Taylor Swift, David Byrne and The Weeknd invited to join The Academy
Each year, The Academy invite a new crop of industry professionals to join the organisation. This year over 300 names have made the list, from writers to producers to musicians.
Last year, The Academy invited Billie Eilish and her brother and producer Finneas to join their ranks after they won ‘Best Original Song’ for No Time To Die. This year’s list contains even more big names in music, including Taylor Swift, David Byrne and The Weeknd.
Talking Heads frontman David Byrne is credited for his work on the seven-time Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All at Once, as well as for his contributions to the soundtrack for the 1987 The Last Emperor alongside Ryuichi Sakamoto. Byrne was nominated for ‘Best Original Song’ for the former and won ‘Best Original Score’ for the latter.
Taylor Swift’s nod notes her contribution to Where the Crawdads Sing. Swift wrote an original song titled ‘Carolina’ for the 2022 film, which made the shortlist for ‘Best Original Song’ but didn’t quite receive a nomination.
The Weeknd, also known as Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, also made the shortlist for the award in 2022. He contributed the original song ‘Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)’ to James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel Avatar: The Way of Water.
To gain an invite, industry professionals must receive two sponsorships from two current Academy members from their chosen branch. Academy Award nominees and winners are exempt from this requirement.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang shared, “The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership. They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide.”
Watch David Byrne accept his Academy Award at the 1988 ceremony below.
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