Rita Ora delivered a riveting rendition of “Grateful” on Sunday at the 87th Oscars. The uplifting ballad, penned by Diane Warren and nominated for Best Original Song, was featured on the “Beyond the Lights” soundtrack.
The acclaimed 24-year-old British singer (“I Will Never let You Down,” “Black Widow”) had changed out of her red carpet gown for the performance and into a large and flowing black and white dress, complete with black leather gloves and striking red lipstick.
Gina Prince-Bythewood (“Love and Basketball”) wrote and directed “Beyond the Lights,” which centers around a rising pop star, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, struggling to adjust to her newfound fame and overbearing manager-mother Minnie Driver. Nate Parker also stars in the film as Mbatha-Raw’s love interest, a police officer who does everything in his power to help the young starlet cope.
It was the fourth musical performance of the evening, following “Everything Is Awesome” (“The Lego Movie”), “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” (“Glen Campbell… I’ll Be Me”) and “Lost Stars (“Begin Again”), with “Glory,” from Ava DuVernay‘s “Selma,” still yet to come.