Anohni, the first transgender performer to be nominated for an Oscar, has decided to boycott the ceremony this year.
The singer wrote an essay for the online music magazine Pitchfork about why she will be skipping the ceremony. While other best original song nominees Sam Smith, Lady Gaga and the Weeknd will be performing during the broadcast, Anohni’s performance was cut due to time constraints. Anohni is nominated for ‘Manta Ray’, a collaboration with J. Ralph, for the documentary Racing Extinction .
“I am the only transgendered performer ever to have been nominated for an Academy Award, and for that I thank the artists who nominated me. I was in Asia when I found out the news,” Anohni wrote. “A week later, Sam Smith, Lady Gaga, and the Weeknd were rolled out as the evening’s entertainment with more performers ‘soon to be announced.’ Confused, I sat and waited. Would someone be in touch? But as time bore on I heard nothing,” the singer said.
Published - February 27, 2016 01:53 am IST
