“Listen” was the Beyoncé song from Dreamgirls nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Beyoncé recorded it for the 2006 musical film, in which she played singer Deena Jones.
The song was written by Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Beyoncé. It appears during a key point in Deena’s story, expressing her desire for independence and recognition within the fictional music group and its controlling management structure.
“Listen” was one of three Dreamgirls songs nominated for the Oscar at the 79th Academy Awards. The other nominated songs were “Love You I Do” and “Patience.” None of the three won; the award went to “I Need to Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth.
The song is sometimes confused with “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” the film’s best-known vocal showcase, which was performed by Jennifer Hudson as Effie White. Beyoncé’s nominated song is “Listen,” not that dramatic number.