Through the 2024 Oscars ceremony, Ryan Gosling took to the stage with everybody from Simu Liu to Slash to carry out “I’m Simply Ken” — one of many breakout (and award-nominated) songs from Barbie.
Within the film, “I’m Simply Ken” is an excellent heightened quantity, because the Kens rev themselves up for an inter-Ken world, and principally represents their thought of the patriarchy breaking on the seams. The Kens rally to battle one another with sports activities gear and pastime horses, an enormous musical manifestation of their poisonous masculinity. Finally Gosling’s Ken and Simu Liu’s Ken bump chests and the sequence melds right into a dream ballet, the place the 2 factions of Kens have an aggressive dance-off.
Through the present, “I’m Simply Ken” began off proper after the award for Finest Sound, with Ryan Gosling in a glittery pink swimsuit crooning from behind Margot Robbie. He slowly sauntered as much as the stage, joined by a gaggle of dancers in tuxedos, pink sashes, and cowboy hats (together with fellow Kens, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Ncuti Gatwa). The dancers proceeded to interact in the same mock fight-dance, with Gosling karate chopping pink items of pink wooden. Stage awash with pink gentle, Gosling continued to croon in a sea of big Barbie face props, earlier than becoming a member of Slash from Weapons ‘N Roses rocking out on the guitar. Then, he went down into the viewers to get the remainder of the Barbie solid in on the motion.
It was, in a phrase, Kennough.
“I’m Simply Ken” wasn’t the one nominated music from Barbie. Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”, the melancholy quantity that performs on the finish of the film as Barbie realizes she needs to be extra than simply an thought, was additionally on the roster. Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, her brother and frequent collaborator, carried out the quantity earlier within the evening. In the long run, it was “What Was I Made For?” that took dwelling the Oscar gold — however “I’m Simply Ken” actually was a enjoyable time.