RAYE has revealed she was “so nervous” to cover ‘Skyfall’ at the Oscars this weekend, claiming that “no one can sing Adele like Adele”.
At the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night (March 2), she joined Doja Cat and BLACKPINK’s Lisa for a medley of classic James Bond themes to celebrate the legendary spy movie franchise.
While Doja took on Shirley Bassey’s ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ and Lisa sang Paul McCartney’s ‘Live And Let Die’, RAYE had the unenviable task of taking on Adele’s 2012 Bond theme.
Shortly after the performance, Entertainment Tonight caught up with RAYE to get her thoughts on gracing one of the biggest stages in the entertainment industry. “It was such an exhilarating performance, also no one can sing Adele like Adele, and it’s scary,” she said. “It was terrifying but also so incredible at the same time.”
RAYE, Doja and Lisa released the collaborative single ‘Born Again’ last month, which was later included on Lisa’s debut album ‘Alter Ego’, and RAYE described sharing the stage with them as “so electric”, adding: “We just have a beautiful chemistry and I just love those girls. They’re so kind and hard working and inspiring.”
She also noted that while she sang with her eyes closed, she opened them at the end and ”Ariana was there at the front, she stood up and she clapped. It doesn’t matter what anybody else things because Ariana loved it and I’m happy with that.”
On Monday (March 3), RAYE took to Instagram to share the video of her performance. “Was sooo nervous to sing this song because no one can sing Adele like Adele, but I tried my very best,” she wrote. “I am just so grateful to the Oscars Academy for this invitation to sing on this stage.”
RAYE and Adele are both alumni of the BRIT School, although Adele had already graduated from the BPI-funded institution before RAYE enrolled there.
The entire Bond sequence received mixed reviews online, with Doja Cat herself admitting to having felt nervous during her section and conceding that she “hit some flats” during ‘Diamonds Are Forever’.
The tribute to the Bond franchise came just days after news broke that the films will now be controlled by Amazon MGM Studios after they acquired the rights from the long-time producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. It ends more than 60 years of the Broccoli family overseeing the franchise.
The acquisition has been met with sharp criticism by fans, with one claiming that “it’s clearly the end of the franchise for long-time Bond fans”.
