A Star is Born is easily one of the biggest film successes of the year so far and is one of the few that appear to be a shoo-in for Academy Awards recognition. The remake continues to perform fantastically at the box office and is also a smash critical hit, its praise extending to its direction, performances, and, of course, the music. Our own Max Covill referred to the film as having “all the ingredients for a massive success,” and he was obviously correct. The one definite edge A Star is Born has over some of its awards competition is its impeccable soundtrack, and a Best Original Song win seems to be in the bag.
Warner Bros. has officially confirmed the three tracks that will be campaigned for consideration this awards season: “Shallow,” “I’ll Always Remember Us This Way,” and “I’ll Never Love Again.” None of the songs selected is much of a surprise, but what is important to note is that Lady Gaga has a songwriting credit on all of them.
Gaga has been nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards in the past, for her song “Til It Happens to You” from the 2015 documentary The Hunting Ground. I wouldn’t be shocked if more than one song received a nomination (the Academy now only permits two song nominees per film) — and performance of both would certainly be a highlight for the Oscar ceremony telecast in February. “Shallow” is definitely the leading contender, however. Typically films with more than one contender in the category end up winning for its lead single — such was the case in 2017 when La La Land‘s “City of Stars” took home the gold despite “Auditions (The Fools Who Dream)” also being nominated.
While an Oscar for Gaga seems practically guaranteed in this category, her performance has also had major buzz in the conversation for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Gaga’s portrayal of waitress-turned-singer Ally is a raw yet layered performance that acts as one of the driving forces of the film — even though it’s somewhat a part that’s been played before and the fact that others were lined up for this character this time (namely Beyonce) it’s still quite hard to imagine anyone else taking on the role quite as successfully. In fact, with the exception of the Original Song category, a Best Actress nomination is one of the most likely nods to be received for A Star is Born.
If Gaga were to be nominated in both the Best Actress and Best Original Song categories, she would be the first person to be to do so in the same year (Mary J. Blige received a similar double nomination this past year for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Song). What’s more is that were Gaga to win in both of these categories, she would be the first individual to ever win for both acting and music categories in the same year.
Quite frankly, it wouldn’t be shocking if Gaga did win both Oscars. She’s the kind of multi-threat talent that audiences, critics, and awards committees adore. Not to mention the fact that her wins would make history — it’s an opportunity almost too good for the Academy to pass up.
The Oscars are Gaga’s to win this year, but this could also be a segue into an even bigger win for her: she might be well on her way to an EGOT title in the near future. The singer-actress already has a whopping six Grammys (and several more nominations), and while she has yet to win an Emmy, she’s already been nominated three times. Gaga hasn’t received any Tony nominations yet, but one will likely be coming her way soon: although currently unconfirmed, rumor has it that she will be starring in an upcoming Broadway revival of the musical Funny Girl.
It may be a while yet before Lady Gaga joins the exclusive list of talent to achieve EGOT status, but it is nowhere near the realm of impossibility. In fact, she is one of the more probable candidates to achieve this title in the near future. We can of course only speculate how long it might be until that day arrives, but what we do know is that she is likely soon to be one step closer to the title. Pay attention this awards season (and beyond) — Lady Gaga is a name we won’t be hearing less of any time soon.
Related Topics: A Star Is Born, Lady Gaga, Music, Oscars, soundtracks
