Janet Jackson and H.E.R. are among 17 film music pros invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, it was announced Thursday (July 1). They are part of a larger group of 395 people who were invited to join the Academy this year by all branches.
Those invited by the music branch include Jon Batiste, who won an Oscar for best original score in April for Soul (in tandem with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross); and H.E.R., Dernst Emile II (D’Mile) and Tiara Thomas, who won an Oscar for best original song for “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah.
Leslie Odom Jr., who was double-nominated this year for best original song for “Speak Now” from One Night in Miami… (which he co-wrote with Sam Ashworth) and best supporting actor for his portrayal of Sam Cooke in that film, was invited by both the music and acting branches.
The music branch also extended invitations to Emile Mosseri, who was nominated for best original score this year for Minari, and Jackson, who was nominated for best original song in 1993 for co-writing “Again” from Poetic Justice with her frequent collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
According to the Academy, membership selection decisions are based on professional qualifications, with representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority of Academy Aperture 2025.
The 2021 class is 46% women, 39% from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 53% from outside of the U.S., according to the Academy.
Of the Academy’s total membership, 33% are women, 19% are from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 22% are from outside of the U.S., also according to Academy figures.
The number of people invited to membership was limited to roughly half that of recent years. This was done to enable steady future growth and to ensure the necessary infrastructure, staff resources and environment to support all Academy members, according to the Academy.
The Academy’s board of governors voted on branch-specific guidelines to be applied in determining this year’s new membership invitees. Oscar winners and nominees were considered without limitation.
The music branch was one of seven branches that invited more women than men this year, and one of five branches that extended the majority of its invitations to people from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities. (The four other branches that met the latter test were actors, costume designers, directors and writers.)
The Academy announced, as it did last year, that “those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership” in 2021. This is seen as a way for the Academy to control the diversity figures.
There are 89 Oscar nominees, including 25 winners, among the 395 invitees.
Odom was one of eight people invited by two branches this year. Like the others, he will have to choose one branch to join. The other double invitees were Shaka King, Emerald Fennell, Craig Brewer, Lee Isaac Chung, Florian Zeller, Alexander Nanau and Kaouther Ben Hania.
Here’s a complete list of the 17 individuals invited by the music branch to join the Academy. The sample film credits are supplied by the Academy.
Jon Batiste – Soul, Red Hook Summer
Amanda Brown – Babyteeth, Red Obsession
Len Calvo – Finding Agnes
Dernst Emile II – Judas and the Black Messiah, The Photograph
H.E.R. – Judas and the Black Messiah, The Photograph
Janet Jackson – Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too?, Poetic Justice
Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum – In Case of Emergency, Remember Me
Aska Matsumiya – I’m Your Woman, Selah and the Spades
Emile Mosseri – Minari, The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Meshell Ndegeocello – How Stella Got Her Groove Back, love jones
Leslie Odom, Jr. – One Night in Miami…
Lolita Ritmanis – Blizzard of Souls, Wild Daze
Lisbeth Scott – All My Life, The Passion of the Christ
Adam Milo Smalley – Missing Link, The Town
Tiara Thomas – Judas and the Black Messiah
Pinar Toprak – Captain Marvel, The Angel
Amelia Warner – Wild Mountain Thyme, Mary Shelley
For the complete list of 2021 invitees, go here.
