SZA, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish Light Up The 2024 GRAMMYs Stage

The 2024 GRAMMYs are here.

Hosted by South African comedian Trevor Noah, the annual awards ceremony was chock-full of exciting performances from some of the biggest names in the global music industry. The Crypto.com stage was graced by some of music’s greatest names, such as the comeback of Billy Joel after 17 years and Joni Mitchell’s rare return to the stage. The new generation of music stars also rocked the venue, such as Dua Lipa’s performance of “Houdini,” Olivia Rodrigo‘s “vampire” off her stellar album, GUTS, and more.

Check out our roundup of the performances at this year’s edition of the GRAMMYs below.

Dua Lipa

Dua Lipa opened the GRAMMYs with a smashing performance of her smash hit, “Houdini.” Armed with a full ensemble of backup dancers and a steel set, the whole Crypto.com erupted in applause with every high energy dance move and note she sang out.

Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman

Country hitmaker Luke Combs teamed up with legendary artist Tracy Chapman to breathe new life into Chapman’s “Fast Car.” In a pre-recorded interview of Combs before the performance, he shared, “It’s already iconic even before you hear the words…Tracy is an icon and one of the best songwriters we’ve ever seen…just to be associated with her in any way, it’s already humbling for me.”

The venue resounded with cheers when the song’s first chords were played. This was Chapman’s first ever live performance since 2020, and the first time the two artists shared the stage together. The duo were accompanied by a great string performance that greatly complimented one of the most memorable chord progressions in the world.

SZA

This year’s most nominated artist set the stage on fire with her performance of “Kill Bill” off her latest album, SOS. The stage was dripping in red lights with an almost performance art-like choreography. There was a short fight scene with the background dancers, until they “dropped dead” on the floor. Some of the dancers also wielded katanas and integrated them as part of their performance.

“It is giving cinema,” the Recording Academy Twitter wrote, as a recap of the performance.

Billie Eilish and Finneas

Billie Eilish’s performance of “What Was I Made For?” from the film, Barbie definitely tugged at our heartstrings. She was dressed aptly in pink while her brother and producer Finneas played the piano. The performance was intimate and full of emotion — and definitely deserved the standing ovation she got afterwards.

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus’ performance of “Flowers” was the first time she’s ever performed the song on live television. “Endless Summer Vacation is defined by bathing suits…when I wrote ‘Flowers,’ part of the magic was that I had no exceptions,” she said in the pre-performance video. “I just want to be the artist that my idols would be proud of.”

Her signature deep and powerful voice resonated throughout the theater. In the middle of the first chorus, she even poked fun at the audience, saying, “Why are you guys acting like you don’t know this song?” The camera then cut to Taylor Swift singing and dancing her heart out to the song.

Before cutting to the chorus break, she exclaimed, “I just won my first GRAMMY!” which celebrated her win as the Best Solo Pop Performance earlier in the night.

Olivia Rodrigo

Filipino-American phenom Olivia Rodrigo graced the stage with her performance of “vampire.” She was decked out in a red, satin-like dress accompanied with soft red lights and a blood-like spattered background to boot. Her powerful voice was as great live as it is in the studio recording. Trevor Noah had poked fun earlier in the night by asking how Rodrigo planned to change the expletives in her song for the television — and the singer-songwriter cleverly changed “fame f*cker” to “dream crusher.”

In a review of the song by Billboard Philippines, we wrote, “In “vampire”, we hear Rodrigo’s strong vocals narrating a tumultuous relationship with an older male figure, building it up with anecdotes of wry sarcasm that take jabs at her former lover. Though the lyrics are specific to what she’s been through, how Rodrigo captivates her listeners makes this part of our lives as well––eliciting the same kind of relief she now feels following this relationship.”

Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox, Jon Batiste, and Fantasia Barrino

Pianist and singer extraordinaire Stevie Wonder was in charge of singing a beautiful tribute for the artists that passed away in the past year. He played “Night And Day” by the late Tony Bennett, and during the performance, a video recording of Bennett’s past performance of the song allowed for the two to duet.

Annie Lennox performed “Nothing Compares 2 U” as a tribute to Sinead O’Connor. She had previously written about the musical icon, saying, “Sinead… You bared your soul… shared your brilliance through your exquisite artistry, your incredible voice. Fierce and fragile, lioness and lamb, sweet singing bird, keenly tuned, trembling, toe-toeing along the high wire or stamping the ground.”

Fantasia Barrino paid her tribute to Tina Turner with an electrifying performance of “Proud Mary.” The performance was complete with dazzling dresses, choreography, and a killer live band. There was even a moment where she walked off the stage and into the audience, saying, “I need a pretty lady!” before she went up to Dua Lipa and started dancing with her.

Joni Mitchell

Legendary folk singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell made her first GRAMMYs performance today. The 80-year-old artist made her first appearance after 50 years on the award show. This marks the second time Mitchell will be performing live in front of an audience, following a near-fatal brain aneurysm that occurred last 2015. She was awarded Best Folk Album for Joni Mitchell Live At Newport.

“Anyone who has ever wanted to become a singer-songwriter stands on the shoulders of Joni Mitchell,” Brandy Carlisle said in her introduction to the artist.

The stage was decked out in a warm light, a chandelier lighting her face softly as a rotating chair showed Mitchell to the audience. It was a tear-jerking performance as the singer-songwriter legend held her cane and sang “Both Sides Now,” which was originally released in 1969. Her voice, almost untouched by time, rang out as the audience hushed over to listen. Her accompaniment of a clarinet, electric and acoustic guitar, cello, and backup singers only emphasized this legendary moment.

As the song concluded, her beaming smile brought tears to the audience as they gave her standing ovation. Truly an unforgettable moment.

Travis Scott

Rapper Travis Scott performed “MY EYES” and “FE!N” with Playboi Carti from his latest record, UTOPIA. With his silhouette surrounded by smoke, it was definitely a mesmerizing performance. Then in the (literal) heat of the song, the pyrotechnics went off as Travis Scott took on an aggressive performance, screaming into the mic in the middle of the track. Chairs were thrown and broken on the stage, leaving his undeniable Travis Scott mark in the theater.

Burna Boy

Burna Boy’s performance marked the first time the Afrobeats genre was performed on the GRAMMYs stage. The performance was a beautiful tribute to African culture, with the dancers and artist himself dressed in bright colors, and Afro-inspired fashion. The Nigerian born Burna Boy lit up the stage with a live brass section and was accompanied by singer Brandy and rapper 21 Savage.

Billy Joel

Legendary singer Billy Joel performed his first single, “Turn The Lights Back On.” “The last time I wrote a song…it has to be 30 years ago. A lot of people asked me, ‘why did you stop writing,’ and I just didn’t want to,” the “piano man” said.

Billy Joel shared that it took two years to convince him to record again. He opened up about how he hated hearing his voice, and that he has now found the joy again in writing music. Armed with his trusty piano and an orchestra, it truly was a special moment that Billy Joel wrapped up the show’s performances with his fateful return to music. As an additional surprise, after they announced that Taylor Swift clinched the Album of the Year, Billy Joel went up again to close out the entire show.

Missed the show? Check out the full list of 2024 GRAMMY award winners here.