It was inevitable, wasn’t it? Despite rumors to the contrary, Taylor Swift is in the Oscar race. And, no, it’s not for her performance as Bombalurina in Tom Hooper‘s big-screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster musical “Cats.” Instead, Swift has collaborated with Webber on a new song that is featured prominently in the holiday release.
WATCH: The first trailer for “Cats” with Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, Judi Dench and Idris Elba
First reported by the Daily Mail, the song, “Beautiful Ghosts,” will be sung in the context of the story by Francesa Hayward, who plays the key kitty Victoria. Swift will sing a different version that will play over the end credits. It’s also reported that Judi Dench will belt out a few bars during her performance as Old Deuteronomy. You can hear Swift sing some of the song in the featurette Universal released below.
Taylor will hope to join peers Lady Gaga and Adele in earning Oscars (and Golden Globe Awards) in the Best Original Song category. Webber and Tim Rice won the Oscar in 1997 for “You Must Love Me” from the Madonna-led “Evita.” Webber was also nominated in 2005 for a song he co-wrote with Charles Hart, “Learn to Be Lonely,” from the big screen version of “The Phantom of the Opera.” This would be Swift’s first Oscar nomination. She’s earned two Golden Globe nominations for 2012’s “Safe & Sound” from “The Hunger Games” and 2013’s “Sweeter Than Fiction” from “One Chance” the following year.
Hooper’s already polarizing epic is coming down to the wire and will likely not be seen in finished form until before its release on Dec. 20. The Universal Studios release also features Jennifer Hudson (singing the highly recognizable “Memory”), Idris Elba, Ian McKellen and James Corden.
This year’s Original Song race include tracks from “Frozen II,” “Toy Story 4,” “The Lion King,” “Rocketman,” “Aladdin,” “Wild Rose,” “Her Smell” and, potentially, “Charlie’s Angels,” among others.
