Ken or Billie: Who will win this year’s Oscar for Best Original Song?

The annual prize is one of the most coveted trophies in music, and this year the competition is fierce. Roisin O’Connor looks at the merits of each contender, from Ryan Gosling and Billie Eilish on the ‘Barbie’ soundtrack, to Jon Batiste’s emotional ballad

(AP / Getty / Warner Bros)

An Oscar for Best Original Song sits high on many a musician’s list of “dream career moments”. This was very evident at the Academy Awards in 2019, when an emotional Lady Gaga – already the recipient of three Brit Awards, six Grammys and a Golden Globe – won for her song “Shallow”, the lead single from the soundtrack to A Star is Born.

“All I have to say is that this is hard work,” she said, struggling to catch her breath as she delivered her acceptance speech. “I have worked hard for a long time, and it’s not about winning. What it’s about is not giving up. If you have a dream, fight for it.”

She continued: “It’s not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down or get beaten up. It’s about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going. Thank you.”

Five years ago, Gaga and her co-star Bradley Cooper, who also sings on the track, were deemed clear favourites and seemed to sail through to Oscars glory. The 2024 awards, however, are a different story. Let’s take a look at the contenders.

“The Fire Inside” – Becky G (Flamin’ Hot)

Eva Longoria’s feature-length directorial debut tells the story of the (debated) origins of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos through the eyes of Richard Montañez, the man who claims to have invented them. Its lead single, “The Fire Inside”, was written by the legendary Diane Warren, widely regarded as one of the greatest pop songwriters of all time, and adds some extra flavour to the film’s tale of passion and perseverance.

“The Fire Inside” is performed by American-Mexican artist Becky G to an earthy Reggaeton beat; it has that distinctive whistle running through, possibly a deliberate nod to the unique tradition of whistling in Mexico. The lyrics very clearly tap into the movie’s central message: “They will tell you you’re crazy/ They will call you a fool/ They will think they can stop you/ But there’s no stopping you.”

Becky G is up for Best Original Song with her track, ‘The Fire Inside’ (AP)

“I’m Just Ken” – Ryan Gosling (Barbie)

The spectacular “I’m Just Ken” was performed by Ryan Gosling, who stars as Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie: The Movie, and produced and co-written by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt.

It’s a little like something New Zealand comedy music duo Flight of the Conchords might have come up with if they were writing a score for Flash Gordon. Gosling’s dramatic performance is the perfect match for Ronson and Wyatt’s Eighties-style power ballad, which is melodramatic in the extreme. It’s almost three songs in one, veering from My Chemical Romance-level emo into Van Halen power ballad territory (the late artist’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen, actually plays on the track) and Elton John pomp.

Beneath the fun facade, though, the song manages to tap into the film’s themes just as successfully as Eilish’s. Gerwig and Gosling’s Ken is caught in the trappings of his own fragile masculinity, in love with Barbie but clueless as to how best to express his feelings. There’s a very subtle nod to the classic “good guy”, who claims to be a feminist but quickly shows his true colours when rejected: “Spent my life being so polite/ But I’ll sleep alone tonight.”

Ryan Gosling performing ‘I’m Just Ken’ in the Barbie movie (Atlantic Records)

“It Never Went Away” – Jon Batise (American Symphony)

Jon Batiste’s Oscar nomination for Best Original Song serves as the lead track in a feature documentary about his own life. American Symphony is Netflix’s fascinating, moving exploration of a year in the life of the extraordinary US artist, while supporting his wife through her treatment for leukemia.

“It Never Went Away” is a tribute to the kind of love that endures. Batiste and his wife – journalist, musician and author Suleika Jaouad – met at summer camp when they were 12 and 14.

Over sparse piano notes he sings with a disarming frankness, in simple phrasing: “Summertime adventure/ That's what we were meant for.” There’s a duality in the meaning behind the refrain: “It never went away.” As well as the love he has for his wife, Batiste could also be mourning the return of his wife’s cancer, 10 years after she first went into remission. It’s a beautiful song, and exactly the kind of tear-jerker that could win hearts at the Oscars.

Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’ (Netflix)

“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” – Osage Tribal Singers (Killers of the Flower Moon)

Written by Osage Nation music consultant and composer Scott George, “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” features in the closing dance scene of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.

George, the first Native American to receive an Academy Award nomination for music and lyrics, told Osage News that he and language director Vann Bighorse wanted to write something that expressed what the Osage people had gone through “and still go through today”.

Regardless of whether you understand the language, “Wahzhazhe” holds a power over the listener. The sudden heavy beat of the drum hits you like a hand to the chest; the choir of voices rise and fall together hypnotically.

Lily Gladstone (centre) in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (AP)

“What Was I Made For?” – Billie Eilish (Barbie)

Delivered in Eilish’s diaphanous falsetto over soft piano chords, “What Was I Made For” touches on themes of self-worth, fame, and the struggle to meet impossible standards. “Looked so alive/ Turns out I’m not real/ Just something you paid for,” she sings.

These are subjects Eilish knows well, but they also overlap beautifully with the ones Gerwig and lead star Margot Robbie tackle in Barbie, as the doll character tries to track down the cause of her growing disillusionment with her perfect, plastic world. Paired with Robbie’s moving performance in a moment towards the end of the film, the song went viral on TikTok as women used it to soundtrack their pain, trauma and heartache.

Billie Eilish won a Golden Globe for Best Song (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

Who’s going to win?

“What Was I Made For” is the kind of song the Oscars voters tend to love. It’s romantic and moving, with an important message at its heart. It also got off to a good start after winning the Best Song category at the Golden Globes. On streaming, too, it’s by far the most popular of the five, with 500 million additional streams against “I’m Just Ken”.

However, Ronson took home the Critics’ Choice Award, meaning the two songs are pretty much neck-and-neck so far this awards season. Both are up for the Oscar, while Eilish scooped the Grammy for Best Song for Visual Media. Eilish and her brother/songwriting partner Finneas also won the Oscar for Best Song in 2022, for their James Bond theme “No Time to Die”, meaning the voters might feel inclined to give someone else the recognition.

Batiste is already a hot favourite at awards ceremonies, having received 11 nominations at the 2021 Grammys alone. His song is also perfect Oscars fodder: sweeping and sentimental, but straight-forward. “Fire Inside”, while catchy, fails to grab the imagination in the same way, with its “nothing can hold you back” theme coming off rather pat when compared to Batiste’s emotional heft.

Non-English language songs rarely win, with “Naatu Naatu” from Indian epic RRR last year becoming the first one to triumph since Slumdog Millionaire track “Jai Ho” in 2014. However, after Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone – one of the favourites to win Best Actress – reminded the Golden Globes audience of the erasure Hollywood has previously attempted on Indigenous people – perhaps the academy will have this in mind when they cast their votes for Best Song?

The Academy Awards take place on Sunday 10 March. See all of the Oscars 2024 nominations here.