“I Lied To You” Surges 240% in U.S. Streams Following Oscars Performance
More listeners are turning to the Sinners soundtrack after the film’s strong Oscars showing last weekend, giving the project a major streaming lift in the days following the ceremony.
According to data provided to Billboard from Luminate, the Sinners compilation soundtrack brought in 756,000 official on demand U.S. streams on March 16, the day after the Academy Awards. That marked a 150% increase from the 310,000 streams recorded the week before on March 9.
The biggest jump came from one of the soundtrack’s standout records, “I Lied To You,” performed by Miles Caton and produced by Raphael Saadiq. The track climbed from 45,000 official on demand U.S. streams on March 9 to 154,000 on March 16, a 240% increase.
“I Lied To You” Remains One of the Film’s Defining Moments
The renewed attention around the song is not surprising given how central it is to one of Sinners’ most talked about scenes.
In the film, “I Lied To You” is performed by Caton’s character, Sammie Moore, during a juke joint sequence opened by his cousins Smoke and Stack, both played by Michael B. Jordan. The moment unfolds against the wishes of Sammie’s pastor father and becomes more than just a performance.
As Sammie sings the blues, the scene pulls together echoes of Black music and dance across generations, blending the past, present, and future into a single visual and sonic moment.
That scene has remained one of the film’s emotional and artistic high points, and the Oscars appearance appears to have pushed even more viewers and listeners back toward the soundtrack.
Oscars Performance Helped Drive Fresh Attention
Caton and Saadiq performed “I Lied To You” live during the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, adding another layer of visibility to the record.
Their performance also included surprise appearances from Brittany Howard, Shaboozey, Rhiannon Giddens, and others.
Legendary ballet dancer Misty Copeland also appeared onstage. Her appearance carried added meaning because her “Firebird” dance is referenced in the film’s “I Lied To You” sequence, creating a direct connection between the Oscars performance and the imagery from the film.
It was one of only two musical performances featured during the ceremony, giving the moment even more prominence on a crowded awards night.
Another Soundtrack Winner Emerged from the Ceremony
The other featured musical performance came from KPop Demon Hunters, with “Golden” performed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, who sing for the fictional group HUNTR/X in the film.
That soundtrack was already performing strongly before the Oscars and had won a Grammy in February for Best Song Written for Visual Media. After making history as the first K Pop song to win Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, KPop Demon Hunters also saw a major jump in listener activity.
According to the same Billboard report, the soundtrack pulled in 5.1 million streams the day after the ceremony, while “Golden” alone gained 1.68 million official on demand U.S. streams.
