These pitch-perfect tunes stole the show

Oscar-nominated musicians break down how they penned catchy songs for the screen

- Story by Michael Ordoña

THE 2026 ORIGINAL SONG CONTENDERS COME FROM DEEP inside the characters singing them: a simple man wistfully looking back on his ordinary life; a budding bluesman with talent to burn down the house; a 17-time Oscar nominee; a demon-hunting K-pop star channeling the real-life singer-song-writer behind her; and a joyous expression of life from inside a documentary’s main “character,” a retirement home for musicians.

'DEAR ME' from 'Diane Warren: Relentless' Music and lyrics by Diane Warren

When 17-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren agreed to be in a documentary about her life, she found herself back in her childhood home in Van Nuys specifically the bathroom where she wrote songs as an angsty teen.

"The acoustics in that bathroom were always great," she says. "It was cool to go back and look at the bedroom window I used to sneak out of. I'm always connected to that 14-year-old me, with a guitar my dad bought me." Inspired by the documentary's examination of her troubled youth, Warren wrote an "It gets better" ballad sung by Kesha: "Dear me, it's gonna be all right, all right Trust me, all of the pain is gonna fade." "I get notes from all ages; the song makes them feel like they could hug the little kid inside them," says Warren. "It's a love song to your younger self."

'GOLDEN' from 'KPop Demon Hunters' Music and lyrics by Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy Park

Though "Golden" went to No. 1 and has been winning awards, singer and co-writer Ejae still connects "one hundred million percent" to its painful roots in her own, frustrated K-pop dreams.