“Listen” is the Beyoncé song from Dreamgirls that received an Academy Award nomination.
Beyoncé recorded “Listen” for the 2006 musical drama Dreamgirls, in which she played Deena Jones. The song was written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Beyoncé, with additional contributions from Henry Krieger, the composer of the original stage musical.
The song is performed near the end of the film as Deena asserts her independence and expresses feelings that had been suppressed during her relationship and career. It was created specifically for the film rather than being a song from the original Broadway score.
“Listen” was nominated for Best Original Song at the 79th Academy Awards. The film also featured Jennifer Hudson's performance of “And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going,” but that song was not the Oscar-nominated Beyoncé recording.