Elton John, Diane Warren, Ariana Grande, Bob Dylan Biopic, and More Among the 2025 Academy Award Nominees in Music
"The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship."
Songwriter Diane Warren, along with Elton John, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and more are among the music artists nominated for the 2025 Academy Awards. Hosted by Conan OâBrian, the 97th Academy Awards will be held at the Ovation Hollywood Dolby Theatre on March 2 at 7 p.m. ESTÂ and air on ABC and Hulu.
This year, James Mangoldâs Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role for TimothĂ©e Chalamet, who sang all of Dylanâs songs in the film, along with awards for Actress in a Supporting Role for Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Actor in a Supporting Role for Ed Norton, who plays Pete Seeger, and more nods for Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, Costume Design, and Sound.
Also leading the 2025 nominations, the Jon M. Chu Wicked adaptation, starring Grande and Cynthia Erivo, picked up 10 nominations, including Actress in a Leading Role for Erivo, Actress in a Supporting Role for Grande, along with Best Musical Score by John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, and nods for Best Picture, Sound, and more.
A Best Original Song nom also went to Elton Johnâs Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert tour Never Too Late for the title track, which he co-wrote with longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, Brandi Carlile, and Andrew Watt.
Though sheâs never won an Academy Award and received an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards in 2022, hit songwriter Diane Warren picked up her 16th Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for âThe Journeyâ sung by H.E.R. in the 2024 war drama The Six Triple Eight. Warrenâs songs have been featured in more than 100 films and she has received Oscar nominations for Best Original Song since 1987 and every decade since then for Because You Loved Meâ from Up Close & Personal, âHow Do I Liveâ from Con Air, âI Donât Want To Miss A Thingâ from Armageddon, and âSomehow You Do,â performed by Reba McEntire in the 2020 movie Four Good Days.
[RELATED: Diane Warren on the Frustrations and Fruition of Songwriting]
Additionally, the French musical crime dram Emilia PĂ©rez led with 13 nominations for Best Picture, Lead Actress (Karla SofĂa GascĂłn), Supporting Actress (Zoe Saldaña), and Best Director (Jacques Audiard). ClĂ©ment Ducol and Camille were also nominated for Best Original Song for their Emilia PĂ©rez songs âMi Caminoâ and âEl Mal,â which they co-wrote with Audiard.
The 2025 Oscars will go on as planned following the multiple wildfires that have swept through Southern California decimating thousands of homes and structures in the Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and other areas in Los Angeles since January 7.
The Oscars Statuette (Photo: Richard Harbaugh / A.M.P.A.S.)
âWe are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,â said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang in a statement. âThe Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship.Â
Due to the fires which are still active within the Los Angeles area, the Academy extended the voting period and moved the announcement to a later date to give additional time to its members who may have been impacted by the disaster. The Academy also canceled its annual Oscars Nominees Luncheon and postponed its Scientific and Technical Awards.
âOur members always share how important it is for us to come together as a community, and we are determined to use this opportunity to celebrate our resilient and compassionate industry, added Kramer and Yang. âWe also look forward to honoring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognizing those impacted, and encouraging people to join the Academy in supporting the relief efforts. We will get through this together and bring a sense of healing to our global film community.â
âEl Malâ from Emilia PĂ©rez; Music by ClĂ©ment Ducol and Camille; Lyric by ClĂ©ment Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
âThe Journeyâ from The Six Triple Eight; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
âLike a Bird: from Sing Sing; Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
âMi Caminoâ from Emilia PĂ©rez; Music and Lyric by Camille and ClĂ©ment Ducol
âNever Too Lateâ from Elton John: Never Too Late; Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin
The Brutalist (A24), Daniel Blumberg
Conclave (Focus Features), Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez (Netflix), Clément Ducol and Camille
Wicked (Universal Pictures) John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
The Wild Robot (DreamWorks Animation), Kris Bowers
Photo: Carlo Allegri/Getty Images