Adele to perform 'Skyfall' at the Academy Awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (AMPAS) recently announced that Grammy- and (now) Golden Globe-winning artist Adele will be performing her hit song, “Skyfall”, at the 85th Annual Academy Awards, reports Gregory Ellwood for HitFix on Jan. 23.

Adele (real name, Adele Adkins), along with co-writer Paul Epworth, are both nominated for Best Original Song during the Academy Awards. The nominated song is “Skyfall”, the theme song from the James Bond film of the same name (which is also nominated for 4 other Oscars, including Best Score—Thomas Newman and Best Cinematography—Roger Deakins).

"Skyfall", by Adele, Official Lyric Video"Skyfall", by Adele, Official Lyric Video

The song is the first Bond song to be nominated for the Oscar since “For Your Eyes Only” in 1981. As Ellwood outlines in his article, “The single [‘Skyfall’] hit no. 8 on the Billboard 100 and sold over 1.3 million digital downloads in the U.S. It already won the Golden Globe and Critics Choice' Award for best original song and is nominated for British Single of the year at the 2013 BRIT Awards.”

Her performance at the ceremony will be the first time she will perform since giving birth on Oct. 19, 2012. It will also be the first time the song itself is performed live, since she was unable to promote the song due to her pregnancy (as well as the late-in-production appearance of the song).

“We have enormous respect for Adele's unique artistry as a songwriter and a singer," said Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the producers of this year's Academy Awards show. "She is currently one of the most successful recording artists in the world, and we believe that her performance of 'Skyfall' will be an exciting Oscar moment for audiences watching at the Dolby Theatre™ and on television screens around the world."

Adele, 24-years-old, recently swept the Grammys, winning six awards at last year’s ceremony. It became the second-highest viewed show on television that year—edging out on the Oscars for the first time.

Other Best Original Song nominees include Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansenn, for which it’s uncertain whether they’ll perform their songs; “but you can bet Oscar host Seth MacFarlane finds time to belt out ‘Everybody Needs a Best Friend’,” concludes Ellwood.

The 85th Academy Awards will broadcast on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, on ABC starting at 8PM EST, 5PM PT. For more information, check out either Gregory Ellwood’s article for HitFix or the IMDB page for all nominees for every category.