Beyoncé Opens 2022 Oscars from Venus and Serena Williams' Hometown Tennis Courts in Compton

"Sing it like you mean it," Beyoncé told her backup crew during the live performance

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Updated on March 28, 2022 06:58PM EDT

Beyoncé knows how to put on a show!

The 40-year-old superstar opened the 94th annual Academy Awards on Sunday, performing live from Venus and Serena Williams' hometown tennis courts in Compton, California — miles away from where the main ceremony was held at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre.

Singing her nominated song "Be Alive" from the Williams sisters' movie King Richard, Beyoncé dressed the part in a tennis-ball green and yellow ensemble. She told her backup dancers and musicians to "sing it like you mean it" during the sunny showcase.

This is Beyoncé's first Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

The other nominees are Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Dos Oruguitas" from Encanto; Van Morrison's "Down to Joy" from Belfast; Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell's "No Time to Die" from No Time to Die; and Diane Warren's "Somehow You Do" from Four Good Days.

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King Richard actor Will Smith previously told Entertainment Weekly in October about Beyoncé's song for the inspirational drama, saying the Williams sisters inspired the music superstar to do a song for the film.

"The marriage of a movie and a song is a kind of magic that's unmatched in entertainment. I was so happy when Beyoncé called," he said.

RELATED VIDEO: Venus Williams' 'Wow' Moment Seeing Will Smith Play Her Father in King Richard: He 'Embodied My Dad'

In her September Harper's BAZAAR cover story, Beyoncé teased her plans for new music, saying at the time, "I've been in the studio for a year and a half. Sometimes it takes a year for me to personally search through thousands of sounds to find just the right kick or snare."

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"One chorus can have up to 200 stacked harmonies," she continued. "Still, there's nothing like the amount of love, passion and healing that I feel in the recording studio. After 31 years, it feels just as exciting as it did when I was 9 years old. Yes, the music is coming!"

The 2022 Oscars — hosted by Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall — are airing Sunday from Hollywood's Dolby Theatre on ABC.