Closing time? No, it’s Oscar time for Minnesotan Dan Wilson

A man in a sweater holds an electric guitar
Dan Wilson has been nominated for his first Oscar.
Courtesy photo

Minnesotan Dan Wilson was nominated for an Oscar on Tuesday for his work on the movie “American Symphony.”

He co-wrote the song “It Never Went Away” with Jon Batiste, and together they are up against songs from Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon and Flamin’ Hot.

Wilson is known for being in the Minneapolis rock band Semisonic, where he wrote “Closing Time,” which earned him a Grammy nomination.

In October, he spoke with MPR News about the latest Semisonic album, “Little Bit of Sun.”

“When I was starting out, I was obsessed with certain artist and listened so carefully, I was so into it,” he said in the interview. “It didn’t really occur to me I could turn the tables and be the person to provide that experience for other people. That was a slow process, and I only really awakened to it in the middle of my music career.”

A man sings and plays guitar onstage
Dan Wilson of Semisonic performing at The Current's 18th Anniversary Weekend at First Avenue in Minneapolis.
Darin Kamnetz for MPR | 2023

He’s won Grammys for his songwriting and producing work with The Chicks and Adele, respectively.

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