‘Angela Bassett did the thing:’ Ariana DeBose’s personalised Baftas musical rap goes viral
‘Ariana DeBose, you’re an Oscar winner you don’t have to do this,’ wrote one person
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
![Louise Thomas](https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/support-us/louise-thomas.png)
Louise Thomas
Editor
Ariana DeBose has gone viral thanks to her performance at the Baftas.
DeBose – known for her roles in Hamilton and Westworld – won the Best Supporting Actress Bafta last year for her role in West Side Story.
The actor, 32, returned to the awards ceremony this year, where she performed a song inspired by this year’s leading actress and supporting actress nominees.
The Baftas took place on Sunday (19 February) at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Richard E Grant served as host for the evening. You can see the biggest talking points from the awards show here.
During the ceremony, DeBose performed a rendition of the Eurythmics 1985 hit track “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves”.
Partway through the song, DeBose introduced a rap in which she namechecked all the female stars in the audience, to whom the camera panned when they were mentioned.
“All the ladies in the room, supporting and leading all here I presume,” she sings.
“Hong Chau; Dolly D; Kerry; and Carey with a C; Dame Emma, I’m so fond; Ana girl, you were great in Blonde; Danielle D, you broke my heart; Michelle, I’ve loved you from the start.
“Angela Bassett, did the thing. Viola Davis my Woman King. Blanchett, Cate, you’re a genius; Jamie Lee, you are all of us.”
Many viewers, however, found the musical moment “cringey”.
“Can’t stop thinking about this, it’s haunting me,” wrote one person.
Another added: “Pissing myself laughing at this Ariana DeBose Bafta song. Why did this happen?”
“Can’t say I was a fan of that rapping,” said a third person.
There was confusion elsewhere during the ceremony when Carey Mulligan was incorrectly named winner of the Best Supporting Actress award.
Last year’s Best Supporting Actor winner, CODA star Troy Kotsur, presented the award using sing language.
While Kotsur was signing that Banshees of Inisherin actor Kerry Condon had won, the sign language interpreter mistakenly said the name Carey Mulligan.
War drama All Quiet on the Western Front led the nominations this year with a whopping 14 nods, followed by The Banshees of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All at Once, which both got 10 each.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments