When Adrian Quesada saw an early version of the trailer for “Sing Sing," sent to him by the film’s director, he immediately reached out to fellow musician Abraham Alexander.

“Adrian sent me a text, it was the trailer and the message was, ‘I dare you not to cry’,” Alexander said. “And I sure did, I was bawling, and then he asked if I’d be willing to write a song for the film.”

The resulting song, “Like a Bird,” landed the two an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, something both say is a surreal experience.

“There are days where I wake up and I still can’t believe we’re Academy Award nominees,” Quesada said. “It’s not something I would have ever dreamt or imagined in my life.”

Quesada, a songwriter and producer, most known for his work with the Austin band, The Black Pumas, and Alexander, a singer and songwriter from Fort Worth, described their road to the Oscars, their creative process and the impact of “Sing Sing” when they recently stopped by Moody College of Communication for a thoughtful panel and Q&A with students.

“If a song makes five people’s day-to-day brighter, then that’s how you start to change the world,” Quesada said. “Then in the case of “Sing Sing,” you see the power of the program they talk about in the film, it was literally called Rehabilitation Through the Arts, you see the power that art has to rehabilitate people and give people a sense of purpose.”  

The film, produced by Moody College Radio-Television-Film (RTF) alumna, Monique Walton, tells the story of John “Divine G” Whitfield, imprisoned at Sing Sing penitentiary, who finds his purpose by acting in a theater group alongside other incarcerated men. Based on a true story, “Sing Sing," in addition to the Best Original Song nod, has been nominated for three Oscars, including Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.

“Something that I care about is being part of something that’s bigger than myself,” Alexander said, speaking on the film’s themes of resilience and the transformative power of art. “This was such an incredible opportunity to be part of something that can make a change or a shift, even if it’s just for a moment, and I felt that was extremely important.”

With six Oscar nominations, “Anora” also has University of Texas ties. The film’s cinematographer, Drew Daniels, is another Moody College RTF alumnus. “Anora” has already garnered significant acclaim, having won multiple BAFTA awards, a Critics Choice Award, and the Palme d’Or award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

No matter who goes home with a win during the 97^th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2, Quesada and Alexander point out that art, whether music or film, is worth celebrating, and encouraged students to unapologetically follow whatever creative paths they’re most drawn to.

“Art is a universal language,” Alexander said. “When the world can’t necessarily understand itself or each other, that art is the medium that helps us understand one another, it helps us understand the chaos that’s happening, and so I’m so grateful for it.”