City of Stars


"City of Stars" is a song performed by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in the film La La Land. The music of the song was composed by Justin Hurwitz while the lyrics were provided by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The song won numerous awards, including the award for Best Original Song at both the 74th Golden Globe Awards and 89th Academy Awards.
Another version of the song was also released as a 'Hollywood remix' but was not used in the original film. "City of Stars" was released as a single in Italy on March 3, 2017.

Context

In the film, the song is first sung by Gosling alone as the character of Sebastian as he sings and dances on the Hermosa Beach Pier. Later in the film, it is reprised by Sebastian and Mia during a montage of him getting ready to tour with Keith's band, as well as Mia quitting her job at a coffee shop and renting out a theater for her one-woman play.

Inspiration

, the composer of the song, discussed the writing of the song:

Music video

The music video was uploaded to Lionsgate Movies's YouTube channel on December 7th, 2016, and has gained more than 33 million views as of December 2025.

Accolades

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications