{"id":896143,"date":"2026-04-01T08:22:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T13:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/01\/7-best-2026-oscars-music-moments-you-didnt-see-on-tv\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T08:22:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T13:22:32","slug":"7-best-2026-oscars-music-moments-you-didnt-see-on-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/01\/7-best-2026-oscars-music-moments-you-didnt-see-on-tv\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Best 2026 Oscars Music Moments You Didn\u2019t See\u00a0on\u00a0TV"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Music <\/p>\n<div id=\"post-1236200009\">\n<header>\n<p><em>Billboard<\/em>\u00a0was inside the Dolby Theatre for two\u00a0elaborately staged production numbers, Barbra Streisand&#8217;s touching tribute to a former co-star, Josh Groban&#8217;s comic moment and more.<\/p>\n<p><time datetime=\"2019-09-03\"><br \/>\n\t3\/16\/2026<br \/>\n<\/time>\n\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/P104S200-e1773645908707.jpg?w=942&#038;h=628&#038;crop=1\" alt=\"music Josh Groban at the 98th Annual Oscars held at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California.\" srcset  height width decoding=\"async\"><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption>\n<p><span class>Josh Groban at the 98th Annual Oscars held at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite>Rich Polk\/Penske Media<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div>\n<p>\n\tMusic again played a key role on this year\u2019s Oscars, if not quite as big a role as last year when <em>Wicked<\/em> stars <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/ariana-grande\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/ariana-grande\/\">Ariana Grande<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/cynthia-erivo\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/cynthia-erivo\/\">Cynthia Erivo<\/a> opened the show with a three-song medley of songs from <em>The Wizard of Oz<\/em>, <em>The Wiz<\/em> and <em>Wicked<\/em>. But this year\u2019s show did include elaborately-staged performances of two of the five nominated songs \u2013 as well as a touching performance by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/barbra-streisand\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/barbra-streisand\/\">Barbra Streisand<\/a> in tribute to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/robert-redford\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/robert-redford\/\">Robert Redford<\/a>, her co-star in <em>The Way We Were<\/em>. And the show allowed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/josh-groban\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/josh-groban\/\">Josh Groban<\/a> a chance to show off his fun side.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tSeveral anniversaries were saluted. Five key members of the cast of <em>Bridesmaids<\/em> marked the 15th anniversary of that film\u2019s release by reuniting to present the awards for best original score and best sound. \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/nicole-kidman\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/nicole-kidman\/\">Nicole Kidman<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/ewan-mcgregor\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/ewan-mcgregor\/\">Ewan MacGregor<\/a> marked the 25th anniversary of <em>Moulin Rogue<\/em> by performing snippets of a few songs from that film\u2019s \u201cElephant Love Medley,\u201d before presenting best picture. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/lionel-richie\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/lionel-richie\/\">Lionel Richie <\/a>presented the award for best original song, 40 years after he won it for \u201cSay You, Say Me\u201d from <em>White Nights<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/zendaya\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/zendaya\/\">Zendaya<\/a> was tabbed to co-present a major award (best director) with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/robert-pattinson\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/robert-pattinson\/\">Robert Pattinson<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t<em>KPop Demon Hunters<\/em> won in both of the categories it was nominated in \u2013 best animated feature and best original song. <em>Marty Supreme<\/em> experienced the opposite fate, going 0-9 on the night.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tBut that was all part of the onscreen action Oscar viewers could enjoy from the comfort of their couches. <em>Billboard<\/em> was inside the Dolby Theater on Sunday night and caught a few music moments the cameras missed. Below, find the seven music moments you didn\u2019t see on TV.<\/p>\n<div id=\"pmc-gallery-vertical\">\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h2>Music <strong>Josh Groban Got to Show His Fun Side<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\n\tWhen Josh Groban was announced as a performer on this year\u2019s Oscars, without any details provided, many probably assumed he\u2019d be singing in the In Memoriam spot. And he would have been great in that role, showing the dignity and gravitas that we usually associate with him. Instead, he was allowed to be silly and show his fun side performing a number called \u201cI Won\u201d with host Conan O\u2019Brien. We don\u2019t often get to see that side of him, and he really scored. You could tell he was pleased with how the bit went during his long walk from center stage to stage right.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h2>Music <strong>A DJ Who Kept the Mood Lively During Commercial Breaks<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>\n\tThe DJ for this show deserved some kind of award for playing songs both vintage and current to keep the audience\u2019s spirits up during commercial breaks. Some of the vintage songs we heard were Marvin Gaye &#038; Tammi Terrell\u2019s 1967 classic \u201cAin\u2019t No Mountain High Enough\u201d and Kool &#038; the Gang\u2019s supremely funky 1974 hit \u201cHollywood Swinging.\u201d (Since the Dolby Theatre is on Hollywood Blvd. in the heart of Hollywood, it was entirely appropriate.) We also heard Chic\u2019s 1979 smash \u201cGood Times\u201d and a-ha\u2019s 1985 classic \u201cTake on Me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tSome of the more recent songs were Chappell Roan\u2019s \u201cHot to Go!,\u201d RAYE\u2019s \u201cWhere Is My Husband!\u201d and Sombr\u2019s \u201c12 to 12.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tUnsurprisingly, Bruno Mars was well-represented on the DJ\u2019s list, with his current smash \u201cI Just Might;\u201d his 2024 smash \u201cAPT.\u201d with Ros\u00e9; and his 2021 Silk Sonic hit \u201cSkate.\u201d Free advice to Bruno: Do a film song. They know you. They love you. An Oscar would look nice alongside your 16 Grammys.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h2>Music <strong>Elaborate Production Numbers for <em>Sinners<\/em> and <em>KPop Demon Hunters<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>\n\tWe knew going into the ceremony that two of the five nominated songs would be heavily featured and that the other three would just be included in a video package that preceded the announcement of the winner. But we didn\u2019t know just how elaborate the production numbers would be, or how brief the mentions of the other songs would be. Last year, the Oscars included behind-the-scenes interview segments with all of the nominated songwriters. Not this year.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe production number for \u201cI Lied to You\u201d from <em>Sinners <\/em>was one of the most elaborately staged in Oscar history. There were more than 20 musicians and dancers on stage. And they kept going after the show cut to a commercial, still swaying to the music, until stagehands ushered them offstage.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t(Shaboozey was featured in that production number. During the next commercial break, the DJ played Shaboozey\u2019s \u201cA Bar Song (Tipsy).\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>\n\tIt was a similar story with HUNTR\/X\u2019s performance of \u201cGolden\u201d from <em>KPop Demon Hunters<\/em>. The Oscars placed wristbands that light up on the back of every seat to encourage the audience to create a light show during the performance. After the performance, the EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI hugged each other before stagehands also led them off stage. (No matter how big you score on the Oscars, you have to quickly make way for the next stage set-up.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h2>Music <strong>A \u201cGolden\u201d Moment Tarnished<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\n\t\u201cGolden\u201d was written by seven songwriters, so they weren\u2019t all going to get a chance to give thanks. EJAE gave a rather lengthy speech. When one of her co-writers \u2014 Yu-Han Lee, also known as Yuhan \u2014 jumped in to add his thank-you\u2019s, the music kicked in and the Oscars went to a commercial break. Just before they did, another co-writer, Mark Sonnenblick, jumped up and down in an animated way as if he hoped causing a commotion would get the show\u2019s director to reverse his decision to cut away. It didn\u2019t work. If it looked on TV like Sonnenblick was genuinely upset, when the songwriters walked off stage, he patted EJAE on the back, so there didn\u2019t seem to be any lingering resentment over her monopolizing the mic.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h2>Music <strong>Barbra Streisand Saluted an Old Friend<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>\n\tBarbra Streisand paid tribute to Robert Redford, her co-star in <em>The Way We Were<\/em>, one of the most iconic romantic dramas of its time. She capped the tribute by singing a few lines from film\u2019s title song. It\u2019s the second time she has performed the song on the Oscars during the In Memoriam segment. She sang it in 2013 in honor of the song\u2019s composer, Marvin Hamlisch. This year\u2019s In Memoriam segment also included the song\u2019s co-lyricist Alan Bergman, who, along with his late wife Marilyn were also dear friends of Streisand\u2019s, but the star didn\u2019t mention him in her remarks.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tStreisand made her first appearance on the Oscars in 1968 when she presented best original song (which went that year to \u201cTalk to the Animals\u201d). Very few performers in Oscar history have made appearances on the Oscar stage spanning nearly 60 years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h2>Music <strong>A Funny Bit That Scored<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\n\tConan O\u2019Brien and Sterling K. Brown did a funny bit based on reports that films may start repeating plot points more often for benefit of today\u2019s distracted, multitasking audiences. O\u2019Brien and his writers tweaked the concept with a funny sketch based on <em>Casablanca<\/em>, with O\u2019Brien stepping into Humphrey Bogart\u2019s role as Rick and Brown taking on Dooley Wilson\u2019s part as Sam. What you didn\u2019t see was that after the bit concluded, the men shook hands and then O\u2019Brien bowed at his scene partner. It was a well-written, well-executed bit, well worth a bow.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h2>Music <strong>Security at the Oscars<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>\n\t\u201cSecurity is very tight. There\u2019s concern about attacks from both the ballet and opera worlds,\u201d Conan O\u2019Brien said near the top of the show, in a clever way of acknowledging Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet\u2019s recent verbal gaffe (without piling on too much).<\/p>\n<p>\n\tSecurity is indeed very tight at the Oscars. You\u2019re told ahead of time that anything you have in your car will be searched. And they\u2019re not kidding. Hollywood Blvd. is shut down for several blocks around the Dolby. As you drive down that long, oddly traffic-free expanse, there are multiple checkpoints. You\u2019re asked to pop your hood and your trunk and roll down all your windows. A bomb-sniffing dog then inspects your car. We all know the world we\u2019re living in, but it is certainly a sobering aspect of a glittery event.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/\" title=\"Billboard\"><br \/>\n\t\t<svg style=\"height:100%;width:100%\" viewBox=\"0 0 455.133 94.711\"><path d=\"M70.107 28.859h21.318V93.69H70.107zM95.834 3.51h21.312v90.18H95.834zm25.723 0h21.312v90.18h-21.312zm250.711 32.035v-6.686h-21.315V93.69h21.315V62.792c0-7.949 4.154-12.237 11.728-12.237h2.522V28.229c-6.432.253-11.1 2.271-14.25 7.316M80.764 0c-6.822 0-12.359 5.535-12.359 12.361s5.537 12.363 12.359 12.363c6.828 0 12.361-5.537 12.361-12.363S87.592 0 80.764 0m244.457 33.795c-2.996-3.268-9.967-5.965-15.26-5.965-16.098 0-27.646 10.613-30.473 26.389-3.082-15.135-16.273-26.78-32.359-26.78-16.24 0-29.537 11.781-32.444 27.2-2.822-16.026-15.428-26.648-31.061-26.648-5.801 0-10.596 1.262-14.76 4.16V3.521h-21.312V93.7h20.938v-5.93c5.045 4.668 10.467 6.812 17.154 6.812 14.398 0 26.52-11.271 29.113-26.807 3.055 15.203 16.169 26.76 32.373 26.76 16.065 0 28.949-11.312 32.228-26.125 2.711 16.18 15.531 26.301 30.854 26.301 5.293 0 11.099-1.771 15.009-4.668V93.7h21.312V65.327q.002-1.745-.031-3.406.033-1.66.031-3.405V28.969h-21.312zM181.355 73.948c-6.826 0-12.359-5.535-12.359-12.363 0-6.824 5.533-12.358 12.359-12.358 6.824 0 12.359 5.534 12.359 12.358.001 6.828-5.534 12.363-12.359 12.363m65.774-.99c-6.822 0-12.361-5.539-12.361-12.363s5.539-12.358 12.361-12.358c6.824 0 12.359 5.535 12.359 12.358.001 6.823-5.532 12.363-12.359 12.363m64.047.392c-6.826 0-12.354-5.539-12.354-12.363s5.527-12.358 12.354-12.358c6.832 0 12.359 5.535 12.359 12.358.001 6.824-5.527 12.363-12.359 12.363M433.815 3.5v28.631c-4.156-2.9-8.949-4.16-14.757-4.16-17.782 0-31.654 13.746-31.654 33.55 0 18.664 13.368 33.043 29.642 33.043 6.68 0 12.103-2.146 17.152-6.811v5.928h20.938V3.5zm-12.553 70.288c-6.817 0-12.354-5.539-12.354-12.358 0-6.828 5.535-12.365 12.354-12.365 6.828 0 12.363 5.537 12.363 12.365 0 6.819-5.535 12.358-12.363 12.358M36.072 27.99c-5.803 0-10.594 1.262-14.76 4.16V3.521H0V93.7h20.936v-5.93c5.045 4.668 10.469 6.812 17.156 6.812 16.268 0 29.637-14.383 29.637-33.047 0-19.797-13.874-33.545-31.657-33.545m-2.269 45.958c-6.824 0-12.359-5.535-12.359-12.363 0-6.824 5.535-12.358 12.359-12.358 6.826 0 12.359 5.534 12.359 12.358 0 6.828-5.533 12.363-12.359 12.363\" \/><\/svg>\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cloud.email.billboard.com\/signup\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n\tSign Up<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/lists\/best-2026-oscars-music-moments-you-didnt-see-on-tv\/\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Music Billboard\u00a0was inside the Dolby Theatre for two\u00a0elaborately staged production numbers, Barbra Streisand&#8217;s touching tribute to a former co-star, Josh Groban&#8217;s comic moment and more. 3\/16\/2026 Josh Groban at the 98th Annual Oscars held at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. Rich Polk\/Penske Media Music again played a key role on this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":896144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[131522],"class_list":{"0":"post-896143","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business-news","8":"tag-podcast-music"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=896143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896143\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/896144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=896143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=896143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=896143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}