Best Musical Moment of the Oscars: AR Rahman & John Legend

Forget the ode-to-Musicals theme and performances from last night's Oscars: The true history-making musical moment of the night was when AR Rahman became the first Indian to receive 2 Oscars, procuring a double win for Best Original Score and Song. The performance of the nominees for Best Original Song was the highlight of the night, as 3 very beautiful numbers were up for the win: "O Saya" featuring MIA, and "Jai Ho", both by AR Rahman, written for Slumdog Millionaire, and "Down to Earth" by Peter Gabriel, from Wall*E. Rahman and singer John Legend, in place of Gabriel, delivered remarkable performances together.


The 3 nominated songs were combined into a brief medley and were performed by the unlikely but talented pair of Rahman, a renown Bollywood composer, and Legend, a young American R&B singer and pianist. (MIA couldn't be there to accompany Rahman since she gave birth to her first baby boy last week!) The performance erupted in a swirl of fuchsia as dancers clad in Indian-inspired costume swarmed the stage to the beat of Rahman's outstanding song, "O Saya". As the many drummers supplied the foundation for the beat-based song, the humble super-producer demonstrated his passionate vocals. The mood then simmered down as Legend emerged to sing the beautiful lyrics of "Down to Earth", written for the surprisingly deep and masterfully sound-edited animated film Wall*E. The audience was hit with another blast of culture as Legend's backing vocalists from the Soweto Gospel Choir appeared, dressed in colorful, traditional African garb. The Indian ensemble then recaptured the stage for Rahman's lively "Jai Ho", and the performance ended with Rahman and Legend singing simultanneously, mash-up style.

Afterward, when Rahman accepted the award for "Jai Ho", he remarked:
"All my life I've had a choice of hate and love. I chose love, and I'm here. God bless."

Official hero? You bet.


To see Rahman and Legend's performance yourself, click here.

Rahman's wins both celebrated Slumdog Millionaire's great success (8 Oscars total) as well as represented a victory for the entire nation of India. Check out the people's reaction here.

~CLICK HERE to read my post from last month about the Slumdog Millionaire film & soundtrack!~

Don't forget to download "O Saya", "Jai Ho", and "Down to Earth"!