The 67th Annual Grammy Awards was filled with star-studded performances. From beautiful tributes to the late Quincy Jones and those harmed by the California Wildfires, an in memoriam performed by Chris Martin of Coldplay, and a shocking surprise performance from The Weeknd and Playboy Carti that squashed a 4 year Grammy Boycott for the artist, it’s needless to say the stage was alive this Sunday, and that these performances will go down in Grammy history.
Although all the artists did a phenomenal job, some stood out more than others, so we’re going to break down our Top 4 performances of the night…
NUMBER 4 - JANELLE MONÁE
Monáe took the stage during the tribute to Quincy Jones with an electrifying performance of ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’. Their energy was electric from the second the cameras landed on them, as Monáe channelled her inner Micheal Jackson, moonwalking across the stage. The ten-time Grammy nominee did not stop there, as they raced into the crowd, jumping onto a table and throwing their bedazzled suit jacket into the crowd and revealing a ‘I [Heart] QJ’ custom shirt. Watchers would soon discover the suit jacket was in the hands of Taylor Swift, who proceeded to wear it for the rest of the night. After jumping on the back of a security guard, Monáe found themselves back on stage for their final bow. Regardless of your familiarity with Monáe or Jones’ legacy, this was a performance anyone could get down with, as this raw fun energy was infectious. Monáe looked as if they were having the time of their lives, and that was reflected in the reception of the performance. Beautiful.
https://x.com/CELESTlALY/status/1886259117859143874
NUMBER 3 - CHARLIXCX
[ @Charli_xcx via Twitter ]
To end of the Grammys, riding high off the release of her hit album Brat was Charlixcx. She began her performance outside of the venue with ‘Von Dutch’, strutting out of a blacked-out car in a black fur jacket. In her shades and blue ensemble, she performs the bulk of the track on a small DIY rave-inspired stage, surrounded by some of the best well-dressed people I’ve ever seen, and being blasted by strobe lights. The camera work mimicked not only the ‘Von Dutch’ music video but also paid homage to the camerawork on this year's SWEAT and BRAT tours. As ‘Von Dutch’ mixed into ‘Guess’ Charli moved from the parking garage to the Grammys main stage where the huge digital screens blared a bright flashing white, not only emulating strobes but putting focus on Charli. Her performance ended with a group of partiers being showered by panties, similar to the ‘Guess Remix’ music video. While watching her performance, you may have also picked out familiar faces joining Charli on stage. Producers A.G Cook and The Dare and Models Gabriette, Alex Cosani, and Julia Fox, were all incorporated into the performance as Charli’s friends and symbols of Brat summer. From the crowd, the cameras panned to Billie Eilish as her remix was played, as well as Troye Sivan who is a long-time friend of Charli’s. This performance reeked of iconicness, capturing the essence of not only Brat but of Charli’s creative identity.
https://x.com/xcxshake/status/1886276685147799921
NUMBER 2 - DOECHII
[ @officaldoechii via Twitter ]
The Swamp Ruler Doechii was a standout at the Grammys with both her performance and her nominations. After being the third woman ever to win Best Rap Album for her mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal she took the stage for the Best New Artist performances where she performed her hits ‘Catfish’ and ‘Denial Is a River’. From the dancers dressed in her iconic Grey Uniforms to the utilization of the entire stage, and he choreography from the entire team, Doechii had jaws on the floor her entire performance. Some would say her multitasking skills are insane, as while being flipped around in the air, being lifted and carried by her dancers, and even striking poses on a treadmill-esc spot on the floor, her microphone was loud and ON. This entire performance was sickening, one that you could watch over and over and never get bored of. Doechii was BORN to perform, and I cannot wait to see what she gets up to in 2025.
https://x.com/Kvn_bjx/status/1886239350490337300
NUMBER 1 - CHAPPELL ROAN
Our Grammy Winning Midwest Princess Chappell Roan took the stage at the Grammys singing ‘Pink Pony Club’, her love letter to LA. For plenty, this was an extraordinarily emotional and moving performance, especially for those who have been following Roan since the release of her debut album in September 2023. Her entire performance was a pink cowboy fever dream, with her dancers and band dressed in chaps and clown face paint, the digital background depicting western cartoon scene with “My Drink is Karma” billboards, and of course Roan herself riding in on a massive pink pony in an iconic glitter bodysuit. To keep with the tradition, the entire academy witnessed the “Lesbian Guitar Crawl”, where Roan kitty crawls across the stage to her guitarist playing the final riff of the track. This part of the performance is a staple during live shows, and fans were thrilled to see it brought to a large stage. Although Roan’s entire performance was extraordinarily powerful, the true weight of the act could be seen during the final Pre-chorus, where Roan shouted “Sing It!” and was met with the voices of not only fans but with her musical peers and members of the academy, cementing the long-lasting impact Roan has made on her rise to fame.
https://x.com/ChappellRoanNow/status/1886234717508542616
For a full list of all the Grammy Performances, Pitchfork has them listed HERE!
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