“El Mal” by Emilia Pérez emerged victorious as the best original song at the prestigious 30th annual Critics Choice Awards, held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., on Friday (Feb. 7).
Front-Runner for Oscars
Notably, this song, co-written by Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard, also secured the Golden Globe Award in the same category on Jan. 5. With these two significant wins under its belt, “El Mal” now stands as a front-runner in the race for the best original song at the upcoming Oscars. Competing against it are other nominees like “El Camino” by Emilia Pérez, “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late, “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight, and “Like a Bird” from Sing Song. It’s worth mentioning that the latter three songs did not receive nominations at the Critics Choice Awards.
Original Score Excellence
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross’ exceptional score for Challengers clinched the Critics Choice Award for best original score, mirroring its success at the Golden Globes. However, despite its accolades, it is unable to contend for the Oscar as it was not nominated. This scenario marks only the third time a film score has won both the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award without an Oscar nomination. The previous instances were Howard Shore’s score for The Aviator in 2005 and Justin Hurwitz’s score for First Man in 2019. The other nominees for best original score at the Oscars include Volker Bertelmann for Conclave, Daniel Blumberg for The Brutalist, Kris Bowers for The Wild Robot, and John Powell & Stephen Schwartz for Wicked.
Emilia Pérez also secured the Critics Choice Award for the best foreign language film, while Zoe Saldaña, who performed “El Mal” in Emilia Pérez alongside Karla Sofia Gascón, received the award for best supporting actress.
Heartfelt Acceptance Speeches
Reflecting on their win, Camille expressed, “This gives us such a sense of belonging. It feels so grounding. You know this awards season sometimes is so hectic, so overwhelming. I feel like saying sometimes [sings] ‘I’m just a bird.’ Thank you so much to Jacques Audiard for allowing the bird in me and us to write. Thanks to the Emilia Pérez team and to Zoe, of course, for being such a great artist.” Ducol, Camille’s partner and collaborator, also shared warm sentiments about Los Angeles during their acceptance speech.
Upcoming Oscars and Past Winners
Looking back at the previous year, Ludwig Göransson’s Oppenheimer won the Critics Choice Award for best original score, eventually claiming the Oscar. Meanwhile, “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie was awarded the best original song, although it was Oscar-nominated but lost to another Barbie song, “What Was I Made For?”
Chelsea Handler returned to host the Critics Choice Awards for the third consecutive year, with the event facing postponements due to wildfires in Los Angeles. The final-round of Oscar voting is set to take place from Feb. 11-18, leading up to the 97th Oscars hosted by Conan O’Brien on Sunday, March 2.
Critics Choice Award Nominees
Here are the nominees for the Critics Choice Award in the two music categories, with the winners indicated:
Best Song
“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl – Music by: Andrew Wyatt
Lyrics by: Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li
“Compress/Repress” – Challengers – Music by: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Lyrics by: Trent Reznor, Luca Guadagnino
WINNER: “El Mal” – Emilia Pérez – Music by: Clément Ducol, Camille
Lyrics by: Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard
“Harper and Will Go West” – Will & Harper – Sean Douglas, Kristen Wiig
“Kiss the Sky” – The Wild Robot – Music & Lyrics by: Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi
“Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez – Music & Lyrics by: Clément Ducol, Camille
Best Score
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Clément Ducol & Camille – Emilia Pérez
WINNER: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two
Conclusion
The 30th annual Critics Choice Awards showcased outstanding talent in the music industry, with Emilia Pérez and Challengers standing out as prominent winners. As the anticipation builds for the Oscars, the competition is fierce, but these exceptional artists have already left an indelible mark on the awards season.
FAQs
Q: Who won the Critics Choice Award for best original song?
A: The Critics Choice Award for best original song was won by “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez.
Q: Which film scored the Critics Choice Award for best original score?
A: The award for best original score went to Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross for Challengers.
Credit: www.billboard.com
