ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Beyhive is buzzing after St. Pete native, Will Packer, announced Tuesday that Beyoncé will perform “Be Alive” from “King Richard” at the 2022 Oscars.
She, along with Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, Reba McEntire, and Sebasián Yatra will all perform as Original Song nominees, Packer’s team said.
Van Morrison, who is also nominated for the original song “Down To Joy” from “Belfast”, will not perform due to a conflict related to his tour schedule. Packer’s team said he did receive an invitation. Beyonce, who has not graced the stage for any large-scale performance in years, will be performing as a first-time nominee.
Packer is a 1991 graduate of St. Petersburg High School. He'll be producing the 94th Oscars alongside Shayla Cowan. The duo will make history as the first all-Black producing team in Oscars history.
“To be a young man [who] grew up there in St. Pete, product of the ‘Burg', the Tampa Bay community — to be here helming Hollywood's biggest night is quite an honor. It means everything,” Packer told 10 Tampa Bay’s Emerald Morrow.
His appointment to producer comes just a few years after the trending #OscarsSoWhite hashtag sparked a wave of protests against The Academy, citing lack of diversity.
“Representation matters,” he said.
As for what to look for this Sunday, Packer said audiences can expect a show that diverges from years’ past with much more entertainment value.
“The Oscars for too long have felt like it’s just this kind of insider event and not an entertainment event for movie lovers everywhere,” he said. “It’s felt like it was for Hollywood by Hollywood, and ‘we’re the cool kids and you guys aren’t invited.’ But that’s not how I feel like we should be approaching this.”
Packer said, alongside his decades of experience in the industry producing successful films like “Girls Trip” and “Straight Outta Compton”, he hopes his rise to the top will inspire others and show what’s possible with some fortitude and grit.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” he said.