If you’ve watched Everything Everywhere All At Once, you might have been captivated by Mitski’s nominated duet with David Bryne. It’s a wonder why she wasn’t present at the Oscars. Many music enthusiasts are likely wondering the same thing. The song “This is A Life” was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, and its ethereal and grand quality probably made it worth staying until the end credits.
The movie, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels, is a funny and warm-hearted sci-fi action adventure featuring a tired Chinese American woman (Michelle Yeoh) who struggles to complete her tax returns. The summary of the film is as described.
The movie actually has a warm embrace and gives us a resonating connection to space. It can’t be loud, it can’t be fast, it needs to be a celebratory song that can’t be ignored. After watching the movie, David Byrne and Mitski reached out to them the next day and called Byrne to sing the last song in the movie. Lux Son recruited Daniels to compose the score for the film.
So, are Byrne and Lux Son ready to perform the Oscar-nominated song at the Oscars? I want to read more below to find out why Mitski isn’t there.
Why isn’t Mitski at the Oscars?
Why hasn’t Mitski commented on and contacted a representative from Pitchfork? The 94th Academy Awards, where Stephanie Hsu announced that Mitski would perform “This is A Life” with Lux Son and David Byrne, is being held by the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences.
Stephanie Hsu starred as Wang Jobu Tupaki/Joy, the daughter of Wang Waymond and Evelyn (played by Ke Quan Huy Michelle and Yeoh), in the movie. She received her first nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards and also received the Best Actress nomination for her portrayal. She made her Broadway debut in the musical “Squarepants The Spongebob,” voicing Karen. She appeared in the Legend of the Ten Rings as Chi Shang, coming from Queens. She also received the Breakthrough Performance Award at the Independent Spirit Awards.
“Cry, cry, cry,” my goodness my goodness like–it’s just the perfect ending to the song. It’s a fleeting moment in time, but it’s so tender and incredibly sweet. We’re doing our best and that’s what life is all about. The movie and the song provide some comfort in the cosmic swirl of meaninglessness. It captures these chaotic times and makes me feel incredibly peaceful. Throughout the entire song, you can feel that it’s about our own lives and it offers a sense of wholeness. I made the mistake of listening to it at the gym and it immediately brought me to tears. She told me how much she loved this song, “This Life.” She also sings a revealing part in her character’s song, “Sucked Into a Bagel,” Hsu.
Ryan Lott expressed, “The intention was to uplift our spirits, as the three prominent musicians were Son Lux, Ryan Lott – since I also create music independently – and Mitski. The presence of the first two can be easily explained by the fact that [he’s] been extensively listening to our music because he’s incorporating a significant amount of it into the film, resulting in him frequently playing new songs.” Son Lux shared with Below The Line how the collaboration among the three artists transpired after being approached by the Daniels. “The concept of involving Mitski arose not due to our existing friendship or previous collaborations, but because Daniel Kwan shared his Spotify year-end screenshot with us.”
While we were going through the dialogue, I realized that I wanted to write a song. The sign she held up on stage was a good indication of how early she was at the movie. It was impressive how many pots she had on the burners. We didn’t have any idea about the set or anything before we spoke to her. The song needed a sense of togetherness, just like the movie. We always imagined it as a duet. We should reach out and try to collaborate with the person who sent the message saying, “Yo! I’m a big fan because his name is the only way to explain why he’s such a big third name.”
On camera, she made an eccentric choice, much like it was just mentioned by Lott on Song Exploder. Instead of speaking her line, “Sucked into a bagel,” in a memorable scene in the film, where Stephanie Hsu’s character sings the exact same line, she decided to sing it herself. This particular line, “Sucked into a bagel,” has no direct connection to the song, but it serves as a beautiful harmonizing background vocal that Mitski created. Furthermore, Mitski later pays homage to Hsu’s line from “Sucked Into A Bagel” in her song “This Is A Life,” adding a delicate tribute.
Byrne David revealed that he loved Mitski’s work and was very excited about it. “It’s very original, what she’s doing,” he told Below The Line. He also mentioned that he was a fan of her performances, particularly the interesting choreography she brings up.
He also opened up about how he contributed to the song’s deadline. “And he said that the tone needs to pick up on the kind of craziness, rather than the kind of craziness the song has actually is. It’s actually a lot of heart in the movie, as whacky as it is. It’s about redemption and forgiveness, this kind of family coming together, actually coming together, rather than all the squabbling time that people are together.”