Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste also secured Best Original Score for their work on Disney/Pixar's Soul
(Image credit: ABC via Getty Images)
H.E.R. and Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste were among those to scoop Oscars at the 93rd Academy Awards last night (April 25).
Fight For You – taken from 2021 drama film Judas and the Black Messiah – earned H.E.R. the award for Best Original Song, while Reznor, Ross and Batiste secured the Best Original Score award for their work in Disney/Pixar's Soul.
Receiving her award, H.E.R said: “I did not expect to win this… I am so, so, so grateful. Not only to win but also to be a part of such an important story. Thank you to the academy – I’ve always wanted to say that – and of course, my collaborators, D’Mile and Tiara Thomas, the song wouldn’t be what it was without them.
“Musicians, filmmakers I believe we have an opportunity and responsibility to tell the truth and to write history the way that it was and how it connects us to today and what we see going on in the world today,” she added
“Knowledge is power, music is power and as long as I’m standing I’m always going to fight for us, I’m always going to fight for my people and fight for what’s right and I think that’s what music does and that’s what storytelling does.”
Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story of Fred Hampton – portrayed by Daniel Kaluuya – leader of political organization the Black Panthers in the late '60s. The film also won Kaluuya the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
With Fight For You, H.E.R. beat songs from The Trial of the Chicago 7, Eurovision Song Contest:The Story Of Fire Saga, The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se) and One Night in Miami.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Watch H.E.R.'s performance of Fight For You at the Oscars pre-show below.
Meanwhile, the Soul soundtrack saw Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste beat out Emile Mosseri, Terence Blanchard and James Newton Howard for their work in Minari, Da 5 Bloods and News of the World, respectively.
The trio also received the Golden Globe for Best Original Score for Soul at this year's ceremony, held in February.
Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.