The Oscars Ceremony of 2024 was packed with shocking cameos and all-American grandiosity. However, Ryan Gosling’s live performance of “I’m Just Ken” alongside legendary music producer Mark Ronson, Guns ‘N’ Roses lead guitarist Slash, and a host of his Barbie movie co-stars completely and utterly stole the show.
Cloaked in fuchsia, sparkles, and a cowboy hat, Ryan Gosling took to the Oscars stage to perform his Hollywood musical hit. It was shamelessly campy and a sight to be seen; the only non-pink scrap of his outfit were his shades. Gosling’s crowd control was impeccable, streaked with comedy and class. He even ventured through his A-List audience, sharing the mic with Barbie co-stars Margot Robbie and America Ferrera.
As the lead actor of the biggest blockbuster movie of Summer 2023, all eyes were set on Gosling. This A-List actor, aged 43, had already proven his musical talent after taking a lead role in the 2016 musical sensation “La La Land” with Emma Stone, but was his voice still up to scratch? Singing live and without auto-tune, Gosling’s frontman power remained startlingly awesome, absolutely explosive once matched with Slash (58) and Mark Ronson (48).
Born in London, Ontario, Canada, Ryan Gosling found fame as a 1990s child actor, starring in hit family series including “The Mickey Mouse Club,” “Are You Afraid Of The Dark?” and “Goosebumps.” He drove his career into adulthood with a lead role in the 2004 romantic comedy “The Notebook,” opposite Rachel McAdams, before cementing his fame with “La La Land,” and a host of stellar movies in-between.
Winning one Golden Globe Award, an MTV Movie & TV award, amongst countless prestigious nominations, Ryan Gosling has become a household name, on par with his Oscars collaborators, Slash and Mark Ronson.
Slash continues to make waves in the rock music world nearly 40 years after the release of Guns ‘N’ Roses’ debut album, “Appetite for Destruction,” which gave the scene its first taste of Slash’s trademark guitar sound, as heard in his “I’m Just Ken” collaboration.
Mark Ronson, meanwhile, is the legendary music producer behind Amy Winehouse’s second and final album, Back To Black. He also co-wrote and co-produced just about every hit from the Barbie soundtrack including Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night”, Sam Smith’s “Man I Am” and Ryan Gosling’s track in question: “I Am Ken.”
As if Gosling hadn’t already topped his own star power enough with these two iconic music collaborations on a single stage, his Oscars performance was backed by over 65 backing dancers including his Barbie co-stars, “the Kens”: Simu Liu (34), Ncuti Gatwa (31), Kingsley Ben-Adir (37), and Scott Evans (40).