‘Wicked: For Good,’ ‘Sinners,’ ‘F1’ Lead Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominations

The 2025 Hollywood Music in Media Awards has announced its nominees, celebrating outstanding musical contributions to visual media like film, television, and video games. Leading the field is the musical "Wicked: For Good," which secured six nominations, while the drama "Sinners" follows closely with five. Both the racing movie "F1" and "The Ballad of Wallis Island" earned four nominations apiece, reflecting a year of remarkable musical achievement across diverse genres.

This year’s ceremony is scheduled for November 19th at The Avalon in Hollywood, California. The Avalon, a landmark venue that originally opened in 1927 as the Hollywood Playhouse, has long been a stage for major entertainment events, lending a sense of history to the proceedings. Performers confirmed for the evening range from internationally recognized stars to promising newcomers, including EJAE, Rei Ami, and Audrey Nuna performing music from "Kpop Demon Hunters," Miles Caton from "Sinners," and Bono, who will appear in conjunction with his documentary "Bono: Stories of Surrender."

Across the Feature Film song category, Miley Cyrus’s track "Dream As One" from "Avatar: Fire and Ash" is pitted against Ed Sheeran’s "Drive," featured in "F1." In animation, "Golden" from "Kpop Demon Hunters" and Shakira’s "Zoo" for "Zootopia 2" are both in contention. The documentary song category is highlighted by "Dear Me" from "Diane Warren: Relentless," a collaboration between Kesha and the legendary songwriter Diane Warren. Warren, who received an honorary Academy Award in 2022, has been nominated for 14 competitive Oscars, cementing her status as one of the most influential composers in cinema history.

Instrumental score categories are equally competitive, recognizing the composers who shape a film’s emotional core. Nominees for the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film score include Alexandre Desplat for "Jurassic World Rebirth" and the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails for "Tron Ares." Meanwhile, the Feature Film score category sees industry titans like Hans Zimmer ("F1"), Ludwig Göransson ("Sinners"), and John Powell ("Wicked: For Good") competing for the honor. According to one music critic, "The diversity in this year’s score nominations—from blockbuster franchises to intimate dramas—shows that compelling musical storytelling is now seen as indispensable, regardless of a film’s budget or genre."

Additional notable categories include Music-Themed Film, Biopic, or Musical, where "Wicked: For Good" and "The Ballad of Wallis Island" are nominated, and Music Documentary, which features films about Billy Idol, Bono, and Jeff Buckley. The music supervision nominees—such as Dominick Amendum for "Wicked: For Good" and Gary Welch for "The Ballad of Wallis Island"—are recognized for their essential role in curating a film’s soundtrack. This growing acknowledgment highlights how crucial music supervision has become in defining a movie’s final auditory identity and emotional resonance.