Singer-actor Sofia Carson and 14-time Oscar-nominated songwriter Diane Warren performed their nominated song “Applause” from the film “Tell It Like a Woman” at the Academy Awards Sunday night. Carson urged the women of the world to “give themselves an applause” during the simple, stark performance of the ballad.
Carson wore a bejeweled gown over a bodysuit, as seen in silhouette in the spotlight at the Dolby Theatre, and walked over to the piano at song’s conclusion to embrace the much-decorated Warren, who accompanied the vocal performance in a white suit.
Prior to her collaboration with Warren, Carson starred in Disney’s “Descendants” and contributed to the franchise’s three soundtracks. Since “Descendants,” she starred in the hit Netflix summer flick, “Purple Hearts” and recorded eight original songs for the romance film. In addition to her musical contributions to film and television, Carson released her self-titled studio album in 2022.
Warren returned to the Oscars for her 14th nomination, making “Applause” her sixth consecutive nomination since 2018 — which includes her work on “Marshall,” “RBG,” “Breakthrough,” “La vita davanti a sé” and “Four Good Days.” There was less suspense over whether Warren would finally score a win than in past years, as she was given a lifetime Oscar last year.
Prior to her recent string of nominations, the acclaimed songwriter wrote the nominated songs for “The Hunting Ground,” “Up Close & Personal,” “Pearl Harbor” and “Armageddon.” More recently, Warren won the outstanding original song for a drama or documentary at the Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards.
“Applause” was the sole nomination for “Tell It Like a Woman.” The dramatic feature includes seven vignettes of women around the world. The various vignettes starred Eva Longoria, Marcia Gay Harden, Jennifer Hudson, Cara Delevingne and Ayesha Harris. The feature was directed by Taraji P. Henson, Silvia Carobbio, Catherine Hardwicke, Mipo Oh, Lucía Puenzo, Maria Sole Tognazzi and Leena Yadav.