Lifestyle

After top Grammy win, singer H.E.R. is heading to the Oscars

Posted March 15, 2021 7:00 am

By MESFIN FEKADU

H.E.R. poses in the press room with the award for song of the year for "I Can't Breathe" and best R&B song at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday, March 14, 2021. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - A night after winning the top Grammy Award for songwriting, R&B singer H.E.R. and her collaborators Tiara Thomas and D'Mile have become Oscar-nominated songwriters.

H.E.R.'s protest anthem 'œI Can't Breathe" won song of the year at Sunday's Grammys, and another soulful song with poignant lyrics by the singer - 'œFight for You'ť from 'œJudas and the Black Messiah'ť - is nominated for best original song at the 2021 Academy Awards.

'œI'm feeling crazy man," H.E.R. said in an interview with The Associated Press after Monday's announcement. 'œThis just doesn't happen. It's just a whole different world I'm stepping into. It's just a crazy, crazy part of my journey. I never would have imagined this would even happen. I'm super, super grateful. That's the foundation of how I feel. It's just gratitude.'ť

The 23-year-old wrote 'œI Can't Breathe" and 'œFight for You" with D'Mile - the uber-talented producer who has created songs for everyone from Janet Jackson and Bruno Mars to BeyoncÃ© and Jay-Z - and Thomas, a singer who has had success with her own music and has written other songs with H.E.R. like 'œAvenue" and the double-platinum hit 'œSlide."

Leslie Odom Jr. will also compete for best original song with 'œSpeak Now'ť from 'œOne Night in Miami...," which he wrote with Sam Ashworth. The Tony and Grammy winner is a double Oscar nominee this year, also earning a nomination for best supporting actor, and his success mirrors achievements made by Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga and Cynthia Erivo - performers who earned both acting and music nominations in the same year.

Diane Warren is vying for her 12th Oscar nomination with 'œIo SÃ¬ (Seen)'ť from 'œThe Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)," which won her a second best original song Golden Globe last month. She shares the nomination with Laura Pausini.

Other best original song nominees include R&B singer Celeste's 'œHear My Voice'ť from 'œThe Trial of the Chicago 7," which she co-wrote with Daniel Pemberton, and 'œHusavik'ť from 'œEurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga." The latter track was written by Grammy-nominated songwriter-producer Savan Kotecha, who works closely with pop music maestro Max Martin and has crafted hits for Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Ellie Goulding and more pop stars. Kotecha shares his nomination with Fat Max Gsus and Rickard GÃ¶ransson.

Songs by John Legend, Mary J. Blige, Janelle Monae and Robert Glasper were shortlisted for best original song but didn't make the final cut.

Like Odom Jr., Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are double nominees, earning nominations in best original score for 'œMank'ť and 'œSoul,'ť sharing the latter with Jon Batiste. The duo of Reznor and Ross have won a number of awards for their scoring work, including an Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe.

Terence Blanchard ('œDa 5 Bloods"), Emile Mosseri ('œMinari") and James Newton Howard ('œNews of the World") round out the best original score nominees.

Grammy-nominated R&B singer Andra Day, best known for the anthemic song 'œRise Up," is nominated for best actress for portraying Billie Holiday in 'œThe United States vs. Billie Holiday."

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AP Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

This image released by Amazon Studios shows Leslie Odom Jr. in a scene from "One Night in Miami." (Patti Perret/Amazon Studios via AP) The Associated Press

In this combination photo, Diane Warren arrives at the 92nd Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Jan. 27, 2020, in Los Angeles, left, and Laura Pausini arrives at the 17th annual Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on Nov. 17, 2016. Warren and Pausini were nominated for an Oscar for best song "Seen" from the film "The Life Ahead." (AP Photo) The Associated Press

CORRECTS NOMINATION TO OSCARS - FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2011 file photo, Trent Reznor, right, and Atticus Ross pose with the trophy they won for Best Original Score - Motion Picture for the film "The Social Network," at the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. On Monday, March 15, Reznor and Ross were nominated for 2 Oscar nominations for best original score for "Mank" and "Soul." (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File) The Associated Press

FILE - Terence Blanchard poses for a portrait at the 91st Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Feb. 4, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Blanchard was nominated for an Oscar for original score for his work on "Da 5 Bloods." (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File) The Associated Press

H.E.R., left, and Tiara Thomas accept the award for song of the year for "I Can't Breathe"at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday, March 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) The Associated Press

H.E.R. poses in the press room with the award for song of the year for "I Can't Breathe" at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday, March 14, 2021. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) The Associated Press

H.E.R. accepts the award for song of the year for "I Can't Breathe" at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday, March 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) The Associated Press

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