If he didn't sound exactly the same, we'd say this was an impostor. Photo / Getty Images
If he didn't sound exactly the same, we'd say this was an impostor. Photo / Getty Images
Eminem shocked fans around the world after he gave viewers a surprise performance at the 2020 Academy Awards on Monday NZ time.
The 47-year-old rapper stunned the audience at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre when he stepped out for a rendition of his 2003 Best Song Oscar winner Lose Yourself from his movie 8 Mile.
The track won an Oscar for best original song the following year. Eminem skipped the awards show and missed out on performing it at the time.
On Twitter, he partially quoted the lyrics of the song following the head-turning performance that left some fans wondering why he was on the Oscars stage.
"Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity... Thanks for having me @TheAcademy. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here," he tweeted with a video clip of Barbra Streisand presenting the award years ago.
Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity... Thanks for having me @TheAcademy. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here. pic.twitter.com/CmSw2hmcZo
Eminem's appearance came following a montage of some of cinema's most iconic songs and how they can help elevate the films they are featured in.
Oscars producer Lynette Howell Taylor said the idea to have Eminem perform Lose Yourself 17 years after he won best original song came because they wanted to highlight how music impacts film.
"We made a show that was about impact and we wanted to do a segment on the impact of music. And we reached out to see if that was something he wanted to be involved in and we were just really lucky he said yes."
If he didn't sound exactly the same, we'd say this was an impostor. Photo / Getty Images
Earlier in the evening, Janelle Monae kicked off the event with a performance of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood from the film of the same name, paying tribute to the late Fred Rogers.
At one point, she sang directly to Tom Hanks, who portrayed the beloved children's entertainer in the movie, and after giving him her hat to wear, she took off her cardigan to belt out an original song dedicated to the year's nominees.
She was briefly joined by Pose star Billy Porter during the segment, and finished off with a swipe at the lack of female directing nominees and recognition for black actors.
She said: "We celebrate all the women who directed phenomenal films… Happy Black History Month."
Idina Menzel was joined for her performance of Into the Unknown from Frozen 2 by nine of the other actresses who portrayed Queen Elsa around the world.
She began alongside Norwegian singer Aurora, who also features on the track, before they were joined by fellow Elsas Maria Lucia Heiberg Rosenberg, Willemijn Verkaik, Takako Matsu, Carmen Garcia Saenz, Lisa Stokke, Kasia Łaska, Anna Buturlina, Gisela and Gam Wichayanee.
This Is Us actress Chrissy Metz performed at the ceremony for the first time, wowing the audience with a powerful rendition of I'm Standing With You from her film Breakthrough.
Cynthia Erivo was joined by a gospel choir when she took to the stage to sing Stand Up from her movie Harriet.
Randy Newman sat at a Steinway piano on a set of fake clouds with a blue sky backdrop for a jaunty rendition of his 13th Oscar-nominated song, Toy Story 4's I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away.
Sir Elton John was the final Best Song nominee to perform at the event, with I'm Gonna Love Me Again from Rocketman, which went on to win the award.
The 72-year-old sat at a red grand piano, wearing a bright purple suit with a pink shirt, in front of a colourful set and a giant pair of star-rimmed glasses.
