The Oscars dedicated a significant amount of time to honoring the James Bond franchise. Halle Berry, who starred in 2002’s Die Another Day, spoke about how great it was to work with longtime James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson onstage at the Oscars, before introducing the tribute to the spy franchise. This tribute came just over a week after it was announced that Amazon would be taking over creative control of the James Bond franchise from the Broccoli family.
Given the timing of this tribute, it felt like more of a funeral to the Broccoli era of the James Bond franchise, rather than a celebration of the many movies. Regardless, it was still great to see iconic clips from James Bond movies during the Academy Awards. In addition to the montage of the franchise, three of the best James Bond theme songs were performed at the Oscars. Therefore, a lot of attention was placed on the James Bond franchise during the 2025 Oscars.
Who Performed During The Oscars 2025’s James Bond Tribute – All Songs Explained
Lisa, Doja Cat, & Raye Performed James Bond Themes At The Oscars
During the 2025 Academy Awards, Lisa, Doja Cat, and Raye performed some of the most iconic theme songs from the long-running James Bond franchise. Firstly, Lisa performed “Live and Let Die.” Lisa is a popular Thai rapper, singer, and actress who is currently starring in season 3 of The White Lotus. “Live and Let Die” was originally performed by Paul McCartney for the 1973 James Bond movie of the same name.
After Lisa, Doja Cat, who has become one of the most popular rappers and singers in the world over the past few years, performed “Diamonds Are Forever.” This song served as the theme song for the Sean Connery-led James Bond film of the same name, and was originally sung by Shirley Bᴀssey. “Diamonds Are Forever” was Bᴀssey’s second James Bond theme song, as she also sang the theme of Goldfinger.
Finally, British singer-songwriter Raye performed “Skyfall.” Not only is 2012’s Skyfall Daniel Craig’s most popular 007 movie, but its theme is often regarded as the best James Bond theme song. “Skyfall” was originally performed by Adele, who has continuously been praised for her vocals ever since the song was released.
Why Song Performances Were Used For The Oscars 2025’s James Bond Tribute
James Bond Has A Lot Of Amazing Theme Songs
Ahead of the 2025 Oscars, it was revealed that unlike in recent years, the ceremony wouldn’t include performances of the Best Original Song nominees. However, this didn’t mean that the Oscars were cutting out musical performances entirely. In addition to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s performance at the 2025 Academy Awards, the Oscars also made room for the three aforementioned James Bond musical numbers.
“Live and Let Die,” “Diamonds Are Forever,” and “Skyfall” are three of the most iconic Bond theme songs.
Music has always been an important part of the James Bond franchise, so it made sense that these performances were included during the ceremony. “Live and Let Die,” “Diamonds Are Forever,” and “Skyfall” are three of the most iconic Bond theme songs. While the first two songs were from Bond films that came out in the 1970s, “Skyfall” represented the newer era of James Bond films. For more updates on the Academy Awards, keep up with Screen Rants’ 2025 Oscars winners list.
