Eminem performs on stage during the 92nd Academy Awards. TNS

Eminem caught the Oscar audience and viewers around the globe off guard with a surprise performance of his hit track Lose Yourself at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards.

It was particularly puzzling since the artist was not involved in any of the nominated movies this year, and it was unclear why he was singing a nearly two-decade-old song at the 2020 Oscars.

Now the Grammy-winning rapper has explained why he ended up performing his Oscar-winning track at this year’s ceremony. 

The record in question won Best Original Song after featuring on the soundtrack to his 2002 film 8 Mile 17 years ago.

Eminem has now revealed that he chose to perform it this year because he didn’t attend the ceremony when he won in 2003.

“I kinda figured maybe since I didn’t get a chance to do it at the time, maybe it would be cool,” he told Variety.

“Back then, I never even thought that I had a chance to win, and we had just performed Lose Yourself on the Grammys with the Roots a couple of weeks before the Oscars, so we didn’t think it was a good idea.”

He added: “And also, back at that time, the younger me didn’t really feel like a show like that would understand me. But then when I found out I won, ‘That’s crazy!’

“That to me shows how authentic and real that award is — when you don’t show up and you still win. That makes it very real to me.”

At one stage during Eminem’s performance, the camera cut to The Irishman director Martin Scorsese, who did not seem to be enjoying it.

Eminem said the timing felt right this year “because we just put out an album, so we said maybe that’ll make sense.”

His recent album Music to Be Murdered By was also a surprise.