Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Billy Idol, Sara Bareilles, Brandi Carlile and Nine Inch Nails all ended up on the Oscars shortlist, but missed earning the nomination. HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 02: Miley Cyrus attends the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 02, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
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The nominees for the ninety-eighth Annual Academy Awards were unveiled early in the morning on Thursday (January 22). Sinners leads the pack and makes history by becoming the first film to rack up 16 nods in a single year.
Sinners is included in every field possible, including the newly-added Best Casting, which will be handed out for the first time later this year. Sinners is one of the five movies up for Best Original Song for the tune “I Lied to You,” though two cuts were submitted. The only track that is currently in the running for Best Original Song that was a real commercial smash is “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters.
This year, the category is largely devoid of well-known superstars, though there were plenty included on the shortlist of 15 potential nominees, which was unveiled last month. Here’s a look at the current nominees for Best Original Song, as well as a handful of the most famous artists who vied for a nod but ended up missing out.
Best Original Song Nominees
These are the five tracks competing for Best Original Song, as well as the songwriters and producers who earn the nods.
- “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless (Music and lyrics by Diane Warren)
- “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters (Music and lyrics by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy Park)
- “I Lied to You” from Sinners (Music and lyrics by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson)
- “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi! (Music and lyrics by Nicholas Pike)
- “Train Dreams” from Train Dreams (Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyric by Cave)
Miley Cyrus
Once again, Miley Cyrus competed for the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, but has been left out entirely when it comes to the Oscars. The pop superstar co-wrote “Dream as One,” which was created for Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third in that hugely successful film series. “Dream as One” earned Cyrus her third career nod at the Globes, but she has yet to score an Academy Award nomination. “Dream as One” also credits Andrew Wyatt, Simon Franklin, and Mark Ronson, who previously claimed this trophy alongside Lady Gaga for “Shallow” from A Star Is Born.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 01: (L-R) Maxx Morando and Miley Cyrus attend the Global Premiere of 20th Century Studios’ “Avatar: Fire And Ash” at Dolby Theatre on December 01, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/WireImage)
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Billy Idol
J. Ralph helped rock superstar Billy Idol write and record “Dying to Live,” which was shortlisted by the Academy as one of the 15 potential Best Original Song nominees. It is possible that voters didn’t see his documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead, and thus didn’t choose him as one of the five lucky nominees.
Brandi Carlile & Sara Bareilles
Last year, Brandi Carlile became an Academy Award nominee for the first time, as “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late was up for the honor, though she, as well as Andrew Watt, Bernie Taupin, and the piano player himself, lost to one of two tracks nominated from Emilia Perez. Carlile was hoping to return for another shot at the gold alongside Sara Bareilles, but “Salt, Then Sour, Then Sweet” from Come See Me in the Good Light was passed over. The documentary did end up in its respective field, which marks its only chance to win some gold.
John Mayer And Ed Sheeran
Two of the three credited writers on “Drive” from F1, a surprise nominee for Best Picture, are well-known artists. John Mayer and Ed Sheeran have submitted tunes for Best Original Song consideration in the past, but neither one has ever earned a nomination, and they’ll have to try again, as none of the tracks from the racing movie wound up as possible winners.
Nine Inch Nails
Under their real names, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the pair won their first Academy Award in 2010 for The Social Network, and then a decade later they doubled that sum alongside Jon Batiste for composing the music behind Soul. That year, Reznor and Ross competed against themselves, as they also snuck in with Mank.
For Tron Ares, the duo decided to record and release new music as Nine Inch Nails, and “As Alive as You Need Me to Be” was the selected tune to compete for this honor. Sadly, despite a pair of Grammy nominations – including Best Song Written for Visual Media – the industrial band does not become the rare group to score a spot in this busy category.