The country star will perform 'Somehow You Do' from 'Four Good Days' at Sunday's ceremony.
Reba McEntire is ready to take the Oscars by storm! ET's Cassie DiLaura spoke with the 66-year-old country star ahead of her performance of "Somehow You Do," from the film Four Good Days, at Sunday's ceremony, and she couldn't contain her excitement over the opportunity.
"I feel good about it. I’m getting to sing a Diane Warren song," she said of the track, which is nominated for Best Song. "It’s for a movie that I did enjoy watching, because it did have a happy ending, thank God. Four Good Days had a wonderful message of hope... It’s got a lot of encouragement in the song and the movie, so I’m really glad to be a part of it."
As for what fans can expect from her performance, McEntire said, "The song speaks for itself. I don’t think there’s any other star on the stage other than that song, so we're going to do our best to represent it."
McEntire, who last performed at the Oscars back in 1991, said she's "really thrilled" to make her return.
"I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to be glitz and glamour," she said, noting that she's opted for two Dolce & Gabbana looks for the event.
"A lot of the artists and stars that I love to watch on the screen and television are gonna be there, so I’m really looking forward to it," McEntire added, before sharing that she's especially looking forward to seeing Marlee Matlin and the rest of the cast of Coda, which she called "a great, great movie."
The day after the ceremony, McEntire will celebrate her 67th birthday, for which her only wish is to "remain happy and be surrounded by the people I love."
While the birthday festivities won't be as glamorous as the Academy Awards, McEntire is looking forward to spending the day with friends and indulging a bit.
"Rex Linn, my boyfriend, is gonna have some friends over -- my friends, his friends -- and we're gonna order up some pizza and everything that I haven’t been able to eat for the last four months... I had to lose weight for the tour. I’m losing my COVID weight," she said, before quipping, "It was sure a lot more fun and a lot easier to gain than it is to get rid of."
In between the Oscars and the birthday celebrations, McEntire is busy marking the release of My Chains Are Gone on CD and DVD. The projects feature McEntire performing some of the most beloved hymns of all time, while the DVD offers a recording of the singer's 2017 first-ever solo headlining show at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium and features special guests including Trisha Yearwood and Kelly Clarkson.
"We had recorded an album, a gospel album, before and we had also gone into the Ryman Auditorium and filmed me doing a gospel show with some of my other hits in 2017. We had the time to put it all together during COVID, really work on it, hone in on it, and then add some new songs to it and make it a package that I think the fans will get a great kick out of," McEntire told ET. "It's very inspirational. I think it will be good for a lot of people’s hearts."
My Chains Are Gone is out now on CD and DVD. You can catch McEntire's performance of "Somehow You Do" when the 2022 Oscars air live on Sunday, March 27 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. In the meantime, stay tuned to ETonline.com for complete Oscars coverage.
Tune in to Friday's episode of Entertainment Tonight for more of ET's interview with the singer.
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