Ryan Gosling Confirmed To Perform "I'm Just Ken" From Barbie Live For The First Time

 Ryan Gosling has finally been confirmed to perform Barbie's standout ballad "I'm Just Ken" live during the Oscars broadcast on March 10.

Ryan Gosling has been confirmed to perform Barbie’s “I’m Just Ken” live at the Oscars. Gosling plays the main Ken in Barbie, for which he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. One of the more standout moments with Gosling’s Ken comes in his performance of the ballad “I’m Just Ken,” which is nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars.

As per Variety, Gosling has been confirmed to be performing “I’m Just Ken” live at the Oscars. Variety claimed that sources have informed them that the actor will sing the song live, but the Academy has not yet commented.

I’m Just Ken” Probably Won’t Win Best Original Song — But It Will Be An Oscars Highlight

This announcement follows months of questioning whether Gosling would end up performing the Barbie song at the Oscars. It is tradition for all the Best Original Song nominees to be performed live at the Academy Awards, but the original performers are not always the ones to do so at the ceremony. Gosling previously stated that the Oscars had not yet asked him to perform the song at the ceremony, but that he was “open to it.” “I’m Just Ken” songwriter Mark Ronson said that Gosling would be required for them to be willing to perform the piece.

The Best Original Song category this year includes two songs from Barbie: “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For?” Based on several factors, the latter song seems like the favorite to win the category. For one, “What Was I Made For?” won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for Barbie. Additionally, songwriter Billie Eilish is an Oscar alum, having previously won Best Original Song in 2022 for her eponymous “No Time To Die.” Eilish also performed the in memoriam song for the Oscars in 2020, so she has a good rapport with the awards.

What Was I Made For?” is also arguably the better song of the two, as it can be listened to and appreciated divorced from the context of Barbie, unlike “I’m Just Ken.” Nonetheless, “I’m Just Ken” is the far more extravagant of the two songs, lending itself well to a live Oscar performance. In a year wherein Barbie suffered from snubs for director Greta Gerwig and lead actress Margot Robbie, the film can at least be comforted by giving rise to what will likely be a highlight of this year’s Oscars ceremony.