him on stage at the Grammys. However, she didn’t show for the event, so it was rendered a rumor. Unfortunately, Lauryn’s camp said that she never confirmed her appearance for that event. And since it had been promoted that her performance was a “go,” she and her team were a bit upset about the wrongly represented advertisement.

However, according to Pitchfork, he did perform with her on Jimmy Fallon. Likewise, he gave praise and thanks to her via his Twitter page afterwards. The Weeknd states that she gave him the “most important experience” of his life.

Several people have made similar statements about Hill’s influence and songs in the past as well. Although The Weeknd’s sentiments are valid, it was almost disastrous that one of his idols nearly put him on blast, due to miscommunication.

Nevertheless, what’s your stance on The Weeknd’s Oscar nomination? Also, of The Weeknd’s repertoire of songs, do you think “Earned It” was a good fit for Fifty Shades of Grey? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

[Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images Entertainment]

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