Canadian Music at the 2026 Oscars: July Talk's Peter Dreimanis Performs With 'Sinners' Cast, Patrick Watson Gets a Shoutout
The night also featured a major animatiion sweep for Kpop Demon Hunters, which was co-created by Canadian Maggie Kang.
On Sunday (March 15), the 2026 Oscars was a big moment for Kpop Demon Hunters — and for Canadian musical talent.
From Toronto’s Maggie Kang winning best animated feature for KPop Demon Hunters to Montreal’s Patrick Watson receiving a special shoutout for his soundtrack work to July Talk’s Peter Dreimanis reprising his Sinners role, during the Oscar-nominated performance of Miles Caton’s “I Lied To You," there was CanCon all over if you knew where to look.
Here are the best Canadian moments from the 2026 Oscars:
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Wins Best Animated Feature Film
Throughout awards season, KPop Demon Hunters has amassed a series of wins. Co-directed by Chris Appelhans and Korean-Canadian artist and writer Maggie Kang, at last night’s ceremony, the duo, alongside producer Micjelle Wong, took home best animated feature film for the highly-popular Netflix musical flick. It’s a notable feat for the film to receive such major recognition, bringing the Kpop genre even further into the global mainstream.
"To all the fans who got us here and for all of those who look like me, I am so sorry that it took us so long to see us in a movie like this," Kang said. "But it is here, and that means that the next generations don't have to go longing. This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere."
The animated movie spotlights fictional K-pop girl group Rumi, Mira and Zoey, who fight demon hunters to protect their fans from ever-present supernatural danger. The trio, known as HUNTER/X — with singing voices by EJAE, Audrey Nuna & REI AMI — have scored major entries on the Billboard Canada charts, including the chart-topping “Golden,” which took home the award for best original song. The track spent five weeks at No. 1 in Canada, and currently sits at No. 12.
The group's performance of the song was one of the highlights of the ceremony, turning the Hollywood broadcast into a full-on Kpop concert.
While the group’s acceptance speech was cut short, they were able to finish it backstage.
‘The Girl Who Cried Pearls’ Filmmakers Shoutout Canada
Two Montrealers, Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, took home best animated short film for their project, The Girl Who Cried Pearls. Set in their hometown, the 17-minute stop-motion centres on a young boy who meets and falls in love with a girl who secretly weeps pearls at night.
The animation duo went on to thank the community that helped bring the movie to life, including the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), the film’s producers and other "wonderful collaborators," mentioning Brigitte Henry, Colm Feore, James Heinemann and musician Patrick Watson, who soundtracked the film. The Montreal singer’s album, Uh Oh, recently cracked the top 20 on the Billboard Canada Albums chart. He's currently on a hot streak, recently becoming the first artist with a song in French to pass a billion streams on Spotify.
Towards the end of their speech, Szczerbowski squeezed in a special shoutout to their home country. "We just really want to thank our amazing neighbourhood and the amazingly talented community of artists that we've had the superb luck to work with," he said. "Thank you, the fantastic city of Montreal. Thank you, Canada."
July Talk’s Peter Dreimanis Reprises His ‘Sinners’ Role
Last year, Sinners took the film industry by storm. Fusing music and horror, the Oscar-winning Ryan Coogler-directed project brought a string of new talent to the forefront, including Miles Caton and Peter Dreimanis, one of the co-lead singers of Toronto alt-rock band July Talk.
Coogler reportedly sought out Dreimanis after hearing his cover of Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising," which was featured in 2015’s Green Room, a major influence on Sinners. After a series of auditions, Dreimanis landed the role of Bert, a singing vampire alongside Lola Kirke’s Joan and Jack O’Connell’s Remmick. The trio reprised their roles during newcomer Caton’s Oscar-nominated performance of “I Lied to You,” mirroring the eerie film scene in front of the award show’s audience.
With appearances from ballet dancer Misty Copeland, Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard, chart-topping country singer Shaboozey and more, the performance celebrated the legacy of Black music and art.
Find the full list of 2026 Oscar winners here.
