The shortlist is out. Honestly, it’s a bit of a mess, but the good kind of mess that makes for great TV. We officially have the 15 tracks fighting for a spot among the final Oscar original song nominees, and if you thought the music branch would play it safe this year, you haven’t seen the list yet.
Every year, we pretend to be surprised when a giant pop star gets snubbed or a documentary song nobody has heard of suddenly appears. This year? We have Nine Inch Nails, a K-Pop "demon hunting" anthem, and—because the universe demands it—another Diane Warren song.
The Heavy Hitters Leading the Pack
Right now, if you’re placing bets, two songs are basically sucking all the oxygen out of the room. First, there's "Golden" from the Netflix hit KPop Demon Hunters. It’s performed by the fictional group HUNTR/X, and it’s been a monster on the charts. It already snagged a Golden Globe, which usually means it’s a lock for the Oscar stage.
Then you have "I Lied To You" from Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. This one is a vibe. Performed by Miles Caton and co-written by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson, it’s the kind of soulful, narrative-driven track that the Academy usually eats up. Göransson is already a darling in the score category (he's shortlisted there too for Sinners), so his momentum is high.
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Is 17 the Lucky Number for Diane Warren?
Look, we have to talk about "Dear Me" from the documentary Diane Warren: Relentless. It’s performed by Kesha. At this point, nominating Diane Warren is a tradition, like eating too much popcorn at the theater. She has 16 nominations and zero competitive wins.
Is this song better than her previous work? Maybe. Does that matter? Not really. The music branch clearly loves her, and Kesha’s vocal performance gives it that extra "oomph" that might finally—finally—get her to the podium. Or, you know, she’ll just get nomination number 17 and we’ll do this all again in 2027.
The Weird, the Wild, and the "Wait, Who?"
If you look further down the shortlist of potential Oscar original song nominees, things get interesting.
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- Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are back, but not just for a score. Their song "As Alive As You Need Me To Be" from Tron: Ares (credited as Nine Inch Nails) is a dark, pulsing synth track that feels very un-Oscar-y. That’s exactly why it might get in.
- Miley Cyrus is in the mix with "Dream As One" from Avatar: Fire and Ash. Working with Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, she’s brought some star power to Pandora.
- Ed Sheeran has "Drive" from the movie F1. It’s a radio-friendly earworm, but sometimes these "big star" songs get left on the cutting room floor when the branch starts voting.
The Double-Dip Dilemma
Two movies managed to get two songs each onto the shortlist. This is always a risky move because it can split the vote.
Wicked: For Good has both "The Girl In The Bubble" (Ariana Grande) and "No Place Like Home" (Cynthia Erivo). Most insiders expect Ariana’s track to be the one that sticks, mainly because it’s such a standout character moment.
Then there’s Sinners. Along with the favorite "I Lied To You," they have "Last Time (I Seen The Sun)" by Alice Smith and Miles Caton. It’s rare for a movie to get two final nominations, so it’ll likely be a cage match between these tracks for that one coveted slot.
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What’s Actually Going to Happen?
The final five Oscar original song nominees will be announced on January 22, 2026. Voting for the nominations is happening right now—actually, it ends tomorrow, January 16.
If I had to put money on it? "Golden" and "I Lied To You" are safe. "Dear Me" is likely because... well, it’s Diane Warren. That leaves two spots for a massive battle between Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and maybe a "prestige" curveball like Nick Cave’s "Train Dreams." Nick Cave is the dark horse here. His title track for Train Dreams is haunting. It’s the kind of "serious artist" pick that the Academy uses to prove they have sophisticated taste.
Your Award Season Checklist
If you want to stay ahead of the curve before the ceremony on March 15:
- Listen to "Golden" and "I Lied To You" back-to-back. You’ll see the two different directions the Academy is being pulled in: pop spectacle vs. cinematic soul.
- Watch the Tron: Ares trailer again. Pay attention to the Nine Inch Nails soundscape; it’s a radical departure from the usual orchestral ballads.
- Don't ignore the documentaries. Songs like "Salt Then Sour Then Sweet" from Come See Me in the Good Light (by Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile) often sneak in because they carry so much emotional weight.
Keep an eye on the official announcement next Thursday. Whether we get a star-studded pop concert or a night of moody indie ballads depends entirely on how the music branch felt this week.
Stay tuned for the final nominations. Once the list of five is set, the real campaigning starts, and that’s when the drama actually begins.