98th Oscars to Feature Performances from "KPop Demon Hunters" and "Sinners"

The 98th Oscars will feature two performances from two genre-defining nominated films during this year's ceremony.

What's Happening:

• The voices behind the KPop Demon Hunters and a cinematic moment from Sinners will be featured during the 98th Oscars, which takes place this Sunday, March 15.
• The KPop Demon Hunters moment begins with a fusion of traditional Korean instrumentalists and dance, celebrating the folklore and cultural inspiration that anchors the story behind this animated blockbuster.
• As part of this experience, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI, the singing voices behind HUNTR/X, will perform the Oscar-nominated original song “Golden” from the film.
• The Sinners moment explores the role music plays in the film’s storytelling and translates this into a cinematic live moment on the Oscars stage.
• Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq will perform the Oscar-nominated original song “I Lied To You,” and they will be joined by Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey and Alice Smith in an homage to the film’s singular visual style.
• Additionally, the show will include appearances by Josh Groban and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
• Once again hosted by Conan O'Brien, the Oscars will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with the official live red carpet show airing at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
• Take a look at our list of Disney-related nominations for the 98th Oscars.

What They're Saying:

• Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, executive producers: “This year, our music performances are inspired by two of the most powerful cultural phenomena in film: Sinners, the most nominated film in Oscars history, and KPop Demon Hunters, a global pop culture sensation. These show moments are more than just performances — they expand into cinematic tributes that celebrate the relationship between music and storytelling and why these films resonated so deeply with audiences around the world.”

Where Did All the Songs Go?

• Something this particular author, and I'm sure many Awards show fans lament, is the lack of performances for each Original Song nominee in recent years.
• As with the last few years, this year will only see two performances out of the five songs nominated during the ceremony.
• While "Golden" and "I Lied to You" are both getting their fair due with performances during the ceremony, the other three nominees are left out – they are:
  • "Dear Me" from Diane Warren: Relentless
  • "Sweet Dreams of Joy" from Viva Verdi!
  • "Train Dreams" from Train Dreams
• But, to play devils advocate, the Oscars ceremony has been known to run excessively overtime, so perhaps not having all of these performances is a way to streamline the ceremony.