36 Singers and Musicians Who Have Won Oscars

From Lady Gaga to Cher, these musicians have had the honor of receiving the biggest award in Hollywood

Can you guess what  Billie Eilish ,  Jennifer Hudson ,  Sam Smith  and  Lionel Richie  share in common? Yes, they're all chart-topping singers — but did you know they're  Academy Award  winners too?

While Oscars are often handed out for artistic achievements in the film industry, many singers have won a golden statuette (or two) not just for lending their musical talents to critically acclaimed movies but for their acting chops as well.

From rappers to rockers to pop stars, here are 36 musicians you probably didn't know have taken home an Oscar.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga may not have won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in A Star Is Born (2018), but she did walk away with Best Original Song in 2019 for the film's big number, " Shallow ."

The singer was previously nominated in 2016 for Best Original Song for " Til It Happens to You " from the documentary film The Hunting Ground (2015). She received another nomination in the same category in 2023 for " Hold My Hand " from Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

Fun fact: Barbra Streisand won Best Original Song when she played the woman lead and wrote the love theme "Evergreen" for the 1976 adaptation of A Star Is Born .

Adele

Adele scooped up her first Oscar for Best Original Song in 2013 for " Skyfall ," the song from the 2012 James Bond movie of the same name. It was the first theme song from the Bond franchise to win an Oscar.

Barbra Streisand

In 1969, Streisand tied — an extremely rare occurrence at the Oscars — with the late Katharine Hepburn for Best Actress for her role in Funny Girl (1968). Streisand won her second Academy Award in 1977 for Best Original Song for "Evergreen," the love theme from A Star Is Born (1976).

She was later nominated in 1992 for Best Picture for producing her The Prince of Tides (1991) and for Best Original Song for "I Finally Found Someone" from Streisand's self-directed movie The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996).

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan won Best Original Song in 2001 for "Things Have Changed" from the dramedy Wonder Boys (2000). The singer, who was touring Australia during the broadcast, performed the song (and later accepted the award) via satellite.

Cher

Cher won Best Actress in 1988 for her role as Loretta Castorini in Moonstruck (1987). She was previously nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Silkwood (1983).

Common and John Legend

Common and John Legend 's powerful anthem "Glory" from Selma (2014) earned both artists a statuette. Following their win, Legend and Common called for action in the "struggle for justice and freedom" during their inspiring Oscars acceptance speech .

In 2018, Common was nominated for Best Original Song along with singer Andra Day for their collaboration "Stand Up for Something" with Diane Warren from Thurgood Marshall biopic Marshall (2017).

Elton John

Elton John  won an Oscar in 1995 for Best Original Song for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from the Disney animated film  The Lion King (1994). (His chances of winning were pretty high, considering he had three of the five nominations in the category.)

In 2020, John won his second Academy Award for Best Original Song alongside his longtime music partner  Bernie Taupin  for " (I'm Gonna) Love Me Again " from his biopic  Rocketman  (2019).

Eminem

In 2003, rapper Eminem earned his first Oscar nomination — and win! — for "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile (2002). Em didn't attend the ceremony, so his co-writer, Luis Resto, accepted the honor solo. However, Eminem performed "Lose Yourself" at the Oscars in 2020 in a surprise appearance 18 years after taking home the trophy.

Juicy J, DJ Paul and Frayser Boy

Juicy J, DJ Paul and Frayser Boy of the Tennessee-based hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia won Best Original Song in 2006 for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from Hustle & Flow (2005) . The win marked the second time a rap song won the coveted award; even better, the group made history by delivering the first-ever live performance of a hip-hop song at the ceremony.

Jared Leto

Thirty Seconds to Mars musician  Jared Leto 's portrayal of Rayon in  Dallas Buyers Club  (2013) earned him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2014.

Jennifer Hudson

The American Idol  alum and  EGOT recipient  won Best Supporting Actress in 2007 for portraying Effie White in  Dreamgirls  (2006).

Lionel Richie

Richie's "Say You, Say Me" from the musical drama  White Nights  (1985) earned him the Best Original Song Oscar in 1986. That same year, Richie was also nominated in the same category for his song "Miss Celie's Blues" from  The Color Purple  (1985), along with  Quincy Jones  and the late songwriter and producer Rod Temperton.

He'd previously been nominated for Best Original Song in 1982 for "Endless Love" from the  Brooke Shields -led 1981 romantic drama of the same name.

Melissa Etheridge

Melissa Etheridge won Best Original Song in 2007 for "I Need to Wake Up" from the documentary An Inconvenient Truth (2006).

Phil Collins

For  Phil Collins , the third time was the charm: After two previous nominations, the musician won Best Original Song in 2000 for "You'll Be in My Heart" from Disney's animated adventure flick  Tarzan  (1999).

His first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song was for "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" from the romantic thriller  Against All Odds  (1984), while his second nomination in the category was for "Two Hearts" with the late singer-songwriter  Lamont Dozier  from the crime comedy  Buster  (1988).

Sam Smith

The British singer-songwriter collected the Best Original Song trophy in 2016 for " Writing's on the Wall ," a song they co-wrote for the Bond film Spectre (2015).

Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder 's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from The Woman in Red (1984) scored Best Original Song in 1985.

Carly Simon

Carly Simon 's Working Girl (1988) track "Let the River Run" earned her the Best Original Song Oscar in 1989.

Bruce Springsteen

In 1994,  Bruce Springsteen  won Best Original Song for "Streets of Philadelphia" from the  Tom Hanks  and  Denzel Washington  legal drama  Philadelphia  (1993).

Two years later, Springsteen received a second nomination in the same category for the "Dead Man Walkin'" track from the crime drama  Dead Man Walking (1995).

Randy Newman

Singer-songwriter Randy Newman 's Academy Award win in 2002 for "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters, Inc. (2001) was a cause for celebration — it came after Newman set a record for the most Oscar nominations (15!) without a single win.

Newman was previously nominated for Best Original Song and Best Original Score for his work on films like Ragtime (1981), The Natural (1984), Parenthood (1989), Toy Story (1995), James and the Giant Peach (1996), A Bug's Life (1998) and Toy Story 2 (1999).

Luckily for Newman, he didn't have to wait quite as long for his second win. He won his second Oscar in 2011 for Best Original Song for "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3 (2010).

Prince

In 1985, the  late musician Prince  won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score — a rare category only offered on limited occasions when there are enough qualifying musicals — for his iconic film  Purple Rain  (1984).

H.E.R.

H.E.R. won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2021 for her song "Fight for You" from Judas and the Black Messiah (2021). She composed the song with producer Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II and singer-songwriter Tiara Thomas.

Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Jon Batiste  — former  Late Show with Stephen Colbert  bandleader and Grammy Award-winner  Jon Batiste  — won the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 2021 for the Pixar film  Soul  (2020). He received the award with his co-composers,  Trent Reznor  and Atticus Ross (better known as the rock group Nine Inch Nails). 

While it was Batiste's first Oscar nomination, Reznor and Ross were actually competing against themselves in the category that year because they were also nominated for Best Original Score for  Mank  (2020). A decade prior, though, the rock duo took Best Original Score in 2011 for  The Social Network  (2010).

Alongside esteemed songwriter Dan Wilson, Batiste earned his second Oscar nomination in 2024 for Best Original Song for "It Never Went Away," which appears in his Netflix documentary  American Symphony  (2023).

Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell

When Eilish and her brother (and frequent collaborator)  Finneas O'Connell  won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2022 for " No Time to Die " from the  eponymous 2021 Bond movie , the win came with two notable distinctions. The song was the third consecutive Bond theme to win Best Original Song, and Eilish was the  first person born in the 21st century  to win an Oscar.

In 2024, Eilish received her second career Oscar nomination in the same category for " What Was I Made For? " from  Barbie (2023), which she also co-wrote with O'Connell.

Questlove

Though Questlove is best known for his work in music and as the drummer in the Philadelphia rap group The Roots , he won an Oscar in 2022 for Best Documentary Feature for his directorial debut in Summer of Soul (2021). The film explores the Harlem Cultural Festival during the summer of 1969.

The Beatles

Although bandmates  Paul McCartney ,  John Lennon ,  Ringo Starr  and  George Harrison  won their first Oscar statuette together for Best Original Song Score in 1971 for their documentary film  Let It Be  (1970), McCartney is the only  Beatles  member to be nominated solo.

McCartney has also received two nominations for Best Original Song: one in 1974 for "Live and Let Die" from the 1973 spy flick of the same name, and another in 2002 for the titular track from the  Tom Cruise -starring film  Vanilla Sky  (2001).

Annie Lennox

Scottish singer-songwriter  Annie Lennox  became a first-time Oscar winner in 2004 when she claimed Best Original Song for "Into the West," the closing-credits song she performed for  The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King  (2003).

Frank Sinatra

When he wasn't making listeners swoon over the radio, the late  Frank Sinatra  was charming the Academy on the silver screen with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar-winning turn in  From Here to Eternity  (1953).

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