ORIGINAL SONGS
Nominees:

“Dream As One” from “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
“Our Love” from “The Ballad of Wallis Island”
“Dying To Live” from “Billy Idol Should Be Dead”
“Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” from “Come See Me in the Good Light”
“Dear Me” from “Diane Warren: Relentless”
“Drive” from “F1: The Movie”
“Highest 2 Lowest” from “Highest 2 Lowest”
“Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters”
“I Lied To You” from “Sinners”
“Last Time (I Seen The Sun)” from “Sinners”
“Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams”
“As Alive As You Need Me To Be” from “Tron: Ares”
“Sweet Dreams Of Joy” from “Viva Verdi!”
“The Girl In The Bubble” from “Wicked: For Good”
“No Place Like Home” from “Wicked: For Good”

Per the Academy’s press release:

Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 98th Academy Awards. Sixty-five songs were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

Nominations voting begins on Monday, January 12, 2026, and concludes on Friday, January 16, 2026. Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026. The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

OSCAR NOMINATION PREDICTIONS

“DEAR ME” from
DIANE WARREN: RELENTLESS • Greenwich Entertainment
Diane Warren| Music and Lyrics

Bess Kargman | Director
Michele Farinola, Peggy Drexler, Bess Kargman | Producers

“GOLDEN” from
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS • Netflix
Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, IDO, 24 and Teddy| Music and Lyrics

Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang | Directors
Michelle L.M. Wong | Producers

“I LIED TO YOU” from
SINNERS • Warner Bros Pictures
Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson | Music and Lyrics

Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers

“TRAIN DREAMS” from
TRAIN DREAMS • Netflix
Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner | Music and Lyrics

Clint Bentley | Director
Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, Michael Heimler | Producers

“THE GIRL IN THE BUBBLE” from
WICKED: FOR GOOD • Universal Pictures
Stephen Schwartz | Music and Lyrics

Jon M. Chu | Director
Marc Platt, David Stone | Producers

WHY I CHOSE THOSE FIVE?

It’s safe to assume that Best Original Song will be a showdown between “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters and “I Lied to You” from Sinners. Both songs serve as pivotal moments in films that were major successes this year. “Golden” spent 19 weeks atop the Billboard charts, while anyone who watched Sinners likely walked away talking about the “music evolution” sequence featuring Miles Caton performing “I Lied to You.” Which song ultimately wins remains to be seen, but there’s virtually no scenario in which either misses a nomination.

If the Original Song category were a parking lot, one space would permanently be reserved for Diane Warren. So it feels fitting that this year’s Warren entry comes from a documentary about her. Performed by Kesha, “Dear Me” is the most discussed song from the film, and at this point, whether people consider it good or not feels almost beside the point. She simply gets in.

One of the final two slots will likely go to an original song from Wicked: For Good. The Golden Globes nominated both eligible songs, but they also have six slots — and no unofficial “Diane Warren” reservation — giving them more flexibility. With only five Oscar slots (effectively four once Warren is accounted for), I don’t see both songs making it in. “The Girl in the Bubble” is the more talked-about moment in the film, with Ariana Grande drawing significant attention for her performance, as opposed to Cynthia Erivo’s “No Place Like Home.” Could both songs sneak in? Absolutely. But to hedge my bets, I’m only predicting one.

The final spot is more of a toss-up. Will the Academy lean commercial with Ed Sheeran’s “Drive” from F1: The Movie, or could Sinners be strong enough overall that “Last Time (I Seen the Sun)” also finds its way in? The Globes went with Miley Cyrus and “Dream as One” from Avatar: Fire and Ash, which has been raking in box office dollars — and that commercial momentum could certainly help. Still, I’m going with the Globes’ other selection: “Train Dreams” from the film of the same name. Writer and musician Nick Cave has never been nominated for an Oscar, but he’s widely beloved within the industry, and this feels like the kind of opportunity voters might seize — especially for a film that has a strong chance of landing a Best Picture nomination. Unless Avatar: Fire and Ash breaks into the Best Picture conversation and commands broader attention, I see Nick Cave ultimately securing the nomination.

And while The Ballad of Wallis Island was one of my favorite films of the year, and I’d love to see Tom Basden sneak in for his song “Our Love,” performed with Carey Mulligan, I recognize that it’s a true long shot. Beyond making the Oscars shortlist, there hasn’t been much precursor support to suggest it’s on the Academy’s radar.

“Dream As One” from
“Avatar: Fire and Ash”

“Our Love” from
“The Ballad of Wallis Island”

“Dying To Live” from
“Billy Idol Should Be Dead”

“Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” from
“Come See Me in the Good Light”

“Dear Me” from
“Diane Warren: Relentless”

“Highest 2 Lowest” from
“Highest 2 Lowest”

“I Lied To You” from
“Sinners”

“Last Time (I Seen The Sun)” from
“Sinners”

“As Alive As You Need Me To Be” from
“Tron: Ares”

“Sweet Dreams Of Joy” from
“Viva Verdi!”

“The Girl In The Bubble” from
“Wicked: For Good”

“No Place Like Home” from
“Wicked: For Good”