Backstage Video Emerges of Ariana DeBose Practicing 'Disaster' BAFTAs Show

After going viral for the opinion dividing woman rap at the BAFTAs, new backstage footage of Ariana DeBose practicing has gone viral online.

Academy Award-winner DeBose performed an upbeat song at Sunday's British Academy Film Awards, but it was slammed as "dreadful" and "humiliating" by some. A clip of DeBose rapping about all the female acting nominees went viral online, with a reference to Angela Bassett in particular getting the meme treatment.

Now, the musical director of DeBose's performance, Benjamin Rauhala, has shared some previously unseen content of the singer practicing backstage.

Alongside the 35-second video, Rauhala wrote it was filmed "backstage with Ariana DeBose, getting ready to do the thing at the BAFTAs."

DeBose recites the lyrics to her rap while getting her makeup applied both in her dressing room, and at the side of the stage before entering.

"We had so much fun celebrating the brilliant female nominees at the BAFTAs!" Rauhala wrote in captions on the video. "It was an honor to give love to all of these iconic women, and to get the party started!"

Responding to the cultural impact the song has received, Rauhala continued, "We are giggling at everyone who has our campy little number stuck in their head. Thank you for the love, and the hilarious memes."

"We had the BEST time putting this together for our friends at the BAFTAs. What a moment!" Rauhala wrote and added, "She did the thing."

While DeBose deactivated her Twitter account after her song started trending, she responded to some of the memes on Instagram, commenting on a collection saying, "Honestly I love this."

Unlike other parts of the internet, where some had called the performance and the reaction a "disaster", positivity for DeBose's performance swelled in the comment section of Rauhala's TikTok video.

"She was getting ready to make HISTORY," one user commented while the official BBC account commented that the video was "iconic" in all caps.

Others were happy to watch the video as it clarified aspects of DeBose's live performance on the night. "So she planned to say Angela Bassett like that," one person said, noting the ear-catching way she pronounced the Black Panther actress's name. "So the Angela Bassett line was intentional," @aevious wrote. "This prequel changes everything."

Over on Twitter, Broadway director Rauhala had been sharing memes and videos of people referencing the "Angela Bassett" line. By Wednesday, he wrote, "I can't believe we became the new 'uncut gems.' I am...a little obsessed!" The Uncut Gems reference is a nod to Julia Fox's viral moment in 2022 where she pronounced the name of her movie in an unusual way. Not long after DeBose's performance, Rauhala supported DeBose's viral statement. "Also, you cannot deny that Angela Bassett did—and always DOES—the thing," he said.

He also shared a short gif of DeBose and Bassett talking to each other on the day of the BAFTAs.

DeBose's wider performance included partial covers of "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" and "We Are Family" while the female nominees portion was sandwiched in between. It was just the rap that went viral though, as the BAFTA and BBC social media accounts shared the videos, with over 10 million people viewing them.