Janelle Monáe started the Oscars on a high note as she gave a dazzling performance on Sunday night. Donning a red sweater, the 34-year-old singer opened the show by performing the theme song to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. She even shared a special moment with Tom Hanks, who played Fred Rogers in the Oscar-nominated film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, as she stepped into the crowd and gave him her hat.
The performance only got better from there as she sang “Come Alive (The War of the Roses)” alongside Billy Porter. During her number, she made a point to call out the show’s lack of diversity this year by singing, “It’s time to come alive because the Oscars is so white!” “Tonight we celebrate all the amazing talent in this room,” she said to the crowd. “We celebrate all the women who directed phenomenal films. And I’m so proud to stand here as a black queer artist telling stories. Happy Black History Month.” See more clips and photos of her performance ahead.
