The musician is a member of the Academy and has previously performed at the ceremony.
Questlove is bringing his talent and expertise to the 2021 Oscars! Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh, who are producing the 93rd Oscars, announced on Wednesday that the 50-year-old founding member of The Roots will serve as the musical director for this year's show.
Questlove (real name: Ahmir Khalib Thompson) is a member of the Academy and has previously performed at the Oscars. The drummer, DJ, producer, author and five-time GRAMMY winner is currently the musical director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The Roots also serve as the show's house band.
Questlove has previously held musical directing positions with artists like D’Angelo, Eminem and JAY-Z. On top of that, he's also executive produced the documentary series Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America. His directorial debut, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), took home the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for Best U.S. Documentary at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Next up, he's set to direct a documentary about Sly Stone.
In addition to the exciting news about Questlove, Collins, Sher and Soderbergh also announced on Wednesday that Rob Paine will serve as supervising producer, with Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, Dionne Harmon and Raj Kapoor as co-producers. Taryn Hurd has been named talent producer for the eighth consecutive year.
Meanwhile, Jon Macks will be the show's head writer, while Amberia Allen, Rodney Barnes, dream hampton, Richard LaGravenese and Mitchell Marchand have all been tapped as writers. David Rockwell and Robert Dickinson will serve as the production designer and lighting designer, respectively.
The 93rd Academy Awards, which is set to be an intimate, Zoom-free affair, will air Sunday, April 25 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC.
RELATED CONTENT:
